Citavi vs JabRef

Last updated: July 09, 2023
Citavi and JabRef are both reference management tools used by researchers, but they have distinct differences in terms of their features, functionality, and user interfaces. One key difference lies in their primary focus. Citavi is a comprehensive research management tool that covers the entire research process, including literature search, reference organization, knowledge management, and writing assistance. It offers features such as literature search integration, reference importing, PDF management, note-taking, and citation generation. Citavi provides a unified platform for managing all aspects of research, making it suitable for users who require a comprehensive solution. On the other hand, JabRef primarily focuses on reference management. It offers features for importing, organizing, and editing bibliographic data. JabRef provides a simple and lightweight interface for researchers who primarily need to manage their references.

Another notable difference between Citavi and JabRef lies in their collaboration capabilities. Citavi offers features that support collaborative research, allowing multiple users to work together on a project. It provides features for sharing references, notes, and tasks among team members. Citavi also allows users to collaborate on the writing process by providing features for outlining, drafting, and reviewing documents. In contrast, JabRef does not have built-in collaboration features. It primarily serves as an individual reference management tool, focusing on organizing and managing bibliographic data for individual researchers.

Additionally, Citavi and JabRef differ in their user interfaces and design choices. Citavi offers a user-friendly and visually appealing interface, providing a seamless experience across its various features. It offers a unified workspace for managing references, conducting literature searches, organizing notes, and writing documents. Citavi's interface is designed to support the research workflow and provide a holistic view of the research process. JabRef, on the other hand, offers a more minimalistic and focused interface. It provides a straightforward layout for organizing and editing references, with features like search and filtering options. JabRef's interface is streamlined for efficient reference management without additional distractions.
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Citavi
Citavi is the only reference management program for teams that gives you the option of storing your information on your own server instead of in the cloud.
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JabRef
JabRef is an open-sourced, cross-platform citation and reference management software. It uses BibTeX and BibLaTeX as its native formats and is therefore typically used for LaTeX.
Citavi vs JabRef in our news:

2023. Free reference manager JabRef 5.8 gets 3-Way-Merge feature



JabRef, an open-source citation manager for Windows, PC and Linux, has recently launched version 5.8, which includes a notable addition - the 3-Way-Merge feature. With this new feature, users can conveniently review and modify changes while merging entries and organizing their database. Furthermore, it enables the merging of groups, keywords, comments, and files when merging entries and also alerts users if the authors are the same but formatted differently. The External changes resolver dialog now displays a preview of the entry and the option to merge entries using the new 3-Way-Merge feature. Apart from this, JabRef's backup and saving feature has undergone significant improvements, including automatic backups (up to 10) in the user's app dir and a direct link to the backup folder to review backup files if an existing newer backup is found at startup. Additionally, these upgrades have fixed several issues related to detecting changes and saving in the library.


2022. Citavi inlines Web version with desktop's



Citation Management software Citavi has released a new version that brings the writing and knowledge management features of Citavi Web in line with Citavi for Windows, providing Mac users access to these capabilities. The Word Assistant now enables users to insert category systems, which was previously only available through the Citavi for Windows Word Add-In, making it inaccessible to Mac and Citavi Web-only users. Additionally, users can insert categorized knowledge items along with their outline, allowing them to obtain a bird's-eye view of their project and identify gaps where more research is necessary. The update also enhances the handling of knowledge items in the Citavi Assistant to achieve feature parity with the Citavi Word Add-In for Windows.