# Zotero vs Plasmids X

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Zotero at 78% against Plasmids X's 33%. Zotero also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Plasmids X sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Zotero asks for nothing beyond the download.

Zotero holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zotero has 436 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 78% of Zotero's written reviews are positive against 33% of Plasmids X's.

Zotero ships an update every 3 weeks, Plasmids X monthly. Both last shipped on November 7, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zotero | Plasmids X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (436 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zotero/id1513554812/reviews)** | [3.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plasmids-x/id1524584676/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **436** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | **77.9% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Freemium |
| Size | 237 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.6** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Zotero](https://appshunter.io/developer/1513554811) | [Amin Mahpour](https://appshunter.io/developer/1524584678) |

## What reviewers say

### 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


### Plasmids X

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plasmids-x/id1524584676)

Edit and visualize molecular constructs with detailed circular and linear maps. Plan restriction digests, analyze sequences, and manage primers. Offers advanced editing and cloning features with a Pro subscription.

**Highlights:** Circular and linear plasmid maps, Sequence view with translations, Primer library and management, Restriction analysis and virtual gel, Import/export GenBank, FASTA, SnapGene, Sequence editing (Pro), Cloning simulations (Pro)

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| PlasmidsX Pro Monthly | $4.99 | per month |
| Yearly | $9.99 | per year |
| Split View Support | $1.99 | one-time |
| Manual Cloning | $3.99 | one-time |
| NCBI Entrez Support | $3.99 | one-time |
| Local Alignment Support | $3.99 | one-time |
| BLAST Support | $4.99 | one-time |
| Genbank Support | $4.99 | one-time |
| dna File Support | $5.99 | one-time |
| All Features | $24.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zotero free?

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

### Is Plasmids X free?

Plasmids X is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Zotero or Plasmids X?

Zotero is rated higher. Zotero averages 4.6 out of 5 from 436 ratings, while Plasmids X averages 3.4 from 7 ratings.

### Do Zotero or Plasmids X have ads?

Neither Zotero nor Plasmids X shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zotero or Plasmids X?

Zotero ships an update every 3 weeks, and Plasmids X monthly. Most recently, Zotero was updated on November 7, 2026 and Plasmids X on November 7, 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.*