Mendeley Reference Manager vs refbase
Mendeley Reference Manager
mendeley.comrefbase
wiki.refbase.netSide by side
| Figure | Mendeley Reference Manager | refbase |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $4.58/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | — | Yes |
| Plans published | 7 | 2 |
| Spec score · Reference Management Software | 8.3 (#8) | 8.3 (#9) |
| Collaboration | Groups provide shared libraries where colleagues, course-mates or co-authors can add references and annotate PDFs in real time. | The interface is multi-user and includes user-specific fields for personal keywords and notes. |
| Purpose | Mendeley Reference Manager is a free web and desktop reference management application for organizing references and supporting research workflows. | refbase is a web-based, multi-user interface for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. |
| Support | The download page directs users to the Mendeley Support Center and release notes for help and updates. | The project directs users to its documentation, forums, and mailing lists for help and discussion. |
Plans
Mendeley Reference Manager
- FreeFree
- Plus$4.99 a month
- Pro$9.99 a month
- Max$14.99 a month
- Plus$55 a year
- Pro$110 a year
- Max$165 a year
In their own words
Mendeley Reference Manager
Mendeley Reference Manager is a web and desktop application for organizing references and supporting research workflows. Users can import PDFs or folders into a library, read and annotate documents, and collect thoughts in Mendeley Notebook. Mendeley Cite inserts citations and builds bibliographies in Microsoft Word using a chosen style. Shared groups let colleagues, course-mates, or co-authors contribute references and annotate PDFs together. Web Importer saves papers, web pages, and other documents from search engines and academic databases; it is available for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari. Watched Folders can import PDFs placed in a selected desktop folder. Offline mode syncs library changes after reconnecting. Free accounts include 2GB of storage and five Reading Assistant questions. Paid plans start at $4.99 per month, with higher tiers listing additional storage and Reading Assistant features. Mendeley is available on web, Windows, Linux, macOS, and as a browser extension. The Windows download page lists Windows 10 and above as supported.
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.