EndNote vs Zotero
EndNote
endnote.com
Zotero
zotero.orgSide by side
| Figure | EndNote | Zotero |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $1.67/mo |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 8 |
| Spec score · Reference Management Software | 8.5 (#4) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Spec score · Citation Management Software | 8.5 (#5) | 8.6 (#4) |
| Citation styles | EndNote provides access to over 7,000 citation styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. | Zotero supports more than 9,000 citation styles and can create references and bibliographies inside Word, LibreOffice, and Google Docs. |
| Support | EndNote advertises free product support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by phone, email, or web chat. | Most Zotero support occurs in the public Zotero Forums. |
Plans
EndNote
- Upgrade License$94, paid once
- Student License$113, paid once
- Full License$206, paid once
- Multi-User LicensePriced on request
Zotero
- 300 MBFree
- Free storageFree
- 2 GB$20 a year
- 2 GB storage$20 a year
- 6 GB$60 a year
- 6 GB storage$60 a year
- Unlimited$120 a year
- Unlimited storage$120 a year
In their own words
EndNote
EndNote is a bibliography maker and reference organizer for searching, storing, annotating, and citing research. It provides more than 7,000 citation styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago, and over 4,000 connection files for searching and importing references from databases and library catalogs. Cite While You Write supports Microsoft Word, Word Online, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and Apache OpenOffice Writer; Apple Pages is also listed as a macOS integration. EndNote 2025’s Research Assistant can answer questions about a document, summarize research, and translate PDFs or selected text. Find a Journal and Web of Science records support research discovery. Desktop libraries can sync with EndNote Web, and sharing can include up to 1,000 people with access and editing permissions. The 30-day trial includes paid-version features. Listed one-time prices are 94.00 USD for the Upgrade License, 113.00 USD for the Student License, and 206.00 USD for the Full License. EndNote is available on Windows, macOS, web, iOS, and as an extension.
Zotero
Zotero is an open-source tool for collecting, organizing, annotating, citing and sharing research. Its browser Connector can identify research items during browsing and save them to a library. Collections, keyword tags and saved searches help organize material, while a PDF reader and note editor support working with documents. Zotero supports over 9,000 citation styles and integrates with Microsoft Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs. The desktop app stores research locally by default; syncing is optional. Zotero Storage can sync PDFs, images, web snapshots and other files across devices, with access through an online library. Libraries can be shared with any number of people at no cost, and groups support shared collections. The free plan includes 300 MB of storage; paid storage starts at $20/year for 2 GB. Zotero says synced data is encrypted in transit and newly created accounts' data is encrypted at rest with AES-256. The data server is in the United States. The data server software can be run locally, though Zotero says self-hosting is technically challenging and unsupported. Most support takes place in public forums.