Unlimited Zotero storage vs Endnote X9

edited August 5, 2018
Hi Zotero users, I have an issue understanding something which I really hope someone can help with.

I've amassed a great number of pdfs, ebooks and articles for my research and as I travel frequently, I require access to the most updated copy (e.g. the latest pdf with highlights and annotations I've made from the day before) from a number of devices.

From what I know, Endnote X9 offers unlimited attachment storage, and the attached files can sync across multiple devices under the same license key. My question is: isn't this effectively an unlimited cloud storage that Zotero users have to pay $200 *per year* for, whereas for Endnote it's a one-off purchase of the product ($250-$300)?

I'm pretty sure there's some catch or caveat with the Endnote sync mechanism, else I find it entirely bizarre that anyone with a huge digital database that requires a great deal of space would opt to pay $200 a year for Zotero when they can do a one-off purchase of Endnote for the same functionality.

Is there something I've missed in all of this?
  • edited August 5, 2018
    Endnote has historically limited the number of references you may sync and the number of people you may share your online library with for legacy versions. So: you may also want to factor in the cost of upgrades over time.

    For group sharing, endnote requires the full license fee from all members, whereas zotero has reduced pricing for research groups and/or you can rely on the paid storage of the group's owner while other members may carry less expensive (or even free) plans.
  • Also, Zotero's unlimited Storage is US$120/year, not US$200 and as noksagt alludes, Endnote's purchasing price isn't a one-off. You'll have to pay to update to each new major version, which is about every 2 years, so you're actually looking at a slightly higher per-year rate.

    Also, of course, storage isn't the main factor in deciding on a reference manager. Zotero is simply better than Endnote.
  • edited August 5, 2018
    Thanks for the replies!

    I knew there was something fishy about the idea of having lifetime access to unlimited sync just via a one-off purchase of Endnote. I was perusing their site and there seems to be no mention of the reduced sync capabilities for legacy versions, so one can only conclude that advertizing Endnote X9 as having unlimited attachment storage is intentionally misleading, and at worst dishonest, on the part of the company...
  • They might not reduce/cut off sync for legacy versions going forward-- we don't know.
    But you do need to upgrade your software. E.g. you need Endnote X8 for Word 2016 compatibility, so it's not like you could hang on to X7 while updating other software. Same for operating systems.
  • edited August 5, 2018
    Right. No idea if you'll have less functionality over time compared to what you get when you first buy endnote or not. But users of past versions have seemingly arbitrarily less functionality when compared to the latest/greatest version. See, e.g.

    https://researchsoftware.com/software/bibliography/endnote/compare-endnote-versions
  • Plus, Endnote is likely the most frustrating piece of software I've ever used!!!
    What would really be useful is if all the journals, most of which charge fees that come from publically funded science, could decide on one @#$(#%$&*#%$* format for citations so we could all stop wasting so much time on bibliographies and get some work done!
Sign In or Register to comment.