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Paperlib vs Mendeley: catalog facts
Paperlib	Mendeley
Free Free and open source, supported by donations.	Freemium Free with 2 GB of storage, with paid options.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, Browser extension
Accurate metadata scraping, including conference papers Tags, flags, folders and Markdown notes	PDF reading, highlighting and annotation built in Generates references and citations
No mobile app Smaller ecosystem than Zotero	Owned by the publisher Elsevier Free storage is limited to 2 GB
Downloadable app	Downloadable app, Web application, Browser extension
Open source	Closed source
License not stated	License not stated
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 26, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.