What is Zotero used for?

Zotero is a free, open-source reference manager that collects, organizes, annotates, cites and shares research sources. It is a good fit for managing references for a thesis and collaborative bibliographies for research teams.

Is Zotero open source?

Yes. Zotero is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at zotero/zotero and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. Zotero is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Zotero?

Yes. Zotero can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Zotero an alternative to?

Zotero is an open-source alternative to Readwise, DEVONthink, LiquidText and Matter. Other open-source alternatives to Readwise include Memex and Karakeep.

Is Zotero actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Zotero was on 2 October 2026. The project has 15k stars on GitHub.

Zotero: open-source alternative to Readwise, DEVONthink

About Zotero

Zotero is a free tool for managing research. It collects references as you browse the web, organizes them into collections with tags and saved searches, and helps you annotate, cite and share them. It is available for Mac, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android, and the source code in this repository is open.

A browser connector senses research material on sites it recognizes and saves it with a click. Citations and bibliographies can be generated for any text editor and directly inside Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs, with support for over 9,000 citation styles. A companion web tool, ZoteroBib, creates quick bibliographies without installing anything.

Syncing across devices is optional, and synced data can also be reached from a web browser. Libraries can be shared in groups, for co-writing a paper, distributing course materials or building a collaborative bibliography, with no limit on how many people join at no cost. The site also offers paid storage upgrades for synced files.

Key features

One-click capture of web research
Collections, tags and saved searches
Citations in over 9,000 styles
Word, LibreOffice and Google Docs integration
Optional sync across devices
Shared group libraries

Good fit for

→Managing references for a thesis
→Collaborative bibliographies for research teams

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: reference-manager; citations; research; bibliography; academic; annotation; open-source; sync

Zotero: questions and answers

What is Zotero used for?: Zotero is a free, open-source reference manager that collects, organizes, annotates, cites and shares research sources. It is a good fit for managing references for a thesis and collaborative bibliographies for research teams.
Is Zotero open source?: Yes. Zotero is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at zotero/zotero and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Zotero free?: Yes. Zotero is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Zotero?: Yes. Zotero can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Zotero an alternative to?: Zotero is an open-source alternative to Readwise, DEVONthink, LiquidText and Matter. Other open-source alternatives to Readwise include Memex and Karakeep.
Is Zotero actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Zotero was on 2 October 2026. The project has 15k stars on GitHub.