Bookends vs RefWorks
Bookends
sonnysoftware.com
RefWorks
refworks.proquest.comSide by side
| Figure | Bookends | RefWorks |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $1.25/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| API | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Reference Management Software | 8.3 (#7) | 7.9 (#18) |
| Spec score · Citation Management Software | 8.3 (#7) | 7.9 (#18) |
| Privacy | For Mac purchases, Sonny Software may receive name, postal address, and email, but says it never receives or stores personal financial information such as card numbers. | The RefWorks sign-in notice says the institution is the data controller and ProQuest processes personal data under a contract with the institution to provide the service. |
| Purpose | Bookends is a reference management app for students and professionals to collect, organize, annotate, cite, sync, share, and publish research. | RefWorks is a cloud-based reference management service that supports institutions and researchers with research and writing workflows. |
| Support | The maker offers a technical support request form and directs users to its FAQ, email, and user forum for help or questions. | Clarivate lists 24/7 product training and support for RefWorks. |
Plans
Bookends
- Bookends for iOS Premium$14.99 a year
- Bookends for iOS Standard$14.99, paid once
- Bookends for Mac upgrade$49.99, paid once
- Bookends for Mac single-user license$74.99, paid once
In their own words
Bookends
Bookends is a reference-management app for students and professionals working with research. It collects, organizes, annotates, cites, syncs, shares, and publishes references across macOS, iOS, and a browser extension. The Mac app includes hundreds of searches for scholarly sources and institutional libraries, and can import references and PDFs. Its reader combines PDF annotations, notes, deep links, and searches across reference records and attached file contents. Bookends can scan manuscripts, replace temporary citations, and create in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies using built-in or CSL styles. Imports include EndNote XML, RIS, BibTeX, PubMed, and SenteXML, with integrations for Microsoft Word and other listed applications. Bookends Bridge connects browsers to the Mac app. MCP-capable AI assistants can search references, read PDFs, add notes and highlights, locate citations, and create bibliographies. Mac and iOS libraries sync through iCloud and can be shared with colleagues.
RefWorks
RefWorks is a cloud-based reference management service for collecting, organizing, collaborating on, and publishing research. Users can find, import, and save references from sources such as PubMed and the Library of Congress, then organize files including PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and HTML. Deduplication tools help maintain a reference library. The service can generate citations and bibliographies in more than 6,000 styles, and includes a citation style editor. Its RefWorks Citation Manager add-in connects with Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Researchers can privately share full-text documents and work together on group projects in real time. RefWorks also integrates with databases and library systems including Web of Science, ProQuest Central, and Summon. It runs in a browser, and its interface is available in nine languages. New users can enter an institutional email to check subscription availability; access is offered through subscribing institutions. Institutional administrators can manage accounts, distribute citation styles, measure usage, and set collaboration and annotation rights. Pricing is available on request, and the product page offers a trial request without stating its duration.