Best Citavi Alternatives in 2025

Looking for alternatives to Citavi? In this comparison, we take a closer look at Citavi alongside similar software solutions including Citavi, EndNote, Mendeley Desktop, Up Endnote X Mac and Zotero.

Our detailed comparison table highlights key features, pricing, and performance of these leading solutions, empowering you to make an informed decision. Whether you're seeking robust functionality, user-friendly design, or cost-effective alternatives, explore how Citavi, EndNote, Mendeley Desktop, Up Endnote X Mac and Zotero stack up to find the perfect software for your goals.

	Citation Styles	Platform Compatibility	Licensing and Cost	Collaboration Features	Reference Management and Other Features
Citavi	Over 9,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, Turabian	Windows desktop version and mobile app; compatibility issues reported with Mac	Perpetual license; offers both free and paid versions; considered costly software	Supports team collaboration features and shared projects	Powerful reference management tool with knowledge organization and task planning features
EndNote	Hundreds of citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA	Certain operating systems including Windows and iPad; Microsoft Word integration; some universities support	Paid software with perpetual license; discounted prices available; relatively high cost	Online collaboration feature available with EndNote's Microsoft Word plugin	Advanced searching and filtering options; supports bibliography creation and seamless citing
Mendeley Desktop	8,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA	Cross-platform compatibility including Windows, Mac, Linux; mobile app available	Free version with limited storage space; paid subscription available for more features	Collaboration features include private or public groups and easy sharing among colleagues	Reference management with PDF annotation, automatic citation feature, social collaboration, and paper organization
Up Endnote X Mac	Over 5,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, Turabian	Mac operating system; Microsoft Word integration; supports latest Mac OS versions	Paid software; pricing details vary; subscriptions or perpetual licenses available depending on version	Supports network sharing and groups for collaborators	Automatic formatting of citations and bibliographies; attachments support; reference importing/exporting
Zotero	Over 10,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA	Windows, Mac OS X/macOS, Linux; plugin available for web browsers	Free and open-source software	Supports sharing and research collections collaboration	Advanced reference management with powerful search and tagging features; cloud-based syncing

Citation Styles

Citavi	Over 9,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, Turabian
EndNote	Hundreds of citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA
Mendeley Desktop	8,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA
Up Endnote X Mac	Over 5,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, Turabian
Zotero	Over 10,000 citation styles including APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA

Platform Compatibility

Citavi	Windows desktop version and mobile app; compatibility issues reported with Mac
EndNote	Certain operating systems including Windows and iPad; Microsoft Word integration; some universities support
Mendeley Desktop	Cross-platform compatibility including Windows, Mac, Linux; mobile app available
Up Endnote X Mac	Mac operating system; Microsoft Word integration; supports latest Mac OS versions
Zotero	Windows, Mac OS X/macOS, Linux; plugin available for web browsers

Licensing and Cost

Citavi	Perpetual license; offers both free and paid versions; considered costly software
EndNote	Paid software with perpetual license; discounted prices available; relatively high cost
Mendeley Desktop	Free version with limited storage space; paid subscription available for more features
Up Endnote X Mac	Paid software; pricing details vary; subscriptions or perpetual licenses available depending on version
Zotero	Free and open-source software

Collaboration Features

Citavi	Supports team collaboration features and shared projects
EndNote	Online collaboration feature available with EndNote's Microsoft Word plugin
Mendeley Desktop	Collaboration features include private or public groups and easy sharing among colleagues
Up Endnote X Mac	Supports network sharing and groups for collaborators
Zotero	Supports sharing and research collections collaboration

Reference Management and Other Features

Citavi	Powerful reference management tool with knowledge organization and task planning features
EndNote	Advanced searching and filtering options; supports bibliography creation and seamless citing
Mendeley Desktop	Reference management with PDF annotation, automatic citation feature, social collaboration, and paper organization
Up Endnote X Mac	Automatic formatting of citations and bibliographies; attachments support; reference importing/exporting
Zotero	Advanced reference management with powerful search and tagging features; cloud-based syncing

Choosing the right software isn’t just about features. Size, license type, user ratings, and popularity also matter.

This quick comparison shows how Citavi stacks up against Citavi, EndNote, Mendeley Desktop, Up Endnote X Mac and Zotero in these key areas—helping you find the best alternative for your needs.

	Size	License	Popularity
Citavi	138.3MB	Commercial	0%
EndNote		Commercial	2%
Mendeley Desktop		Commercial	43%
Up Endnote X Mac		Commercial	4%
Zotero	48.6MB	Freeware	100%

Size

Citavi	138.3MB
EndNote
Mendeley Desktop
Up Endnote X Mac
Zotero	48.6MB

License

Citavi	Commercial
EndNote	Commercial
Mendeley Desktop	Commercial
Up Endnote X Mac	Commercial
Zotero	Freeware

Rating

Citavi
EndNote
Mendeley Desktop
Up Endnote X Mac
Zotero

Popularity

Citavi	0%
EndNote	2%
Mendeley Desktop	43%
Up Endnote X Mac	4%
Zotero	100%