# EndNote vs Plasmids X

The clearest difference is rating: Plasmids X at 3.4 against EndNote's 2.6. Plasmids X also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). EndNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ratings volume (165 vs 7). On price, review sentiment, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Plasmids X holds the better App Store score, 3.4 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EndNote has 165 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of EndNote's written reviews are positive against 33% of Plasmids X's.

EndNote ships an update every 4 months, Plasmids X monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | EndNote | Plasmids X |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (165 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/endnote/id593994211/reviews) | **[3.4 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/plasmids-x/id1524584676/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **165** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 27.8% of reviews | **33.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Size | 91 MB | 19 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Clarivate Analytics (US) LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1291059975) | [Amin Mahpour](https://appshunter.io/developer/1524584678) |

## What reviewers say

### EndNote

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/endnote/id593994211)

Manage your research from anywhere with this popular tool. Organize, search, and share academic papers and bibliographies seamlessly across devices. Sync your library and annotate PDFs on the go.

**Highlights:** Sync research library across devices, Search academic databases, Annotate PDFs, Import reference file formats, Share references with collaborators, Attach files from cloud storage

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Syncs well with desktop version
- 📚 Convenient for reading and annotating papers
- 💻 Good companion to desktop app
- 🔍 Useful for managing references on the go
- 🖋️ Annotation tools work well with Apple Pencil

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🔍 Clunky search and organization
- 📁 Sync issues and lost annotations
- 🔒 Incompatible with other cloud storage
- 🔧 Missing key features from desktop version

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when editing references
- Indexing issues and lost library data
- Compatibility problems with iOS updates
- PDF viewer issues (e.g. no rotation, lost page position)
- Login and authentication problems

**Requested features**

- Cite while you write functionality
- Better PDF annotation tools (e.g. eraser, text notes)
- Support for group sets and nested folders
- Automatic citation data population from PDFs
- Improved syncing and offline access


### 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 EndNote free?

EndNote 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, EndNote or Plasmids X?

Plasmids X is rated higher. EndNote averages 2.6 out of 5 from 165 ratings, while Plasmids X averages 3.4 from 7 ratings.

### Do EndNote or Plasmids X have ads?

Neither EndNote nor Plasmids X shows ads.

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

EndNote ships an update every 4 months, and Plasmids X monthly. Most recently, EndNote was updated on November 1, 2026 and Plasmids X 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.*