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At a Glance
Mendeley
Mendeley
Star Rating
(244)4.3 out of 5
Market Segments
Enterprise (48.7% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about Mendeley
Zotero
Zotero
Star Rating
(97)4.4 out of 5
Market Segments
Small-Business (38.9% of reviews)
Information
Entry-Level Pricing
No pricing available
Learn more about Zotero
AI Generated Summary
AI-generated. Powered by real user reviews.
  • Users report that Mendeley excels in its "Ease of Setup" with a score of 9.2, making it a preferred choice for those who want a quick start, while Zotero, with a score of 9.5, is noted for its seamless integration with web browsers, enhancing user experience during setup.
  • Reviewers mention that Mendeley has a strong focus on "Enterprise" users, with 48.7% of reviews coming from this segment, which may provide more tailored features for larger organizations, whereas Zotero, with a larger small-business user base (38.9%), is often praised for its affordability and accessibility for individual researchers.
  • G2 users highlight that both products have similar "Quality of Support" ratings at 7.9, but users on G2 note that Mendeley offers more comprehensive documentation and community forums, which can be beneficial for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Users say that Mendeley’s "Product Direction" score of 8.0 indicates a positive outlook for future updates, while Zotero's score of 7.6 suggests that users are slightly less optimistic about its development trajectory, which could impact long-term usability.
  • Reviewers mention that Mendeley’s "Meets Requirements" score of 8.6 reflects its robust feature set, including advanced PDF annotation tools, while Zotero shines with its "Ease of Use" score of 8.5, particularly for users who prioritize simplicity and straightforward functionality.
  • Users report that Mendeley’s "Total Number of Reviews" (242) indicates a larger user base, which may lead to more community-driven insights and shared experiences, while Zotero, with 96 reviews, is often highlighted for its dedicated user community that actively contributes to its development and support.
Pricing
Entry-Level Pricing
Mendeley
No pricing available
Zotero
No pricing available
Free Trial
Mendeley
No trial information available
Zotero
No trial information available
Ratings
Meets Requirements
8.6
217
9.1
79
Ease of Use
8.7
217
8.5
79
Ease of Setup
9.2
11
9.5
7
Ease of Admin
9.6
9
Not enough data
Quality of Support
7.9
140
7.9
54
Has the product been a good partner in doing business?
8.9
6
Not enough data
Product Direction (% positive)
8.0
210
7.6
74
Categories
Categories
Shared Categories
Mendeley
Mendeley
Zotero
Zotero
Mendeley and Zotero are categorized as Reference Management
Unique Categories
Mendeley
Mendeley has no unique categories
Zotero
Zotero has no unique categories
Reviews
Reviewers' Company Size
Mendeley
Mendeley
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
30.3%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
21.0%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
48.7%
Zotero
Zotero
Small-Business(50 or fewer emp.)
38.9%
Mid-Market(51-1000 emp.)
26.3%
Enterprise(> 1000 emp.)
34.7%
Reviewers' Industry
Mendeley
Mendeley
Higher Education
42.9%
Research
23.1%
Education Management
7.1%
Hospital & Health Care
2.5%
Mechanical or Industrial Engineering
2.1%
Other
22.3%
Zotero
Zotero
Higher Education
36.8%
Research
28.4%
Education Management
8.4%
Hospital & Health Care
3.2%
Biotechnology
3.2%
Other
20.0%
Most Helpful Reviews
Mendeley
Mendeley
Most Helpful Favorable Review
M. Serhat D.
MD
M. Serhat D.
Verified User in Information Technology and Services

Cross-platform support is the biggest advantage of Mendeley. It supports Windows, OSx, Linux, iOS and Anroid. Most of the smilar software doesn't support Linux operating systems, but mendeley does. The second biggest advantage for me was ready-to-use...

Most Helpful Critical Review
Morgan R.
MR
Morgan R.
Verified User in Research

Everything great about Mendeley, from before the Elsevier acquisition, is gone. The application used to be entirely functional for creating in-text citations with the Word plug-in offline. Now, you must be signed in to your Mendeley account to use the Word...

Zotero
Zotero
Most Helpful Favorable Review
Verified User in Research
GR
Verified User in Research

Back in college I used Zotero for everything. Its seamless Firefox integration and later integration with Word were exactly what I needed, and unlike EndNote, I could install it on all my own devices with no trouble and no fees. I now use it very...

Most Helpful Critical Review
Verified User
G
Verified User in Marketing and Advertising

I think Zotero can make their interface more efficient by changing the way they present their features. Also every time you want to change the style of your references on a document or more it feels like it ruins everything else.

Alternatives
Mendeley
Mendeley Alternatives
EndNote
EndNote
Add EndNote
ReadCube
ReadCube
Add ReadCube
EasyBib.com
EasyBib.com
Add EasyBib.com
Sciwheel
Sciwheel
Add Sciwheel
Zotero
Zotero Alternatives
EndNote
EndNote
Add EndNote
ReadCube
ReadCube
Add ReadCube
EasyBib.com
EasyBib.com
Add EasyBib.com
Sciwheel
Sciwheel
Add Sciwheel
Discussions
Mendeley
Mendeley Discussions
Why is Mojave not supported after a year of release?
1 comment
Antonio G.  Z.
AZ
I use Mojave and it is totally supported. Let download the mac os version of mendeley desktop.Read more
Why Elsevier is insisting on changing Mendeley functionalities
1 comment
FH
I think this is an awful move. The reference manager is clunky, slow, and user hostile. The good news is that (for now) it is possible to import your library...Read more
What is the function of software Mendeley?
1 comment
Rafael S.
RS
Its main uses are: reading texts and organizing academic referencesRead more
Zotero
Zotero Discussions
How do i reference webpages?
2 comments
Scruffs O.
SO
It isn't available immediately, but if you select a different option--book for example--, you are able to change it after the fact to be a web page.Read more
Can you tell me, why the need to include so much information in a citation?
2 comments
MF
the field is there just in case we (author, the one who cite) have the info. Not all field are compulsory.. My way.. I'd normally find the items isbn or...Read more
What is Zotero used for?
2 comments
Vladislav I.
VI
Systematic and collaborative bibliography managementRead more