Logically vs refbase
Logically
logically.apprefbase
wiki.refbase.netSide by side
| Figure | Logically | refbase |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $1/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | — | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Reference Management Software | 8.2 (#11) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Collaboration | Users can create shared libraries, invite others, and set permissions for collaborators. | The interface is multi-user and includes user-specific fields for personal keywords and notes. |
| Purpose | Logically describes itself as an all-in-one workspace for managing references, conducting literature reviews, annotating files, taking notes, and writing papers. | refbase is a web-based, multi-user interface for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. |
| Support | The pricing page lists a Help Center and priority human support among its customer-success features. | The project directs users to its documentation, forums, and mailing lists for help and discussion. |
Plans
In their own words
Logically
Logically is a research workspace for managing references, reviewing literature, annotating files, taking notes, and writing papers. Its AI assistant can search, summarize, and compare references across libraries, with inline citations and data sources. The reference manager accepts PDF, DOCX, TXT, MDOWN, EPUB, and PPTX files, along with URLs and DOIs. Users can import reference data from Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote in RIS, BibTeX, or CFF formats. Semantic Scholar Mode draws on a database of 200 million peer-reviewed papers, and Logically says it supports more than 10,000 citation styles. Shared libraries, invitations, and collaborator permissions support group work. The free Cite Extension inserts citations and bibliographies from a Logically library into Microsoft Word; compatibility includes Word on the web, Word 2019 or later on Mac, and Word with Microsoft 365 on Mac or Windows. Logically runs as an extension, on macOS and Windows, and on the web. Free costs nothing and includes 100MB storage with daily AI-use limits. Unlimited is listed at $12 a year, billed at $12 per user/month yearly.
refbase
refbase is a web-based, multi-user application for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. It offers quick, simple, advanced, and SQL searches, including searches within results. Records can be shown in citation or print views, and the application generates formatted citation lists. It imports and exports records in formats such as MODS XML, RIS, BibTeX, and EndNote. The feature list names compatibility with desktop clients including Zotero and EndNote, as well as an open API and command-line client. Dynamic RSS feeds can track recently added or edited records and custom queries. Users can keep personal keywords and notes in user-specific fields. refbase is a free, self-hosted application licensed under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. Running it requires a web server, PHP 4.4.0 or greater, and MySQL 4.1.x or greater for Unicode support. The web installer requires a MySQL user with full database access, and some shared hosts may require manual installation. Bibutils is optional and recommended for added import and export functionality.