EndNote vs Mendeley Comparison: Reviews, Features, Pricing & Alternatives in 2026

Detailed side-by-side comparison to help you choose the right solution for your team

Updated Apr 2026 8 min read

EndNote

0.0 (0 reviews)

EndNote is a reference management software that helps you manage your research, format bibliographies, and collaborate with colleagues to streamline the entire scholarly writing and publishing process.

Starting at Free
Free Trial 30 days
VS

Mendeley

0.0 (0 reviews)

Mendeley is a free reference management software and academic social network that helps you organize your research, collaborate with others online, and discover the latest trending scholarly papers.

Starting at Free
Free Trial NO FREE TRIAL

Quick Comparison

Feature EndNote Mendeley
Website endnote.com mendeley.com
Pricing Model One_time Freemium
Starting Price Free Free
FREE Trial ✓ 30 days free trial ✘ No free trial
Free Plan ✓ Has free plan ✓ Has free plan
Product Demo ✓ Request demo here ✘ No product demo
Deployment desktop cloud mobile saas desktop mobile
Integrations Microsoft Word Apple Pages Google Scholar PubMed Web of Science Zotero Mendeley Dropbox Microsoft Word LibreOffice BibTeX Zotero EndNote ScienceDirect Scopus
Target Users small-business mid-market enterprise freelancer freelancer small-business mid-market enterprise
Target Industries education healthcare legal education
Customer Count 0 0
Founded Year 1988 2007
Headquarters Philadelphia, USA London, United Kingdom

Overview

E

EndNote

EndNote helps you manage the entire research process from initial discovery to final publication. You can search online databases, collect references, and organize PDFs in a searchable personal library. The software eliminates the manual work of formatting citations by automatically generating bibliographies in thousands of different journal styles directly within your word processor.

You can share your library with up to 400 collaborators, allowing your team to work together on the same set of references simultaneously. Whether you are a student writing a thesis or a professional researcher managing thousands of papers, the platform provides the tools to keep your citations accurate and your library organized across desktop, online, and mobile devices.

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Mendeley

Mendeley is a dedicated research management tool designed to simplify how you handle scholarly documents and citations. You can automatically generate bibliographies, import papers from other software, and access your library from any device. It functions as both a desktop application and a web-based service, ensuring your research stays synchronized whether you are in the lab or at home.

Beyond simple organization, you can use the platform to connect with a global network of researchers and discover new papers based on your interests. It is particularly effective for students, Ph.D. candidates, and academic faculty who need to manage high volumes of PDF documents and collaborate on group projects. You can highlight key sections, add sticky notes directly to PDFs, and share these annotations with your team securely.

Overview

E

EndNote Features

  • Cite While You Write Insert in-text citations and build your bibliography automatically in Microsoft Word using over 7,000 available journal styles.
  • PDF Auto-Import Watch specific folders for new PDFs and automatically import them into your library with extracted metadata and attachments.
  • Library Sharing Collaborate with up to 400 team members by sharing your entire library or specific groups with custom access permissions.
  • Manuscript Matcher Find the best-fit journals for your paper by analyzing your references and matching them against millions of citation connections.
  • Automated Reference Updates Keep your library current by automatically finding and attaching missing metadata or full-text PDFs for your existing references.
  • Cross-Platform Sync Access your research library from anywhere with seamless synchronization between your desktop, web browser, and iPad application.
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Mendeley Features

  • Mendeley Cite. Generate citations and bibliographies automatically in Microsoft Word without ever leaving your document or manually typing a single entry.
  • Web Importer. Save papers, web pages, and other documents directly into your library from your browser with a single click.
  • PDF Annotation. Highlight important text and add sticky notes to your research papers to keep your thoughts organized within the document.
  • Smart Library Sync. Access your entire research library from any computer or mobile device with automatic cloud synchronization and offline access.
  • Private Groups. Collaborate with up to 25 colleagues by sharing full-text papers and annotations in a secure, private environment.
  • Research Suggestions. Receive personalized recommendations for new articles based on the contents of your library to stay current in your field.

Pricing Comparison

E

EndNote Pricing

EndNote Online
$0
  • Store up to 50,000 references
  • 2GB of file storage
  • 21 bibliographic styles
  • Basic search capabilities
  • Sync with desktop version
M

Mendeley Pricing

Free
$0
  • 2GB personal cloud storage
  • 100MB shared group storage
  • Up to 1 private group
  • Up to 25 group members
  • Mendeley Cite plugin

Pros & Cons

M

EndNote

Pros

  • Extensive library of over 7,000 citation styles
  • Powerful PDF organization and annotation features
  • Reliable integration with Microsoft Word
  • Excellent handling of very large reference libraries
  • Robust search functionality across online databases

Cons

  • Steep learning curve for advanced features
  • Interface feels dated compared to modern apps
  • High upfront cost for the full version
  • Occasional sync issues between desktop and web
A

Mendeley

Pros

  • Generous free storage for most student projects
  • Excellent web importer for capturing online sources
  • Clean interface makes organizing large libraries simple
  • Strong community features for discovering new research
  • Seamless integration with Microsoft Word for citations

Cons

  • Desktop version can feel slow with large libraries
  • Limited customization for specific citation styles
  • Syncing errors occasionally occur between devices
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