Bookends

This is the best tool I ever used to handle my huge library of more than 3000 papers. Excellent synchronization between Apple devices. Only the automatic attachment of pdfs could be improved (does not always work immediately).

I am serious. I used for many years now Bookends on my computer. I love it because it’s highly customizable, and i needed that. I belong to the rare race of human-sciences-geek (we do exist, yes!). So when i started looking seriously into reference managers i knew what i wanted —i needed LaTeX support and human sciences standards (for books, edited books, collections, edited journal issues and so on. I enjoy as well a certain degree of ‘user-friendliness’. The choice fell on Bookends, and it was a well pondered choice! So when i had to be mobile for my work i bought an iPad just to use Bookends on my tablet (a second hand one, ok... but still) I just encourage anybody with with the same needs, to support this app and their amazing crew. They were always helpful and always cared about ‘our’ (i.e.the users) experience. (I actually never had an issue with the iOS app, but i had to solve some with the desktop one) Buy, support, enjoy! It’s a great app!

There simply isn’t a better reference management and annotation software package out there. Syncs flawlessly across devices, excellent search and indexing features. Should be everyone’s first purchase when they’re admitted to graduate school.

This latest update has streamlined the functionality. I etnusiastically recommend without reservation.

Been using Bookends for Mac and iOS for a couple years now and it is rock solid. It allows me to have a huge library available everywhere and always in sync. Developers have been highly responsive and helpful.

I stumbled upon this in my pursuit of an app that allows nuanced deep linking to pdf pages across ios and desktop. I was blown away to find that bookends handles this very well. I am now embarking on the onerous task of swapping my general pdf library to bookends.

This is a great app. It’s actively maintained and updated, and the iPad app has all the bells and whistles like support for multi-window (which is a must if you want to read a pdf and add notes or keywords to the meta-data), slide-over, etc. It’s support for Apple Pencil hand-written notes is top-notch, much better than anything else I’ve tried (ReadCube Papers). All in all, a wonderful app.

After using Zotero for years, it took me a little while to get used to Bookends. However, it’s been well worth the effort. It does almost everything that Zotero does, plus a whole lot more. Additionally, it’s easier to organize, and is visually more appealing. The one thing I miss is how Zotero has a browser extension that makes it super simple to create a reference for a website with all the information pre-populated. If Bookends adds this feature, it will be the best reference manager I’ve ever used by a long shot. Altogether, Bookends extra features are endlessly satisfying and useful. And for those who are up for a little scripting, Bookends invites you to be creative! I love this app and am really enthusiastic about using it for years to come.

Thank you for bringing back the thumbnails! (it was very difficult to navigate without them)

Title says it all. To be clear, developers admit that multiple users have reported problems with iCloud sync and in-app purchases, but they dismiss the problem as a bug in iOS. Funny how no other app that I use has the same problem. In any case, there’s no resolution and the app isn’t usable. Edited to add: developer response is completely fair and accurate. My initial review was overly fueled by stress from my impending dissertation defense. Unfortunately, the app still isn’t usable for me.