GUIDES · REFERENCE MANAGERS
Zotero vs EndNote.
Both collect references, store PDFs and insert citations into Word. The real differences are price, platforms, and how each handles sharing and AI. Here is a plain comparison from their own documentation, and where Docr’d, which we make, fits beside them.
The short answer
- Choose Zotero if you want free, open-source software with plugins for Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs, apps on every platform, and free group libraries.
- Choose EndNote if your institution provides it, your field or team already works in it, or you rely on its Word integration and AI summaries of attached PDFs.
Side by side
| Zotero | EndNote | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free; 300 MB of file storage free, then $20–$120 a year | $275 once, $150 for students, $125 to upgrade |
| License | Open source (AGPLv3) | Commercial |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, Android and a web library | Windows, macOS, EndNote Web and an iPad app |
| Word processors | Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs | Word, including Word Online (Cite While You Write) |
| Citation styles | More than 10,000 CSL styles | EndNote’s own output styles |
| AI | None built in; third-party plugins exist | Summaries, chat and translation for attached PDFs |
| OCR for scans | None built in | None documented |
Checked October 2026 against each vendor’s own pages; prices and features change, so confirm before you buy.
Scanned PDFs
Neither has documented built-in OCR, so neither can read a scan that has no text layer. A Zotero team member recommends adding one with other software first, and EndNote documents no built-in OCR, so a scanned PDF needs a text layer before EndNote can read it. Until it has a text layer, a scan cannot be searched, quoted or summarized.
Where Docr’d fits
Docr’d is a research library for the reading that comes after collecting, and it works alongside either one. Hosted reconstruction rebuilds scans into searchable text, with formulas as editable LaTeX and tables as real tables, each linked back to its spot on the page. Notes link to the exact page, outlines turn into cited drafts, and citations come in 14 built-in styles or as BibTeX, BibLaTeX, RIS or CSL JSON.
Docr’d imports a Zotero library directly, with its PDFs, marks, notes and collections. From EndNote, export RIS or BibTeX and import that; those files carry references only, so add the PDFs afterwards. Docr’d has no Word plugin, so if you cite in Word every day, keep your reference manager for that. It is in early access.