# EndNote vs Essayist

The clearest difference is rating: Essayist at 4.5 against EndNote's 2.6. Essayist also leads on review sentiment (61% vs 28%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). EndNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Essayist sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. EndNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

Essayist holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 165 and 429 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 28% of EndNote's written reviews are positive against 61% of Essayist's.

EndNote ships an update every 4 months, Essayist fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | EndNote | Essayist |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (165 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/endnote/id593994211/reviews) | **[4.5 (429 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essayist-academic-writing-app/id1537845384/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 165 | **429** |
| Positive reviews | 27.8% of reviews | **60.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Subscription |
| Size | 91 MB | 82 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Clarivate Analytics (US) LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1291059975) | [Essayist Software Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1537845386) |

## 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


### Essayist

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/essayist-academic-writing-app/id1537845384)

This app simplifies academic writing by automatically formatting essays in various styles like APA, MLA, and Chicago. It includes a universal reference manager, citation tools, and equation support, allowing for distraction-free writing and easy export to PDF or Word.

**Highlights:** Automatic essay formatting, Universal reference manager, In-text citation and footnote insertion, LaTeX equation support, Export to PDF and Word, Minimalist interface

**Features:** Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $5.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Yearly Subscription | $39.99 | per year |
| Yearly Subscription | $79.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 👍 Helpful for academic writing
- 🚀 Saves time on formatting
- 👍 Accurate citations
- 👍 Intuitive interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 💰 Expensive subscription
- 🔒 Privacy concerns
- 🔒 Locked features behind paywall
- 🔧 Limited functionality

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes when trying to add references
- Formatting issues when copying and pasting
- Inability to edit title pages and section headings
- Inconsistent behavior across devices (iPad vs. Mac)
- Issues with in-text citations and reference lists

**Requested features**

- Add more citation styles (e.g. MHRA, Vancouver)
- Improve table and image handling
- Integrate with reference managers like Zotero
- Add grammar and spell check tools
- Allow more customization of templates and formatting


## Frequently asked questions

### Is EndNote free?

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

### Is Essayist free?

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

### Which has better reviews, EndNote or Essayist?

Essayist is rated higher. EndNote averages 2.6 out of 5 from 165 ratings, while Essayist averages 4.5 from 429 ratings.

### Do EndNote or Essayist have ads?

Neither EndNote nor Essayist shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, EndNote or Essayist?

EndNote ships an update every 4 months, and Essayist fortnightly. Most recently, EndNote was updated on October 21, 2026 and Essayist 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.*