# Alternatives to RefWorks

RefWorks is ProQuest's cloud-based reference management tool, sold mainly through university and library site licenses. It supports browser capture (Save to RefWorks bookmarklet), PDF annotation, group libraries for class/lab collaboration, and Word/Google Docs citation plugins. It is a standard alternative to EndNote and Mendeley at institutions with existing ProQuest contracts.

RefWorks ranks #11 of 12 in Citation managers, with an Alt Score of 55. It is available on Web and Browser extension. 6 of 10 checklist rows are verified against a public source.

Source: https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/refworks/
Category: Citation managers

## Overview

- **Who it's for**: RefWorks is aimed at academic researchers, students, and faculty at institutions (typically universities and libraries) that subscribe to it through Clarivate/ProQuest, for managing citations and references during research and writing.
- **What you get**: A cloud-based reference library supporting thousands of citation styles for generating bibliographies, project-level sharing with admin-controlled permissions for collaboration, deduplication tools to keep a library accurate, and citation-insertion plugins for Microsoft Word (RefWorks Citation Manager / Write-N-Cite) and Google Docs.
- **How it works**: Users collect references by importing directly from library databases (e.g. PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest Central) or by capturing sources from the web with the 'Save to RefWorks' tool, organize them into shared cloud projects, and then insert formatted in-text citations and bibliographies while writing using the Word or Google Docs plugin.

## Profile

- **Platforms**: Web, Browser extension
- **Status**: active (verified 2026-07-30)

## Ranked alternatives

| # | App | Alt Score | Licence | Platforms |
|---|-----|-----------|---------|-----------|
| 1 | [Zotero](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/zotero.md) | 100 | AGPL-3.0 | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS |
| 2 | [EndNote](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/endnote.md) | 86 | ? | Windows, macOS, iOS, Web |
| 3 | [Paperpile](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/paperpile.md) | 82 | Proprietary | Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android |
| 4 | [ReadCube Papers](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/readcube-papers.md) | 82 | ? | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| 5 | [JabRef](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/jabref.md) | 78 | MIT | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| 6 | [Citavi](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/citavi.md) | 73 | ? | Windows, Web, Browser extension |
| 7 | [Mendeley](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/mendeley.md) | 68 | Proprietary | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web |
| 8 | [BibDesk](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/bibdesk.md) | 60 | BSD-3-Clause | macOS |
| 9 | [Lean Library Workspace](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/lean-library-workspace.md) | 60 | ? | Web, Browser extension |
| 10 | [Citationsy](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/citationsy.md) | 55 | Proprietary | iOS, Android, Web, Browser extension |
| 11 | [WIKINDX](https://altcatalog.com/alternatives/wikindx.md) | 50 | ISC License | Windows, macOS, Linux, Web |

Alt Score = Verified coverage (90%) + Visibility (10%). See https://altcatalog.com/how-alt-score-works/

## Feature comparison

Legend: Yes / No / Partial / ? (not verified).

| Citation managers checklist | RefWorks | Zotero | EndNote | Paperpile | ReadCube Papers | JabRef |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | ? | Freemium | One-time | Subscription | Subscription | Free |
| Starts at | ? | $20/year | ? | $4.15/month | $7/user/mo | Free |
| License | ? | AGPL-3.0 | ? | Proprietary | ? | MIT |
| Platforms | Web, Browser extension | Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Browser extension | Windows, macOS, iOS, Web, Browser extension | Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Web, Browser extension | Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Browser capture | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| PDF annotation | ? | Yes | Partial | Yes | Yes | Partial |
| Citation styles count | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Word / Docs plugins | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Group libraries | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | No | Yes | No | No | ? | Yes |
| Storage limits (free) | ? | Yes | Yes | No | No | No |
| BibTeX support | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Deduplication | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |

## Sources

Sources for RefWorks. Each alternative is sourced on its own page.

- **Status**: active — <https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/refworks/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: RefWorks is a Clarivate product (Clarivate acquired ProQuest, which owned RefWorks). Legacy RefWorks was retired ('As of June 30, 2023, legacy RefWorks is no longer available' - refworks.proquest.com/
  - Quote: “24/7 product training & support available”
- **Platforms**: Web, Browser extension — <https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/refworks/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Browser extension confirmed separately via the 'Save to RefWorks' capture tool documented on knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/RefWorks. Desktop/mobile client platforms not confirmed on fetched pages.
  - Quote: “an easy-to-use, cloud-based reference management service”
- **Browser capture**: Yes — <https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/RefWorks> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Knowledge base lists a dedicated 'Save to RefWorks' capture tool with install/best-practice articles; exact mechanism (bookmarklet vs extension) not detailed on this index page.
  - Quote: “Save to RefWorks Best Practices”
- **Citation styles count**: Yes — <https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/refworks/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Figure varies by source/date; some ProQuest marketing pages cite 4,000+ styles instead of 7,000+.
  - Quote: “7,000+ citation styles”
- **Word / Docs plugins**: Yes — <https://knowledge.exlibrisgroup.com/RefWorks> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Knowledge base also documents an RCM add-on for Google Docs.
  - Quote: “RefWorks Citation Manager (RCM) and Write-N-Cite (WnC)”
- **Group libraries**: Yes — <https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/refworks/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Quote: “Easily collaborate on projects with sharing tools that have admin controls and set permission.”
- **Open source**: No — <https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/refworks/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Commercial product published and sold by Clarivate as an institutional-subscription SaaS; no open-source repository, license file, or self-host option is referenced on the vendor's product page.
  - Quote: “an easy-to-use, cloud-based reference management service”
- **Deduplication**: Yes — <https://clarivate.com/academia-government/scientific-and-academic-research/research-discovery-and-referencing/refworks/> (verified 2026-07-30)
  - Note: Described as helping 'maintain the integrity and accuracy of your reference library.'
  - Quote: “deduplication tools”

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Ranked by verified data, never by who paid. https://altcatalog.com/trust/