Best Reference Management Software in 2026
25 reference management software ranked on what their makers publish — plans and prices, free tiers, platforms and the facts on their own pages.
25ranked
15free plans on this page
$1.67/molowest paid tier
2 Oct 2026last checked
#1 EndNote Top pick · 9.4 Free plan · Free
#2 Zotero Runner-up · 9.1 Free plan · $1.67/mo
#3 Paperpile Also great · 8.6 $4.15/mo
- Free planFree trial extensioniOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan AndroidapiextensioniOSLinuxmacOSself-hostedWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$1.67/mofirst paid tier About ZoteroVisit site - Free trial AndroidextensioniOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- Paid from
- 4.15 /user/mo
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$4.15/mofirst paid tier About PaperpileVisit site - Free plan extensionLinuxmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$4.58/mofirst paid tier About Mendeley Reference ManagerVisit site - Free planFree trial iOSLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free trial AndroidapiextensioniOSmacOSWebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$7.92/mofirst paid tier About ReadCube PapersVisit site - Free plan extensionWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- 4.99 /user/mo
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$2.55/mofirst paid tier About PetalVisit site - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
- Citation plugins
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms$15/mofirst paid tier About PaperiteVisit site - Free planFree trial AndroidextensioniOSWeb
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan extensionLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- Citation plugins
- Yes
- Browser capture
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan extensionLinuxmacOSWindows
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan macOSiOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebWindows
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan macOS
- Free plan
- Yes
- PDF annotation
- Yes
- Browser capture
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatformsFree About WrenVisit site - Free planOpen source WebWindowsmacOSLinux
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan Web
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- PDF annotation
- Yes
- Citation plugins
- Yes
- Browser capture
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- PDF annotation
- No
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Free plan macOS
- Free plan
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - WebWindows
- Free plan
- No
- PDF annotation
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - Web
- Citation plugins
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - LinuxWeb
- Browser capture
- Yes
RecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms - LinuxRecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
- WindowsmacOSLinuxRecognisedDocumentedFree planFree trialPlatforms
Is your platform on this list?
Numbered spots on this list can be sponsored. They are labelled, and the editorial order and scores never change for payment.
Questions about this list
Which reference management software is ranked first on The Geeks Club?
EndNote is ranked #1 of 25 with a score of 9.4. Zotero is second and Paperpile third.
How many of these have a free plan?
15 of the 25 on this page publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
Which is the cheapest paid option?
On this page, Zotero has the lowest first paid tier we found: $1.67/mo.
How is this list ranked?
Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on. Paid placements never change a rank.
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