Zotero vs. Mendeley: Which Reference Manager is Better for Researchers? (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Hi guys, this is Sarah from The Savvy Professor. In today's video, I'll discuss the differences between Zotero and Mendeley. Watch till the end to know the final verdict on which is better. But first, let's start with the differences. So the main difference between them is adding snapshots of web pages to a user account feature. Zotero allows users to add snapshots of web pages using the Saving Web Pages section. Users can then annotate these web pages within their citation libraries. Mendeley doesn't support web pages. Mendeley requires the user to upload PDF versions of articles and then annotate them. Therefore, Zotero is a more straightforward reference assistant. Free Cloud Storage and Offline Functionality Zotero offers users 300 megabytes of free cloud storage and Mendeley 2 gigabytes. While Zotero users must purchase additional cloud storage, the research assistant supports unlimited local storage. The local storage limits users to one computer, but they can use portable offline storage. However, Mendeley requires customers to use its online storage. Mendeley hasn't optimized the reference manager for local storage. Therefore, Zotero is more versatile as it allows researchers to utilize both local and cloud storage. Content File Types Zotero captures content from diverse sources, including databases, catalogs, and websites. Zotero users can annotate all these file types without having to download first. However, Mendeley has a built-in PDF viewer, making it only effective with PDF research materials. Therefore, Zotero offers more functionality for working with diverse research content materials. Word Processor Compatibility Zotero and Mendeley are compatible with popular word processors like Word and LibreOffice. However, only Mendeley works with LaTeX, a word processor for complex scientific research projects. Therefore, Mendeley suits scientific researchers handling complex scientific research more since it works with LaTeX. But do they have any similarities? Yes, Zotero and Mendeley both create in-text citations, footnotes, and bibliographies. Researchers can use it to meet basic research needs. Additionally, Zotero and Mendeley have desktop applications. To sum up, which is better, Zotero or Mendeley? I like Mendeley's 2GB storage offer because this space is enough for all the materials needed to complete most research projects. While Zotero only comes with 300MB of free storage, I like that one can use local storage. Additionally, Zotero offers more functionality because it handles diverse content types, including PDFs and webpages. Overall, I choose Zotero as the better option. Feel free to check out the products from the links in our description. Thanks for watching. Till next time.