Leave a Review Bookends
A really great app for academics
This is a great app. It’s actively maintained and updated, and the iPad app has all the bells and whistles like support for multi-window (which is a must if you want to read a pdf and add notes or keywords to the meta-data), slide-over, etc. It’s support for Apple Pencil hand-written notes is top-notch, much better than anything else I’ve tried (ReadCube Papers). All in all, a wonderful app.Show lessProdigyj
Close to Perfection
After using Zotero for years, it took me a little while to get used to Bookends. However, it’s been well worth the effort. It does almost everything that Zotero does, plus a whole lot more. Additionally, it’s easier to organize, and is visually more appealing. The one thing I miss is how Zotero has a browser extension that makes it super simple to create a reference for a website with all the information pre-populated. If Bookends adds this feature, it will be the best reference manager I’ve ever used by a long shot. Altogether, Bookends extra features are endlessly satisfying and useful. And for those who are up for a little scripting, Bookends invites you to be creative! I love this app and am really enthusiastic about using it for years to come.Show lessmadwewetoon
thumbnails are back!
Thank you for bringing back the thumbnails!
(it was very difficult to navigate without them)NorwoodG
Poor user interface. ICloud sync is broken
Title says it all. To be clear, developers admit that multiple users have reported problems with iCloud sync and in-app purchases, but they dismiss the problem as a bug in iOS. Funny how no other app that I use has the same problem. In any case, there’s no resolution and the app isn’t usable.
Edited to add: developer response is completely fair and accurate. My initial review was overly fueled by stress from my impending dissertation defense. Unfortunately, the app still isn’t usable for me.Show lessStephenAT
A permanent part of workflow
I started using bookends when the app i was using stopped updating to focus on new and improved app. Got tired of waiting. Tried the free options, more than one version of Endnote. I kept coming back here. I finished grad school, and still use it to keep documents and references handy for just in time training.
It pulls correct data from pdf metadata 95+% of the time and many time it’s the pdf files that’s wrong.
I sync between Mac, iPad and iPhone
They have been responsive every time I’ve had an issue and helpful, even when it was operator error.Show lessCraigB-RN
Perfect
Everything I need. I like a mobile version of my biblio. I use bookends on mac and this works perfectly with that. Worth 10$ per annumTudorEynon
Best reference manager
Simple, intuitive, can do almost anything you need it to plus some. Support is great, fast response. Really love this app to the point where I promote it to everyone in need of a reference manager especially those who use or think endnote is good (it’s not).mmss21215684
Info syncs, but pdf files not
I have had this problem off and on over the different iterations of this app. Somehow the documentation combined with support communications are just opaque enough to confuse me and prevent thorough troubleshooting. It doesn’t help that the background processes aren’t explained anywhere. I’m pretty adept at figuring stuff out in the increasingly complicated (and in some aspects, fussy) Apple platform ecologies, but this repeated breakage of syncing the PDF files is nudging me to the edge of choosing a different LMS.
I’m a customer, but I don’t feel like it with this app/developer. I feel like an exception and a source of irritation whenever seeking help. It’s a lousy feeling to have when I’m just trying to get work done.Show lessMiguel Luna
Developer Response
We always try to provide fast and useful support. In your particular case, attachments must be stored in the Bookends iCloud Drive folder to be synced among devices, and if you use Bookends Mac this should be set as your default attachment folder in preferences. If you still have problems please contact tech support directly.Fantastic
I’ve used pretty much every Mac reference manager made, and Bookends is hands down the best. Excellent product that receives regular updates, and has fair pricing. Nothing else compares.Laszlo_Jamf
A life saver at parties and conferences!
You know that time you see a famous scholar just sitting by herself all alone. But you can't remember if she was for traditional mediation or avant-garde mediation strategies in new work teams. You know if you get it wrong, it will be a black spot on hand for the rest of you career. Well, now thatnks to bookends, you just pull up those notes it make anew friend!Show lessStudyTime42
