CiteMe vs CitePlain

CiteMe9.3Visit CitePlain8.8Visit

Higher score CiteMe #2 in Citation Generator Tools 9.3/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit CiteMe

vs

CitePlain #7 in Citation Generator Tools 8.8/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit CitePlain

• CiteMe fits best

  Researchers needing scholarly-source and import depth

• CitePlain fits best

  Free batch citation work with BibTeX output

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Side by side

Feature	CiteMe 9.3/10 Visit ↗	CitePlain 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Citation Generator Tools	#7 in Citation Generator Tools
Best for	Researchers needing scholarly-source and import depth	Free batch citation work with BibTeX output
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	—	$39/yr
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Money-back guarantee	7 days	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Browser extension	Cloud, Browser extension
Platforms	Web, Chrome extension	Web, Chrome extension
Support	Email, Docs	Email
Compliance	GDPR	GDPR
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market
Features CiteMe 5/5 · CitePlain 5/5
Identifier lookup	✓	✓
URL import	✓	✓
Browser extension	✓	✓
Word add-in	✓	✓
BibTeX export	✓	✓
Specs
Citation style count	10000	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Looks up references by DOI, ISBN, URL, PMID, title, or topic Supports PDF, bibliography, BibTeX, and RIS imports Offers Word, Google Docs, and broad browser support	Free tier covers six citation styles and six source types Batch bibliographies support up to 50 sources BibTeX export uses stable cite keys
Cons	Free Reference Checker access is limited to 3 checks per month 10,000+ styles and batch PDF import require Pro access Weekly Pro access renews until canceled	Cloud synchronization is reserved for Pro plans The Free plan uses a device-local browser library Word and Google Docs add-ins are shipping soon
Our verdict	CiteMe is a web-based citation generator for students, researchers, and academic writers who need more than manual formatting. It searches academic databases and generates references from DOIs, ISBNs, URLs, PMIDs, titles, or topics.… Read the review →	CitePlain is a browser-based citation generator for students, researchers, and writers who need references from web pages, journal articles, books, tweets, YouTube videos, and podcasts. It accepts URLs, DOIs, and ISBNs, then produces… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• CiteMe — where it wins

  • Looks up references by DOI, ISBN, URL, PMID, title, or topic
  • Supports PDF, bibliography, BibTeX, and RIS imports
  • Offers Word, Google Docs, and broad browser support

  Where it doesn't

  • Free Reference Checker access is limited to 3 checks per month
  • 10,000+ styles and batch PDF import require Pro access
  • Weekly Pro access renews until canceled

• CitePlain — where it wins

  • Free tier covers six citation styles and six source types
  • Batch bibliographies support up to 50 sources
  • BibTeX export uses stable cite keys

  Where it doesn't

  • Cloud synchronization is reserved for Pro plans
  • The Free plan uses a device-local browser library
  • Word and Google Docs add-ins are shipping soon

• CiteMe9.3/10 · Free plan

  A broad academic citation toolkit with strong imports, but Pro access starts at $2.99 weekly.

  Visit CiteMeFull verdict →
• CitePlain8.8/10 · Free plan

  A practical free option for browser-based citations and stable-key BibTeX output.

  Visit CitePlainFull verdict →