Comparison

EndNote vs ivySCI

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

EndNote

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
Read full description

Collect, collaborate, create from anywhere with the EndNote app - the world's most popular research management tool. With flexible tools for searching, organizing, sharing research, and creating bibliographies, the EndNote app extends your ability to stay on top of cutting edge research and connect with your EndNote library on the go. EndNote enables you to easily view, edit, organize, and share research material on your iOS device. By syncing your research library across iOS, online, and desktop, you increase the power of EndNote by gaining seamless access to your reference library from multiple devices and platforms. The EndNote app includes: - Sign up for a free, EndNote online account or sign in to an existing account - Synchronize your library references, attachments, and PDF annotations to your online account and EndNote desktop - Built in web browser to search Clarivate Analytics Web of Science, PubMed, Google Scholar, your library catalog, or any other database you choose - Built in PDF viewer with wide range of annotation features. Annotations made can be synced and edited online and on the EndNote desktop - Importing capabilities for .ris, .nbib, and other popular reference file formats - Email and copy options for sharing references and file attachments with collaborators - EndNote “temporary citation” format support - Attach files from Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive to your references (accounts available separately) - Viewing and editing options for references and file attachments - Sorting, searching, and grouping options for references and file attachments - Getting Started Guide documentation

About

ivySCI

This app helps researchers manage and read scientific papers efficiently. It automatically extracts metadata, offers AI-assisted reading and proofreading, and allows for easy note-taking and citation integration with word processors.

Highlights
  • Automatic PDF metadata identification
  • AI-assisted reading and Q&A
  • Built-in translation and dictionary
  • Reference extraction and download
  • Image extraction and side-by-side viewing
  • Cloud-synced notes across devices
  • Word processor citation plugin
Features
Read full description

ivySCI is dedicated to providing thoughtful and intelligent literature reading and management tools for researchers, helping them save valuable time and focus more effectively on their research, rather than getting bogged down in time-consuming literature management, especially the tedious task of formatting references for graduate theses. As your helpful assistant, ivySCI offers a comprehensive range of services from the outset, including: 1. After you import PDF documents, we automatically identify the metadata of each paper, including titles, authors, abstracts, DOIs, journals, and important journal impact factors (CiteScore). 2. For each document, we provide built-in translation and dictionary lookup to overcome language barriers. 3. We offer AI-assisted reading for each document, providing quick answers to your questions. In the Mac version, we also provide AI proofreading and translation functions. 4. We analyze each document so that you can access references directly when needed, without flipping to the end of the paper. After viewing the references, you can decide whether to download them. You can customize the download engine to provide more channels to help you find the required literature faster. 5. We extract images from papers and provide side-by-side text and image viewing when necessary. You can zoom in or out on images to focus on specific details. 6. We analyze the PDF structure and present it in an outline format. Thumbnails are also available for viewing. 7. You can create notes on any device, and these notes are shared via the cloud for easy access anytime, anywhere. 8. Your literature and notes are associated with your account, so you can use them on any device (including iPhone, iPad, and Mac) after logging in. 9. When writing in Word or WPS, you can cite literature and notes at any time using the ivyCite plugin provided by ivySCI. This ensures that your thought process remains uninterrupted. ivySCI offers various client options tailored to research needs, including Mac and PC, iPad, and iPhone. Each device serves a different purpose, with desktop versions offering comprehensive management capabilities, iPad versions focused on reading and basic operations, and iPhone versions providing basic information access. Depending on the intelligence analysis capabilities and the limitations of different PDF formats, some features may not be available, but we continuously optimize the engine.

Screenshots

EndNote4 screens
ivySCI4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: ivySCI at 80% against EndNote's 28%. ivySCI also leads on rating (4.6 vs 2.6) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months). EndNote's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (165 vs 9). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. ivySCI sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. EndNote asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ivySCI holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: EndNote has 165 ratings behind it against 9, 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 80% of ivySCI's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

EndNote ships an update every 4 months, ivySCI fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
EndNote versus ivySCI: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterEndNoteivySCI
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.6 (165 ratings)4.6 (9 ratings) — better
Positive reviews27.8% of reviews80.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings165 — better9
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size91 MB66 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperClarivate Analytics (US) LLCNanjing IvyScience Information Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

EndNote

All ratings165 ratings
Positive32.7%
Neutral14.5%
Negative52.7%
Written reviews370 reviews
Positive27.8%
Neutral11.9%
Negative60.3%

ivySCI

All ratings9 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral11.1%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive80.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

EndNote

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

ivySCI

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

EndNote

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

ivySCI

Subscriptions3
  • ivySCI VIP Monthly Service$2.991 Month
  • Annual VIP Subscription$29.991 Year
  • Annual AI Pro Subscription$39.991 Year

Questions

Is EndNote free?
EndNote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ivySCI free?
ivySCI is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, EndNote or ivySCI?
ivySCI is rated higher. EndNote averages 2.6 out of 5 from 165 ratings, while ivySCI averages 4.6 from 9 ratings.
Do EndNote or ivySCI have ads?
Neither EndNote nor ivySCI shows ads.
Which is updated more often, EndNote or ivySCI?
EndNote ships an update every 4 months, and ivySCI fortnightly. Most recently, EndNote was updated on October 11, 2026 and ivySCI on October 14, 2026.

Other comparisons