JabRef vs Paperpile

JabRef is a free, open-source citation and reference manager for collecting and organizing research sources. It works natively with BibTeX and BibLaTeX libraries stored as text, imports references from more than 15 formats, and extracts metadata from PDFs. Users can search scientific catalogs such as CrossRef, Google Scholar, PubMed, Springer, arXiv, and zbMATH. Library tools include hierarchical collections, keywords and tags, advanced search and filters, duplicate merging, and customizable citation keys. JabRef supports cite-as-you-write workflows with Word and LibreOffice/OpenOffice, and can send citation keys to editors including Emacs, LyX, TeXstudio, Vim, and WinEdt. Its browser extension collects bibliographic information from websites, though the documentation warns it is non-functional on Chrome. Teams can share a SQL database, and SSL connections are supported; SSL testing is documented only for PostgreSQL. Since version 6, users can summarize papers and chat with them through external AI providers, which process requests and linked PDFs. The project directs users to documentation and a community forum for help, with bug reports handled through GitHub.

Paperpile is a reference manager for collecting, organizing and writing with research papers. It can import references, extract PDF metadata, organize libraries with folders and labels, detect duplicates, repair metadata and search collections. Plans include unlimited storage for research PDFs. Citation support includes more than 10,000 styles, with plugins for Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Shared folders and libraries, access permissions, and collaborative PDF annotations and citations support group work. The Android and iOS apps sync with the web library and support highlights, notes and drawn annotations. Users can also search 150 million articles across sources including PubMed, arXiv and CrossRef, and save PDFs with one tap. Integrations include Google Drive sync, Overleaf, browser extensions, and academic databases and publishers. Regular costs $4.15 a month and Expert costs $5.75 a month, with all plans billed annually; a 30-day trial is available. New sign-ups are currently available on Chrome, while Safari and Firefox access is in beta.