Mendeley Reference Manager vs RefWorks

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.

RefWorks is a cloud-based reference management service for collecting, organizing, collaborating on, and publishing research. Users can find, import, and save references from sources such as PubMed and the Library of Congress, then organize files including PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and HTML. Deduplication tools help maintain a reference library. The service can generate citations and bibliographies in more than 6,000 styles, and includes a citation style editor. Its RefWorks Citation Manager add-in connects with Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Researchers can privately share full-text documents and work together on group projects in real time. RefWorks also integrates with databases and library systems including Web of Science, ProQuest Central, and Summon. It runs in a browser, and its interface is available in nine languages. New users can enter an institutional email to check subscription availability; access is offered through subscribing institutions. Institutional administrators can manage accounts, distribute citation styles, measure usage, and set collaboration and annotation rights. Pricing is available on request, and the product page offers a trial request without stating its duration.