Paperpile vs EndNote

Paperpile8.9Visit EndNote8.8Visit

Higher score Paperpile #2 in Reference Management Software 8.9/10 30-day trial Free trial✓ 1 of 3 features Visit Paperpile

vs

EndNote #3 in Reference Management Software 8.8/10 Free plan · 30-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 1 of 3 features Visit EndNote

• Paperpile fits best

  Google-centric academic teams

• EndNote fits best

  Researchers needing deep citation-style coverage

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Side by side

Feature	Paperpile 8.9/10 Visit ↗	EndNote 8.8/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	8.9	8.8
Ranking	#2 in Reference Management Software	#3 in Reference Management Software
Best for	Google-centric academic teams	Researchers needing deep citation-style coverage
Pricing model	Paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$4.15/user/mo	—
Free plan	—	✓ (best)
Free trial	30 days	30 days
Free trial length	30 days	30 days
Deployment	Cloud, Mobile, Browser extension	Cloud, Desktop, Mobile, Browser extension
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Chrome extension
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Email, Live chat, Phone, Community, Docs · 24/7
Integrations	9 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Paperpile 1/3 · EndNote 1/3
PDF annotation	✓	✓
Citation plugins	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Browser capture	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Storage limit	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Supported platforms	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Team collaboration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Our review
Pros	Strong PDF storage, search, highlighting, notes, and annotations Google Docs and Microsoft Word citation plugins Shared libraries, duplicate detection, and research integrations	Supports 7,500 citation styles and major word processors Combines reference retrieval, PDF annotation, and synchronization Includes shared groups, AI assistance, and browser-based PDF access
Cons	No free plan; paid plans are billed annually Safari and Firefox support is described as beta Enterprise pricing is not displayed in the published plan details	Paid-oriented model despite a listed free plan Pricing varies by upgrade, full, and student license eligibility The trial license upgrades automatically unless the user opts out
Our verdict	Paperpile is a web-based reference management application for researchers, students, and academic teams. It collects references from academic databases and publisher websites, organizes them with folders, labels, search, and duplicate… Read the review →	EndNote is reference-management software for students, researchers, academics, and institutions. It stores bibliographic records and attached files, imports references from databases and PDFs, searches online scholarly resources, and… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Paperpile — where it wins

  • Strong PDF storage, search, highlighting, notes, and annotations
  • Google Docs and Microsoft Word citation plugins
  • Shared libraries, duplicate detection, and research integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • No free plan; paid plans are billed annually
  • Safari and Firefox support is described as beta
  • Enterprise pricing is not displayed in the published plan details

• EndNote — where it wins

  • Supports 7,500 citation styles and major word processors
  • Combines reference retrieval, PDF annotation, and synchronization
  • Includes shared groups, AI assistance, and browser-based PDF access

  Where it doesn't

  • Paid-oriented model despite a listed free plan
  • Pricing varies by upgrade, full, and student license eligibility
  • The trial license upgrades automatically unless the user opts out

• Paperpile8.9/10 · 30-day trial

  A capable, Google-centric reference manager for academic teams that need shared research libraries.

  Visit PaperpileFull verdict →
• EndNote8.8/10 · Free plan · 30-day trial

  A deep reference manager with broad citation support, PDF tools, and collaboration features.

  Visit EndNoteFull verdict →