refbase vs Zotero
refbase
wiki.refbase.net
Zotero
zotero.orgSide by side
| Figure | refbase | Zotero |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | $1.67/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | Yes |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 8 |
| Spec score · Reference Management Software | 8.3 (#9) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Collaboration | The interface is multi-user and includes user-specific fields for personal keywords and notes. | Users can share a Zotero library with as many people as they like at no cost, and groups support shared collections. |
| License | refbase is distributed under the GNU GPL. | Zotero source code is released under AGPLv3 unless a source file states otherwise. |
| Purpose | refbase is a web-based, multi-user interface for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. | Zotero is a free, open-source tool for collecting, organizing, annotating, citing, and sharing research. |
| Rating on G2 | 4.3 out of 5 from 3 reviews | 4.4 out of 5 from 99 reviews |
| Self-hosting | The documented installer is web-based, but manual installation is available when the host cannot grant the installer full MySQL privileges. | The open-source data server can be run locally, but Zotero says setup can be technically difficult and is unsupported. |
| Support | The project directs users to its documentation, forums, and mailing lists for help and discussion. | Most Zotero support occurs in the public Zotero Forums. |
| System requirements | Installation requires a web server, PHP 4.4 or newer with sessions and MySQL support, and MySQL 4.1 or newer for Unicode. | Desktop support requires macOS 10.15+, Windows 10+, or Linux meeting Firefox 140 library requirements. |
| What it does | refbase is a web-based, standards-oriented multi-user system for managing scientific literature and bibliographic references. | Zotero collects, organizes, analyzes, annotates, cites, and shares research sources. |
Plans
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
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.
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.