Write.studio Help center
All Collections
Compare
Mendeley Reference Manager vs Write.studio
Mendeley Reference Manager vs Write.studio

Comparison of Write Studio (the write-and-cite platform) versus Mendeley Reference Manager, focussing on their citation and referencing.

Avatar of Support Desk
Written by Support Desk
Last updated Oct 05, 2025

Overview Snapshots

Write Studio is a cloud-based writing editor tailored for long-form academic work—think theses, books, reports—featuring integrated references, citation tools, AI assistance, and structured workflow all within the same editor.
Mendeley Reference Manager, on the other hand, is a standalone reference manager focused on building and organizing citation libraries, annotating PDFs, and generating citations via plugins for word processors like Word or via BibTeX.

Reference & Citation Capabilities

Write Studio stands out with features beyond citations:
  • Built-in reference library: Integrated, project-embedded reference library with rich metadata, annotations, tagging, and attachments
  • Import from Other Tools: Seamless "write-and-cite" directly from editor, with in-text linking and formatted bibliographies.
  • Citation Insertion: Seamless "write-and-cite" directly from editor, with in-text linking and formatted bibliographies.
  • Styles & Formatting: Maintains academic styles automatically. Custom style-guides via wizard
  • Annotations & Metadata: Store and annotate PDFs, metadata, notes, tags directly in project.
Mendeley is a dedicated reference manager:
  • Built-in reference library: Library managing metadata, PDFs, highlighting, tagging; separate app with sync across devices
  • Import from Other Tools: Supports import from databases, web via Web Importer, BibTeX export, RIS.
  • Citation Insertion: Insert with Mendeley Cite plugin in Word; or integrate via LaTeX/BibTeX
  • Styles & Formatting: Offers thousands of CSL styles when writing in Microsoft Word; easy style-switch in citation plugin
  • Annotations & Metadata: PDF highlighting, notes, "sticky notes," and metadata tagging

Writing Workflow & Collaboration

Write Studio stands out with features beyond citations:
  • Outliner & Structured Projects: Create, reorder, and manage sections/chapters via drag-and-drop with automatic formatting
  • Workflow & Progress Tracking: Visual pipeline for sections—status (ToDo / Doing / Review / Done), word-count targets, deadlines via calendar.
  • Style Guide & Custom Templates: Build living style guides, custom templates for consistent formatting.
  • AI Writing Helpers: Offer grammar, spelling, clarity via 8 AI text enhancements.
  • Real-time Collaboration: Invite collaborators with shared access—comments, track changes, annotations—all within editor.
Mendeley, by contrast, is not a writing environment but focuses on references:
  • Library Sharing & Groups: Collaborate via shared libraries/groups; share PDFs and annotations.
  • Cross-Device Syncing: Sync across desktop, web, mobile for access anywhere.
  • Discovery & Recommendations: Paper suggestions based on your collection.
  • Integration with Writing Tools: Integrates citation insertion into Word, LibreOffice, LaTeX workflows, but editing itself happens there.
  • Storage Limits: Free tiers: 2 GB personal, 100 MB shared; institutions may grant higher limits.

Strengths & Limitations

Write Studio – Strengths

  • Unified writing and citation platform — everything (text, citations, style, workflow) in one place.
  • Support for complex documents via sectioning, outlines, custom formatting.
  • Excellent for academic workflows like theses where structure, style, and milestones matter.
  • Collaboration + AI assistance, all baked in.

Write Studio – Limitations

  • Newer platform; less widely adopted compared to established tools like Mendeley.
  • Citation library is hosted within projects—may require migration if switching platforms.
  • Online-only; no offline writing available at this stage.

Mendeley – Strengths

  • Mature, trusted reference management with deep metadata handling, annotation tools.
  • Flexible integration: Word, LibreOffice, LaTeX support.
  • Strong cross-platform sync and broad user base.
  • Automated library discovery and recommendations.

Mendeley – Limitations

  • Siloed from the writing editor; cannot manage writing workflow directly.
  • Web Importer and UI have reliability issues and some usability critiques.
  • Cloud-dependency: newer Reference Manager version lack local control compared to legacy desktop version.

Summary: When to Use What

If you're deeply focused on being within a single environment that handles structure, style, AI assistance, and citations while writing — especially for long or formal documents — Write Studio is a compelling, modern solution.
If your priority is a robust, flexible, and familiar reference manager capable of integrating with existing writing tools and a strong annotation library, Mendeley remains a solid, widely adopted choice.
For academic writing, you could combine both: use Mendeley to build and manage your reference library, then import into Write Studio when drafting long-form documents. Write Studio supports this via RIS import.