Librarian
Which tool is right for me?
Zotero and Mendeley are both free citation managers with software that you can download and use to curate your personal library of references. Both tools offer web-based access to your library; simply log in to your account at zotero.org or mendeley.com. To use all features of the citation manager, and in order to use the word processor plugin to format citations, you must download the desktop software for Zotero or Mendeley.
Here are a few other things to consider before you make your choice:
| Zotero | Mendeley | |
|---|---|---|
| Free storage capacity | 300 MB | 2 GB |
| Browser compatibility | Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari | Chrome, Firefox |
| Word processor compatibility | Microsoft Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice | Microsoft Word |
| Access from cloud | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile capability | iOS and Android - Zotero Bookmarklet and third-party apps (primarily save items to your library - use desktop Zotero for full features) | iOS and Android (primarily read and annotate papers, no citation formatting - use Mendeley Desktop for full features) |
| Add item by identifying number | arXivID, DOI, ISBN, PubMed ID | arXivID, DOI, PubMed ID |
| Open source software | Yes | No |
