Software Alternatives & Reviews

Zotero VS Joplin

Compare Zotero VS Joplin and see what are their differences

Zotero logo Zotero

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use tool to help you collect, organize, cite, and share research.

Joplin logo Joplin

Joplin is a free, open source note taking and to-do application, which can handle a large number of notes organised into notebooks. The notes are searchable, tagged and modified either from the applications directly or from your own text editor.
  • Zotero Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-24
  • Joplin Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-20

Zotero videos

Zotero vs Mendeley: which one is best?

More videos:

  • Review - Using Zotero for academic writing

Joplin videos

Joplin, a free, open source, self hosted syncing note taking alternative to Evernote and OneNote..

More videos:

  • Review - Joplin Is An Open Source Alternative To Evernote
  • Review - Joplin Desktop: Take Notes With A Rich Markdown Editor

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Zotero and Joplin)
Research Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Note Taking
0 0%
100% 100
Information Organization
100 100%
0% 0
Todos
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Zotero and Joplin. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Zotero and Joplin

Zotero Reviews

Top 5 Free Reference Management Software for Research
Zotero is the only software that automatically senses research on the web. Need an article from JSTOR or a preprint from arXiv.org? A news story from the New York Times or a book from a library? Zotero has you covered, everywhere.
10 Best Reference Management Software for Research
Zotero is a reference management software that can be used by students and researchers of all levels. It’s a great way to keep track of your sources, as well as easily create citations and bibliographies. Here are some of the ways Zotero can be especially helpful for Ph.D. students:
Citation Management Tools - Alternatives to EndNote
Mendeley is a free Web-based tool similar to Zotero, but it sets itself apart with a robust PDF annotating tool. Because Mendeley doesn't work within Google Docs, you would have to create a bibliography and copy it over to the document. Thus, Mendeley might be a great fit for those who use citation managers for personal projects but not for those participating in a lot of...

Joplin Reviews

20 Obsidian Alternatives: Top Note-Taking Tools to Consider
Joplin is best defined as an open-source note-taking app. The app lets you take notes and access them anywhere as it backs all your notes on the cloud. You can create checklists, notes, and tables within Joplin or attach images and videos. In addition, Joplin supports diagrams and math functions, making it an inclusive note-taking app regardless of subject or topic.
Source: clickup.com
The 6 best note-taking apps in 2024
Not only is Joplin the best open source note-taking app on our list, but it's also the best free Evernote alternative too. For a number of reasons I'll explore below, I don't feel Evernote merits a spot on this list right now; however, because Evernote has been such a staple of the note-taking app space, most other apps compete by trying to be different. OneNote is awesome,...
Source: zapier.com
The best note-taking apps for collecting your thoughts and data
In order to synchronize Joplin among your devices, you need to set it up with one of several existing cloud services (such as Dropbox or OneDrive). You can also use Joplin Cloud, which is available in Joplin’s paid plans: Basic, which includes 2GB storage space and 10MB per note or attachment, and Pro, which offers 30GB storage space, 200MB per note or attachment, and other...
10 Best Open Source Note-Taking Apps for Linux
It also supports alarms (notifications) for to-dos, End-To-End Encryption (E2EE) for security, allows for saving web pages and screenshots as notes using the web clipper extension available in Firefox and Chrome web browsers, and supports synchronization with cloud or file storage services such as services including Joplin Cloud, Dropbox, and OneDrive.
Source: www.tecmint.com
The best encrypted note taking apps
Joplin is open-source, maintains Linux, Android, iOS, macOS, and Windows apps, and also offers built in cloud-sync functionality called “Joplin cloud.” Finally, Joplin scores highly on their use of end-to-end encrypted to keep all user notes private. For more convenience features Joplin offers a web clipper directly integrated into the notes app to allow for cataloging,...
Source: www.skiff.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Joplin seems to be a lot more popular than Zotero. While we know about 350 links to Joplin, we've tracked only 17 mentions of Zotero. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Zotero mentions (17)

  • Newbie help setting up Zotero using existing materials
    If the second, then you need to create a zotero group library. This can only be done at zotero.org but syncs with your client. Source: 11 months ago
  • Problems with syncing
    When I check the API settings on zotero.org, I only see my desktop actually connecting,. Source: 11 months ago
  • Emacs, a maximalist approach to social media addiction
    An approach of digital maximalism should also let you organise incoming and outgoing information (on software that you run and control). This is what [Emacs](https://emacs.org) is doing. If you're missing _e.g._ the adrenaline of social media, Emacs can help for that by letting you insert academic references into lengthy, inflammatory, but informed, nuanced, and articulated Org-mode documents. It's actually much... Source: 12 months ago
  • Best resources for chiropractic research?
    If you’re interested in actually downloading, reading, and collecting research papers, I highly recommend Zotero. Source: about 1 year ago
  • Zotero on Chromebook
    Has anyone managed to make Zotero work on their Chromebook? I have a Lenovo Chromebook and I've not been able to make it work. I can't access any of the PDF attachments on zotero.org or install the programme. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. Source: over 1 year ago
View more

Joplin mentions (350)

  • My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file
    I've had great success with using Joplin for this, with Syncthing as a sync backend. Works well across OSes; I use it on Linux, macOS, Windows and Android. https://joplinapp.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • My productivity app is a never-ending .txt file
    I use https://joplinapp.org because it allows for pasting images and files. Has easy sync and also mobile and desktop apps. Free and open source. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: What do you use for note-taking or as knowledge base?
    Joplin, an open source, extendable, Markdown-based hierarchical note-taking app: https://joplinapp.org/ It lets you choose a synchronization backend, offers applications for every major desktop and mobile OS (also has a terminal version). You can create notebooks and subnotebooks to organize your notes. You can also add tags for better search experience. I created notebooks for specific domains (work-related, home... - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Alternative for document storage/filing cabinet
    I'm not certain, but I believe that Joplin will serve your needs. Source: 5 months ago
  • Ask HN: What software did you purchase that positively impacted your family life
    Joplin (free, but sponsored) in combination with a Storagebox at Hetzner. Joplin allows us to share notes, shopping lists, to do lists, etc via Webdav between our various devices (mobile phones, laptops, desktops). https://joplinapp.org and https://www.hetzner.com/de/storage/storage-box. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Zotero and Joplin, you can also consider the following products

Mendeley - Easily organize your papers, read & annotate your PDFs, collaborate in private or open groups, and securely access your research from everywhere.

Standard Notes - A safe place for your notes, thoughts, and life's work

JabRef - Graphical Java application for managing bibtex (. bib) databases.‎JabRef · ‎JabRef Help · ‎JabRef | Blog · ‎OpenOffice/LibreOffice .

OneNote - Get the OneNote app for free on your tablet, phone, and computer, so you can capture your ideas and to-do lists in one place wherever you are. Or try OneNote with Office for free.

Qiqqa - Qiqqa is a free research and reference management software. It can be used in many organizational projects from the academic to the personal to the business endeavor. Read more about Qiqqa.

Evernote - Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.