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Citavi

Name: Citavi
Brand: Citavi
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3.9 (9 reviews)

Citavi is a reference and knowledge management tool from Lumivero with Web and Desktop apps, an AI assistant for key insights and passage summaries, 11,000+ citation styles, and a Word add-in.

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In Plain English

Citavi is a reference and knowledge management tool from Lumivero with Web and Desktop apps, an AI assistant for key insights and passage summaries, 11,000+ citation styles, and a Word add-in.

Overview

Citavi is a long-standing reference and knowledge management tool — originally a Swiss product, now owned and distributed by Lumivero — that has retained a loyal academic and policy-research user base across 30+ years. In 2026, Citavi ships in two flavors that share one account and cloud-synced projects: Citavi Web (browser-based, available at citaviweb.citavi.com — this is new compared to the historically Windows-only Desktop product) and Citavi Desktop (Windows). Both connect to your Citavi account so projects stay in sync across machines. The product is organized around three interlocking modules: Reference Management (auto-import via the built-in browser picker and academic database search, automatic metadata extraction, 11,000+ citation styles), Knowledge Organization (quotes, summaries, comments, and images captured from PDFs and all automatically linked to their source reference), and Task Planning (per-reference tasks, due dates, progress tracking). A 2026 addition: Citavi's AI assistant provides AI key insights (overviews of an entire article) and AI passage summaries (single-click summary of any paragraph or section). The Word add-in then assembles inline citations and bibliographies from the structured project rather than the global library, which is the workflow academics cite as the reason they stay on Citavi instead of migrating to Zotero or Mendeley. Citavi integrates with Lumivero's NVivo for qualitative analysis. Pricing is per-platform and per-license-type: individual licenses (students, researchers, professionals — Web only, Desktop only, or both), organizational/team licenses with volume pricing for 10+ users, and institutional site licenses that give free access to all students, faculty, and staff at participating universities. A free trial requires no credit card.

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Key Features

Reference management with import from PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, library catalogs, ISBN, DOI, and PDF metadata extraction+

Knowledge organization system that captures direct quotes, indirect quotes, summaries, comments, and images linked to exact page numbers+

Hierarchical category outline that doubles as the manuscript structure, allowing drag-and-drop assembly of knowledge items into a draft+

Microsoft Word add-in supporting more than 11,000 citation styles, live bibliography updates, and one-click insertion of stored quotes+

Task planner that tracks reading status, deadlines, to-dos, and research milestones tied to individual references or projects+

Cloud and team projects via Citavi Web enabling shared reference databases, synchronized PDF annotations, and collaborative knowledge organization+

BibTeX export for LaTeX workflows and broad compatibility with RIS, EndNote, and Zotero exchange formats+

Pricing Plans

Free trial

Free

Individual (Web, Desktop, or Combined)

Per-user license — choose Web only, Desktop only, or both; pricing varies by platform and license type

Organizational / Team (10+ users)

Volume pricing and custom packages

Institutional site license

Negotiated site license

See Full Pricing →Free vs Paid →Is it worth it? →

Ready to get started with Citavi?

View Pricing Options →

Getting Started with Citavi

1Create a Citavi account at citavi.com and select your preferred plan (Web or Windows)
2Install the Citavi browser extension to capture references while browsing academic databases
3Import your first batch of PDFs using drag-and-drop or ISBN/DOI auto-lookup feature
4Set up your category tree structure to organize quotes and annotations for your project

Ready to start? Try Citavi →

Best Use Cases

🎯

PhD and postdoctoral researchers managing multi-year literature reviews across hundreds of sources

⚡

Policy researchers and consultants who need structured quote capture and per-reference tasks

🔧

University libraries and graduate-program installs running site licenses for students and faculty

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Mixed-methods research workflows that pipe Citavi references into NVivo for qualitative coding

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Cross-device academic work where one researcher needs Web (e.g., on a Mac or shared lab machine) and Desktop interchangeably

Integration Ecosystem

10 integrations

Citavi works with these platforms and services:

💬 Communication

🌐 Browsers

chromefirefoxedge

💾 Storage

citavi-space-cloud

🔗 Other

apimicrosoft-wordnvivobibtexris

View full Integration Matrix →

Limitations & What It Can't Do

We believe in transparent reviews. Here's what Citavi doesn't handle well:

⚠Citavi's most significant limitation is platform support: the full desktop application runs only on Windows, leaving Mac and Linux users dependent on Citavi Web, which lacks complete feature parity. The interface and visual design lag behind modern competitors, and onboarding takes substantially longer than free alternatives like Zotero — users typically need several hours to understand the category tree, knowledge-item types, and outline-generation workflow before seeing real productivity gains. Data portability is another concern: while Citavi can export to BibTeX and RIS, the proprietary knowledge-item structure (quotes, paraphrases, categories, and their links to PDF annotations) does not transfer cleanly to other tools, creating significant lock-in for heavy users. The browser extension is functional but less polished than Zotero Connector, with occasional metadata capture issues on non-standard academic sites. Cloud storage through Citavi Space works for team collaboration but offers limited storage compared to self-hosted solutions. Since the Lumivero acquisition in 2021, the pace of feature development has slowed noticeably, and the absence of any announced Mac or Linux desktop client suggests the platform gap will persist. Finally, the price premium — $90 to $250 or more per year versus Zotero's $0 — is difficult to justify for researchers who do not actively use the knowledge-organization and outline-generation features that differentiate Citavi from its free competitors.

Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

✓Now offered as Citavi Web (browser) alongside the Windows Desktop client — no longer a Windows-only product
✓New AI assistant provides article-level key insights and single-click passage summaries
✓Project-first knowledge organization — PDF quotes, ideas, and tasks structured per project, not per library
✓Word add-in resolves inline citations and bibliographies from the structured project across 11,000+ styles
✓NVivo integration is unique for mixed-methods research workflows that combine bibliographic and qualitative analysis

✗ Cons

✗Dollar pricing is opaque — gated behind the Lumivero 'Buy now' flow rather than a public pricing page
✗AI assistant is useful but narrower than Elicit or Consensus for discovery and evidence synthesis
✗Desktop app shows its age compared to web-native research tools; Web app is newer and still maturing
✗No MCP server — programmatic agent integration requires custom bridges over the project format or Word

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I use Citavi or Zotero?+

Zotero if: you're on Mac, you want free, you need a large plugin ecosystem, or you manage a simple bibliography. Citavi if: you're on Windows, you write long-form academic work with 100+ sources, and you want the outline generation and knowledge organization features. Citavi's workflow is genuinely superior for dissertations and systematic reviews where you need to track quotes at the page level and build structured arguments from hundreds of sources. However, Zotero's open-source community, cross-platform support, and zero cost make it the better default choice for most researchers. Only switch to Citavi if you've tried Zotero and found its organizational features insufficient for your project's complexity.

Does Citavi work on Mac?+

The web-based version works on Mac through any browser. The full desktop application with all features (including advanced PDF annotation and offline access) is Windows-only. If Mac support is critical, consider Zotero or Paperpile instead. Some Mac users run the Windows version through Parallels or Boot Camp, but this is a workaround rather than a supported configuration and adds cost and complexity. Lumivero has not announced plans for a native Mac desktop client, so this limitation is unlikely to change in the near term.

Is Citavi worth the price compared to free tools?+

For casual reference management (under 50 sources, simple citation formatting), no — Zotero handles that for free. For dissertation-level research with 200+ sources where you need knowledge organization, outline generation, and deep PDF annotation, yes. The time savings on a multi-year research project justify the $90 to $250+ annual cost for many PhD students and professional researchers. Check whether your institution offers a campus license first — many European universities provide Citavi at no cost to students and staff, which eliminates the price consideration entirely.

What happened with the Lumivero acquisition?+

Lumivero (formerly QSR International) acquired Citavi in 2021. Since then, some users report declining customer support responsiveness and slower feature development. Several German universities have stopped renewing site licenses, citing concerns about pricing changes and reduced support quality. The product itself still works well, but the trajectory concerns some long-term users who worry about the sustainability of the platform under its new ownership. Development focus has shifted toward Citavi Web and cloud features, while the Windows desktop application receives primarily maintenance updates.

Can I try Citavi before buying?+

Citavi offers a free version limited to 100 references per project — enough to test the workflow but not for real research. The web version is accessible immediately after creating an account. For the full desktop experience, you'll need to purchase a Windows subscription. There's no standard free trial period for the paid tiers, but the free version provides full feature access within the 100-reference limit, so you can evaluate the knowledge organization system, outline generation, and Word integration before committing to a paid plan.

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What's New in 2026

Under Lumivero's ownership, development through 2025 and into 2026 has focused on strengthening Citavi Web to close the feature gap with the Windows desktop edition. Key areas of improvement include enhanced cloud collaboration in Citavi Space with better real-time sync for team projects, expanded browser extension compatibility, and continued growth of the citation style library beyond 11,000 formats. AI-powered features introduced in late 2025 — including AI Key Insights for article-level overviews and passage-level summaries — remain available but have not seen major capability expansions. The desktop Windows application has received incremental UI refinements and stability improvements. No major new platform releases (Mac desktop, Linux desktop) have been announced.

User Reviews

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More about Citavi

Pricing Review Alternatives Free vs Paid Pros & Cons Worth It?Tutorial

Overview

Key Features

Reference management with import from PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, library catalogs, ISBN, DOI, and PDF metadata extraction+

Knowledge organization system that captures direct quotes, indirect quotes, summaries, comments, and images linked to exact page numbers+

Hierarchical category outline that doubles as the manuscript structure, allowing drag-and-drop assembly of knowledge items into a draft+

Microsoft Word add-in supporting more than 11,000 citation styles, live bibliography updates, and one-click insertion of stored quotes+

Task planner that tracks reading status, deadlines, to-dos, and research milestones tied to individual references or projects+

Cloud and team projects via Citavi Web enabling shared reference databases, synchronized PDF annotations, and collaborative knowledge organization+

BibTeX export for LaTeX workflows and broad compatibility with RIS, EndNote, and Zotero exchange formats+

Pricing Plans

Free trial

Free

Individual (Web, Desktop, or Combined)

Per-user license — choose Web only, Desktop only, or both; pricing varies by platform and license type

Organizational / Team (10+ users)

Volume pricing and custom packages

Institutional site license

Negotiated site license

Getting Started with Citavi

1Create a Citavi account at citavi.com and select your preferred plan (Web or Windows)

2Install the Citavi browser extension to capture references while browsing academic databases

3Import your first batch of PDFs using drag-and-drop or ISBN/DOI auto-lookup feature

4Set up your category tree structure to organize quotes and annotations for your project

Best Use Cases

🎯

PhD and postdoctoral researchers managing multi-year literature reviews across hundreds of sources

⚡

Policy researchers and consultants who need structured quote capture and per-reference tasks

🔧

University libraries and graduate-program installs running site licenses for students and faculty

🚀

Mixed-methods research workflows that pipe Citavi references into NVivo for qualitative coding

💡

Cross-device academic work where one researcher needs Web (e.g., on a Mac or shared lab machine) and Desktop interchangeably

Limitations & What It Can't Do

We believe in transparent reviews. Here's what Citavi doesn't handle well:

⚠Citavi's most significant limitation is platform support: the full desktop application runs only on Windows, leaving Mac and Linux users dependent on Citavi Web, which lacks complete feature parity. The interface and visual design lag behind modern competitors, and onboarding takes substantially longer than free alternatives like Zotero — users typically need several hours to understand the category tree, knowledge-item types, and outline-generation workflow before seeing real productivity gains. Data portability is another concern: while Citavi can export to BibTeX and RIS, the proprietary knowledge-item structure (quotes, paraphrases, categories, and their links to PDF annotations) does not transfer cleanly to other tools, creating significant lock-in for heavy users. The browser extension is functional but less polished than Zotero Connector, with occasional metadata capture issues on non-standard academic sites. Cloud storage through Citavi Space works for team collaboration but offers limited storage compared to self-hosted solutions. Since the Lumivero acquisition in 2021, the pace of feature development has slowed noticeably, and the absence of any announced Mac or Linux desktop client suggests the platform gap will persist. Finally, the price premium — $90 to $250 or more per year versus Zotero's $0 — is difficult to justify for researchers who do not actively use the knowledge-organization and outline-generation features that differentiate Citavi from its free competitors.

Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

✓Now offered as Citavi Web (browser) alongside the Windows Desktop client — no longer a Windows-only product
✓New AI assistant provides article-level key insights and single-click passage summaries
✓Project-first knowledge organization — PDF quotes, ideas, and tasks structured per project, not per library
✓Word add-in resolves inline citations and bibliographies from the structured project across 11,000+ styles
✓NVivo integration is unique for mixed-methods research workflows that combine bibliographic and qualitative analysis

✗ Cons

✗Dollar pricing is opaque — gated behind the Lumivero 'Buy now' flow rather than a public pricing page
✗AI assistant is useful but narrower than Elicit or Consensus for discovery and evidence synthesis
✗Desktop app shows its age compared to web-native research tools; Web app is newer and still maturing
✗No MCP server — programmatic agent integration requires custom bridges over the project format or Word