CitePlain vs EasyBib
CitePlain
citeplain.comEasyBib
easybib.comSide by side
| Figure | CitePlain | EasyBib |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $3.25/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 2 |
| Spec score · Citation generators | 8.9 (#4) | 7.7 (#33) |
| Spec score · Citation Generator Tools | 8.7 (#4) | 7.4 (#23) |
| Audience | CitePlain describes itself as suited to quickly generating an individual citation and says it is not trying to replace Zotero as a research reference manager. | EasyBib says its tools help educators teach and students learn to become effective and organized researchers. |
| Browser extension | The extension is listed for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox and reads metadata from the active tab. | EasyBib’s Chrome Toolbar extension can cite websites with one click and provide guidance about a source’s credibility. |
| Privacy | CitePlain says saved references on the free tier live in browser local storage and never leave the device. | Chegg’s privacy policy says user-uploaded content may be used to provide services and improve products, including training or fine-tuning AI and machine-learning models. |
| Support | Email support is handled by one person, with replies promised within one business day and often within a few hours. | EasyBib links to a support page and its terms say subscriptions can be canceled through support or by emailing [email protected]. |
Plans
CitePlain
- FreeFree
- Pro monthly$4.99 a month
- Pro yearly$39 a year
- Founder Lifetime$89, paid once
- Lifetime Founder$89, paid once
- Lifetime$199, paid once
- Lifetime$199, paid once
In their own words
CitePlain
CitePlain creates citations and bibliographies from web pages, journal articles, books, tweets, YouTube videos, and podcasts. It accepts URLs, DOIs, or ISBNs, and uses publisher citation and Open Graph metadata, with Crossref lookup for DOIs and Open Library for ISBNs. The free plan includes APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 17, Vancouver, CSE, and BibTeX, plus a bibliography builder for up to 50 sources per batch. The extension for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox can read metadata from the active tab and provide BibTeX with a stable cite key for Overleaf or Zotero. Pro adds 24 specialised styles, batch URL import for up to 50 sources, and cloud storage synced across the web app and extension. Free-tier references stay in browser local storage. Pro costs $4.99 a month or $39 a year. Lifetime options are listed at 89.00 USD once and 199.00 USD once. CitePlain describes its focus as individual citations rather than replacing a research reference manager.
EasyBib
EasyBib combines citation, research, and writing tools for students and educators. Its citation tools cover thousands of styles, including MLA and APA, with Chicago and Turabian also named. Source options include websites, books, journals, films and online videos, databases, and dissertations; users can export bibliographies to Google Drive or Microsoft Word. The Writing Assistant offers grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, flow, and paraphrasing suggestions. Its plagiarism checker compares writing against billions of sources and provides similarity reports. Expert Check offers customized feedback from writing experts within 48 hours. The Chrome Toolbar extension can cite websites with one click and provide source-credibility guidance. EasyBib is available on the web and as an extension. The free plan includes citation generation and the first five grammar suggestions. Additional grammar suggestions, unlimited plagiarism checks, and Expert Check require a subscription. EasyBib Plus renews monthly and includes up to 30 Expert Checks per billing period, for papers of 10,000 words or less submitted one at a time; its price is disclosed at enrollment.