Comparison

RelatedWorks vs BibKit

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

Head to head
About

RelatedWorks

Features
Read full description

RelatedWorks is a native macOS and iOS/iPadOS app built for Computer Science researchers. It helps you manage the papers you read, annotate them with cross-referenced notes, and automatically draft the Related Works section of your next paper. Features * Project-based workspaces β€” one project per paper you're writing * Import PDFs with AI-powered metadata extraction (macOS only) * PDF Inbox via Share Extension β€” send PDFs from Safari or Files into a synced Inbox, then bulk import captured papers on macOS * Search DBLP and arXiv to fetch bibliographic data automatically (macOS only) * Semantic IDs β€” give each paper a short memorable tag like @Transformer or @BERT * Cross-reference annotations β€” link papers using @mentions in your notes * Citation Graph β€” compare @mentions, in-project references, and shared outside references for each project (macOS only) * Generate a streaming LaTeX-ready Related Works draft with one click (macOS only) * Per-project generation prompts with presets for Survey, Research Paper, Tech Report, or Custom (macOS only) * Export BibTeX entries fetched from DBLP or auto-generated (macOS only) * iCloud Drive sync β€” keep your library in sync across Mac and iPhone/iPad * Export, import, and open projects from Finder as .relatedworks files (macOS); import projects on iPhone and iPad * Supports Ollama and Google Gemini (macOS only) * iPhone and iPad companion app β€” browse papers, review notes, and make lightweight edits on the go * Automation and linking support β€” relatedworks:// deep links, read-only AppleScript, and Hookmark integration On iPhone and iPad, RelatedWorks is designed primarily as a companion viewer and lightweight editor for your research library. The iOS/iPadOS app does not require or rely on any AI backend; instead, it syncs your library seamlessly from the macOS version via iCloud. You can comfortably browse papers, review notes, and refine annotations on the go, making it easy to continue working on your literature and prepare for writing wherever you are. Any annotations you edit on iPhone or iPad automatically sync back to your Mac, providing a smooth β€œgo-and-work” experience for paper reading and writing.

About

BibKit

Features
Read full description

BibKit is a focused, modern citation manager designed for iPad. FREE PLAN Use every citation tool with a library of up to 10 references. No subscription is required to try BibKit. A BibKit Yearly subscription unlocks an unlimited library across iPad and Mac. IMPORT REFERENCES Import PDF and BibTeX files directly from the Files app. BibKit extracts available citation information and lets you review the result before adding it to your library. LOOK UP PAPERS Add a reference by entering any of the following: β€’ A DOI, such as 10.1016/j.mechmat.2019.103215 β€’ An arXiv identifier, such as 2503.12692v1 β€’ An arXiv abstract or PDF URL β€’ A HAL identifier, such as hal-01234567 β€’ A HAL URL, such as https://hal.science/hal-01234567 β€’ A ScienceDirect article URL containing a recognizable article identifier For publisher pages other than supported ScienceDirect links, enter the publication's DOI instead. When an arXiv preprint has a published version, BibKit can present both records so you can choose the version that belongs in your library. REVIEW AND EDIT Inspect extracted metadata before saving. Edit titles, authors, publication years, journals, volume and issue information, page ranges, publishers, DOI values, arXiv identifiers, URLs, and citation keys. ORGANIZE YOUR LIBRARY Search your references, mark favorites, apply labels, detect duplicates, retain source information, and undo accidental deletions. FORMAT AND EXPORT Generate consistent citation keys, normalize BibTeX formatting, abbreviate journal names, format author initials, and export selected references or your complete library. CREATE FORMATTED REFERENCES Copy references in APA, MLA, or Chicago style when you need a formatted citation instead of BibTeX. BUILT FOR IPAD BibKit provides a native split-view interface designed for reviewing and managing citations on a larger screen. On supported devices, Apple's on-device language model can assist with extracting citation metadata from PDFs. SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION BibKit Yearly removes the 10-reference library limit on both iPad and Mac. The subscription costs US$2.99 per year in the United States. Prices may vary by country or region, and the applicable localized price is displayed before purchase. An introductory one-month free trial may be available to eligible new subscribers. Payment is charged to your Apple Account upon confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. You can manage or cancel your subscription in your App Store account settings. Existing references remain accessible if the subscription ends. Privacy Policy: https://siliconsuite.app/BibKit/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

RelatedWorks4 screens
BibKit3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RelatedWorks at none against BibKit's 2. BibKit's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. BibKit sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per year. RelatedWorks asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RelatedWorks ships an update weekly, BibKit every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 4 level
RelatedWorks versus BibKit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRelatedWorksBibKit
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyWeekly β€” betterEvery 9 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo β€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPad, MaciPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS26.017.0 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size9 MB7 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJunxue ZHANGLale Taneri

In-app purchases

None

RelatedWorks

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

BibKit

Subscriptions1
  • BibKit Yearly3 Days trial$2.991 Year
One-time1
  • BibKit Lifetime$9.99

Questions

Is RelatedWorks free?
RelatedWorks is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BibKit free?
BibKit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do RelatedWorks or BibKit have ads?
Neither RelatedWorks nor BibKit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RelatedWorks or BibKit?
RelatedWorks ships an update weekly, and BibKit every 9 days. Most recently, RelatedWorks was updated on October 28, 2026 and BibKit on October 25, 2026.

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