# Zotero vs Rayyan

The clearest difference is rating: Zotero at 4.6 against Rayyan's 3.9. Zotero also leads on review sentiment (78% vs 37%) 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. Rayyan sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Zotero asks for nothing beyond the download.

Zotero holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Zotero has 436 ratings behind it against 25, 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 37% of Rayyan's.

Zotero ships an update every 3 weeks, Rayyan every 5 weeks. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Zotero | Rayyan |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (436 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zotero/id1513554812/reviews)** | [3.9 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rayyan/id1581620841/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **436** | 25 |
| Positive reviews | **77.9% of reviews** | 37.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 5 weeks |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 237 MB | 36 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Zotero](https://appshunter.io/developer/1513554811) | [Rayyan Systems, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1581620843) |

## 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


### Rayyan

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rayyan/id1581620841)

This app streamlines systematic literature reviews for researchers, enabling quick article screening and decision-making on mobile devices. It supports offline work and real-time collaboration, significantly reducing review time.

**Highlights:** Offline article screening, Real-time collaboration, Quick inclusion decisions, Reference labeling, Article filtering, Configurable settings

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Student Monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Professional Monthly | $14.99 | per month |
| Student Quarterly | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| Essential Quarterly | $24.99 | per 3 months |
| Professional Quarterly | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Advanced Quarterly | $39.99 | per 3 months |
| Student Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Essential Annual | $59.99 | per year |
| Professional Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Advanced Annual | $99.99 | per year |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Zotero free?

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

### Is Rayyan free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Zotero or Rayyan?

Zotero is rated higher. Zotero averages 4.6 out of 5 from 436 ratings, while Rayyan averages 3.9 from 25 ratings.

### Do Zotero or Rayyan have ads?

Neither Zotero nor Rayyan shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Zotero or Rayyan?

Zotero ships an update every 3 weeks, and Rayyan every 5 weeks. Most recently, Zotero was updated on November 3, 2026 and Rayyan on November 3, 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.*