# Lab.Hacks vs Zotero

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Zotero at none against Lab.Hacks's 8. Zotero also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Lab.Hacks's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 4.6) and review sentiment (96% vs 78%). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lab.Hacks sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Zotero asks for nothing beyond the download.

Lab.Hacks holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 136 and 435 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 96% of Lab.Hacks's written reviews are positive against 78% of Zotero's.

Lab.Hacks ships an update every 2 months, Zotero every 3 weeks. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Lab.Hacks | Zotero |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (136 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/labhacks/id1462593060/reviews)** | [4.6 (435 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zotero/id1513554812/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 136 | **435** |
| Positive reviews | **96.3% of reviews** | 77.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 37 MB | 237 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | 16.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Lab.hacks GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1746977613) | [Zotero](https://appshunter.io/developer/1513554811) |

## What reviewers say

### Lab.Hacks

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/labhacks/id1462593060)

This app serves as a laboratory assistant, offering a collection of essential tools, calculators, and guides for students, researchers, and technicians. It simplifies everyday lab tasks with features like dilution calculators, timers, and protocols, all accessible offline.

**Highlights:** Dilution, molarity, and unit conversion calculators, Smart lab timers, Quick reference tables, Step-by-step protocols and guides, Offline access, Minimalist design

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lab.hacks Ad-free monthly | $2.99 | per month |
| Lab.hacks Ad-free annual | $28.99 | per year |
| Donate 1$ | $0.99 | one-time |
| Donate 5$ | $3.99 | one-time |
| Donate 10$ | $8.99 | one-time |
| Donate 20$ | $17.99 | one-time |
| Donate 50$ | $44.99 | one-time |
| Donate 100$ | $89.99 | one-time |


### Zotero

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zotero/id1513554812)

This research tool helps you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share your academic and professional work. Save articles, books, and webpages, add notes and highlights, and generate bibliographies in thousands of styles. Collaborate with others and sync your library across devices.

**Highlights:** Collect research from various sources, Organize with collections and tags, Annotate PDFs and webpages, Generate citations and bibliographies, Collaborate in group libraries, Sync across devices

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and powerful
- 🚀 Convenient and useful
- 🚀 Seamless syncing across devices
- 🚀 Excellent reference management
- 👍 Great annotation and PDF reading experience

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🐛 Syncing issues with WebDAV
- 🐛 Metadata not automatically extracted from PDFs
- 🐛 Annotation tools could be improved
- 🐛 Limited sorting and filtering options

**Reported bugs**

- Unable to unzip PDF snapshots
- Annotations disappearing or moving unexpectedly
- Dark mode not working as expected
- Inability to add citations directly from the app

**Requested features**

- Eraser tool for annotations
- More color options for pen and highlighter
- Ability to open PDFs in external apps
- Bookmarking and table of contents support
- Improved search functionality


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Lab.Hacks free?

Lab.Hacks is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Zotero free?

Zotero is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Lab.Hacks or Zotero?

Lab.Hacks is rated higher. Lab.Hacks averages 4.9 out of 5 from 136 ratings, while Zotero averages 4.6 from 435 ratings.

### Do Lab.Hacks or Zotero have ads?

Lab.Hacks shows ads; Zotero does not.

### Which is updated more often, Lab.Hacks or Zotero?

Lab.Hacks ships an update every 2 months, and Zotero every 3 weeks. Most recently, Lab.Hacks was updated on October 29, 2026 and Zotero on October 29, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*