Bookends Reviews

EndNote has driven me slightly crazy for the last few years, so I don't really use it any more, but it's cite-while-you-write feature is still more powerful than anything else. Bookends and Sente... Both are excellent programs for managing your pdfs, maintaining a reference library, and generating bibliographies on demand. I've used both very extensively, including current versions and previous versions of Bookends and Sente. Details below... Stability: - Both are very stable programs, and don't crash (unlike EndNote, unless X3 has dramatically improved). They play very nicely with loads of word processors and are very reliable. Searching: - Sente: it's built-in browser uses webkit, i.e. it's basically Safari. You can do standard web searches from within Sente. I like the 'targeted browsing' feature, which quickly shows you what you and don't have in your library already when you do pubmed search. - Bookends has a straightforward PubMed/other site searching window that works very well. It doesn't look like a standard browser page, but obviously does the same thing. Refs already in your library are highlighted in yellow in PubMed windows. It is very good at finding and loading pdfs. Updating incomplete refs: Bookends has a really nice host of tools to update refs. If you have a ref that got loaded in when it was online only, it's quick and easy to use a Bookends menu command to update the reference. There are a couple of ways of doing this, and it works well. Sente is supposed to do some auto-updating, but it doesn't seem to work nearly as well. I really like this handy feature. Speed: On a very large library (7,500 refs), Bookends is noticeably quicker at start-up (about 10 seconds quicker). Searches within the library are faster, and happen live as you type in the Spotlight window in the library. This is more responsive. Pdfs: Both allow you to quickly see your attached pdfs within the main window, open them into a standalone reader, etc. Sente supports pdf comments etc. Custom fields: Both allow you make and view notes etc very easily. Sending to colleagues: Bookends 'email ref' works reliably and attaches any pdfs to your email. Helpful for finding and sending stuff to colleagues. Technical support: Both Sente and Bookends offer good technical support, but Bookends is the best. Jon provides tech support, and is incredibly helpful. It's not that Sente is bad in any way, just that Jon and Bookends is superb. Working with Apple Pages: Both scan open Pages documents. Sente has a re-scan option that they are cautious about recommending. Haven't tried it myself - I use Pages all the time, but don't rescan a formatted doc, I always go back to the unformatted doc to edit. Working with Word: Both support scanning and rescanning with Word. I don't currently use them with Word, but have successfully used Bookends with Word in the past. You don't get the live formatting you see with EndNote cite-while-you-write, but this is no bad thing given the number of times it's caused hangs and crashes in my previous experience. Import/Export: I have a large Sente library which doesn't export the attachments absolutely reliably and puts them in the URL field rather than the attachments field. Bookends gets this right, and therefore it's easier to move a library out to EndNote from Bookends. Both import an EndNote library without problems. User help/ configuration of export filters etc. Online for Sente, a very thorough manual for Bookends. Formatting controls work fine on both. OVERALL: (If anyone cares) I used Bookends extensively, then switched to Sente when it was the first to be able to scan open Pages files. Bookends has now been doing this for a while. It's a bit quicker, and plays more nicely with EndNote (at least as things stand now). Reference updating is a bit easier. I slightly prefer the Sente online search (linking to the PubMed webpage), and Sente is very very slightly prettier, but the speed and other features of Bookends win out. Both are excellent, but I'm going to stick with Bookends.

Great app. Use it with my Word docs and works flawlessly. Been around forever.

Nice program!

Been using for many years, usually with Nisus, but sometimes Word and Mellel. It has never let me down. I've tried others and nothing else works as well. Constantly updated. Support is fantastic.

Microsoft released a major rewrite of Word, which broke compatibility with Endnote and Bookends. Bookends had a workaround available to users in hours, and has been updated (V13.0.5, and a backport for V12 users too!) now to fix this . Endnote? Forces users to run beta software and no ETA when an official fix will come. This just gives you a flavour of the difference in support you will receive with both pieces of software (apart from the fact Bookends is far more powerful than Endnote, and far cheaper).

I'm using Bookends for more than 10 years. Since then, the developper has stayed focused on its software with regular updates and the support is just great. Clearly one of my best choice of software.

Best reference manager ever.

I have tried all of them. I like Zotero. I also use BibDesk and Jabref for my latex references. I have been user of Sente for many years. I have also used Papers for a while. But, Bookends stands as the richest and most reliable of all. I love the Global tools that help me to manipulate my references.
The automatic data extraction has gone from DOI to Justor and recently even to iSBN. You don't have to go and search for reference data from Google Scholar. It magically picks the data from the PDF and autfills it.

Well, probably the best supported, and as a result, flexible, reference managers on the Mac just received a significant update. I purchased it immediately, with a fair amount of relief. Relief since Bookends is easily the most frequently updated applications of all my Mac apps, and I had been wanting to pay again, as appreciation for all the work that is put in to both the Mac (and iOS companion) application. If you are looking for a reference manager, across iOS and macOS, look no further. The others might be bigger, but how many of them frequently pose a question in their forums asking how many would support a user-request change, and then implement that change within weeks, if not days? Bookends has been in existence since the very early days - and it shows, in a mature and powerful app that often is an example of "way more than what you expect under the hood"!

Actually I like what I see from this new version (13.0) thus far. I've always had a license for Bookends, but ended up gravitating towards Papers (so many years ago till the 2nd version started crashing), followed by Sente (till it stopped receiving regular updates a couple of years ago), and now Mendeley. However, now that people using Macs are having problems with Mendeley on HIgh Sierra (with no official support for 10.12 or 10.13), I've begun revisiting Bookends. I always had problems with how Bookends managed and viewed PDFs, which is where Sente and Mendeley excelled (full screen, tabbed views, easy to read, simple and straightforward UI, etc).

This new version of Bookends (along with its reputation of always being updated with stellar support) has me hopeful. I don't have a license for this new version, but I'm going to spend the better part of the next 30 days or so experimenting with it to see how it goes. In the end, I'm not so sure if there really is any viable alternatives on the Mac right now (and don't talk to me about Endnote). Unless Mendeley gets updated or Readcube finally puts it together, I'm going to seriously look at Bookends and I like what I see thus far. We'll see after a month or so.

Bookends is overall the best reference manager for macOS. The major advantage lies in the fact its database engine is the most flexible/accessible, allowing powerful group editing of the reference data. Bookends has been continuously developed for the Mac since 1984, and still receives regular updates. In V13 there have been major improvements to the way you can view and annotate PDFs. For example, there is a sticky tab bar for multiple reference PDFs so you can quickly add several PDFs then switch between them effortlessly, while being able to view the annotations note stream (metadata about your PDF annotations are automagically extracted into the main database for you). Full screen is now contextual, if you are editing reference lists, it opens into the reference list, if you have a PDF panel open, it opens into the PDF. The automated Pubmed search has been improved, and it greatly enhances the speed at which we can scan through new potentially interesting references. There are many more interesting features and Bookends really offers the best mix of detailed reference management, search interface, PDF handling, flexible bibliography generation and more.

Might as well be a subscription now, because that's what these regular price hikes amount to. Or perhaps you could see it as a dilute form of extortion: if you want a 64-bit app (i.e., if you want to keep running the software into 2018), then cough up $40 (*evil laugh*). Not sure it's a wise move, as it may persuade some to just pirate the thing (which is not recommended, unless you want alien custard pouring out of your Mac at some point). So what's new? Well the dev finally worked out how to allow you to actually view PDFs. Whoopee. There's also some stuff like "New AppleEvent for getting the name and paths of attachments".. Really? Is he rambling in code? It's good, but it's not gold dust (except for the developer maybe). Sigh. Oh well, in for a penny...

Best publication database out there, I am impressed by both programme and support. Very stable and functional. I like the new iCloud Sync to Bookends for iOS, giving me access to all metadata and pdfs on the go: awesome.

I also know Mendeley (ok, but ugly and Elsevier), Papers (own V1, 2 and 3, and while V1 was ok, just a bit buggy, I would not recommend the newer versions), Jabref (Non-native but reliable) and Bibdesk (native, free, I like it, but BE has the powerful sync which is difficult to beat).

Bookends: highly recommended.

Awesome tool for writhing thesis, I was wondering how Bookends would work with my MS Word '16. So, the app surpassed all my expectations. It works great perfectly storing all my books references.

I used Mellel (writing) and Bookends (reference management) to write my PhD thesis. Both applications were very reliable over the years. The developer of Bookends was very responsive when I had questions or discovered small bugs. Of course I still use Bookends (mostly when researching and writing papers) and I think it is a very valuable tool for researchers.

As owner of EndNote X5 and X6, and its ex-user, I find Bookends to be more straightforward and user friendly. People at Sonny Software are friendly and responsive too. Highly recommended for any earnest writer—whether you are writing a blog, a research paper, or a book. And it costs less than EndNote too!

Bookends really helps me a lot! It is very brilliant and easy to use. I just spend little time to learn this app and now i can use it very skillful.

i love this app, even looks scary on first run, after learn a bit, i can handle it, so i just concentrate to what i what to write not how to write and find reference. i've try the others but found this one is better than what i ever try, trust me download the trial, learn how to use it, the next day you'll enjoy it

I've tried all of them. Don't do that. Buy Bookends, use Bookends. Your writing and your brain will appreciate it. Great app, incredibly excellent tech support.

Incredibly useful and powerful software. Will I ever learn it all as it is just so giving. Support is amazing; even when it feels one is asking dumb questions. Probably one of the best support experiences to date with software.

It's a huge pleasure to review Bookends 12. It is an excellent update to a brilliant program. I have extensively used/tried Endnote, Papers (Papers2, Papers3), Sente, Mendeley and others over the years. I have a large database of >11,000 references, many with PDFs linked. I've therefore needed a flexible, speedy and absolutely robust database system for references, with easy importing and handling, and easy bibliography generation. Bookends scores massively in all these areas. It is very fast, and lean on resources. It is bombproof, and crashproof (EndNote in my experience has always been dogged by crashes and awkwardness). Compared to Papers3 it is lightning fast on searches, finding references quickly and easily. It integrates well with word processors (though the Papers system of citing into any document is clever). I like the flexible built-in browser, the new clip-to-bookends bookmarklet for when I forget to use the built-in browser, and the great PDF handling. It was always nice to display PDFs in the main window of bookends, and now being able to click on the 'paperclip' in the main ref window and launch straight into Preview or Adobe Reader is even better. I also love the ease of customising reference styles. If I'm making a new output style for a grant or paper, it's easy and intuitive. Trying to do the editing for Papers2 and Papers3 took ages, lots of fiddling, and generally a bit of extra swearing. Bookends: quick, easy, obvious. Genius. Above all else, it has Jon. The best support ever, the most responsive designer, and the most courteous service. This really is the outstanding reference manager for Macs. It's been around a while, and others have tried to beat it, but in my experience none come close for speed, reliability, and overall performance. Version 12 has the added advantage of being simpler in layout and look, and a pleasure to use.

Bookends is the best.

Been using Bookends for more than a year now and still sometimes feel that I'm really only scratching the surface - it's the powerful an app. It does the basics very well. Input your sources and you can cite while you write, then scan the document at the end and produce in-text properly constructed citations and a bibliography. That alone makes it worth the price. It also has extensive notes, key wording, ratings and other categorisation tools and it links into other apps like DevonThink. I manage Citations on Bookends and data in DTP. If I had to nitpick: I'd like to be able to choose what fields appear in what tab - for instance, have the ISBN on the main tab of the inspector rather than as additional info - and I've not found a way to do this. That Inspector pane is not the prettiest either. There: a couple of nits, picked. There is a learning curve, and it take take a while to get the hang of some of it, but well worth the effort. That's true of all citation managers. That said, a robust citation manager that does exactly what it says on the tin, with extraordinary support (issues resolved within hours in my case) and well worth the money. By comparison I've used Sente, End Note, Zotero at different times but keep coming back to BE.

Always wanted this.

A definite 5 stars. BE11 is one of my most used and best loved software progs and I have just bought BE12. Really looking forward to it. And HUGE praise for Jon at Sonny who must provide the best software support on the planet. Reference manager no-brainer. If you are still using Endnote etc, run while you still can :-) OK bit much maybe :-) but Bookends is the Biz!

The best bibliography/reference manager... and it keeps getting better. The best support on the planet. I have a database with over 25,000 references and Bookends handles it with ease. If you are in the market for a bibliography/reference manager look no further.

I use Bookends together with Mellel for my dissertation and the integration of both apps is very good. My favorite feature: Live Bibliography. Bookends support is very good and fast.

I've tried them all. This is just the very best in features and usability. But I need to mention the very best aspect of this software, and that is the support. Chances are that you will use this the way I do, for mission critical professional work. If something goes wrong, you just cannot diddle. Sonny Software responded quickly when I got into trouble. They didn't even get upset that a good part of the problem was me. You need someone like this covering you. I cannot recommend this highly enough.

After 30 years in the Endnote wilderness I moved to Bookends for my macs. What a joy! So intuitive, so easy but with plenty of 'complexity' and deeper features that are there when I need them. Easy to synch across my iMac, air and iPad too using sugarsync or dropbox. But the 5 stars apply particularly for the outstandingly fast and helpful user support from Jon at sonny software. As a brand new user, no question has been too 'obvious' and nothing has been too much trouble. If only all software and support was like this. LOVE IT!!!

Great app and essential academic writing tool. Though a lower price setting would mean more people can use this. @devs: please consider this.

I changed the way I manage my bibliography on Mac with this program. You can store your scientific articles, with attached pdf easily and quickly. No more renaming of pdf, you can even retrieve name and every info of a paper simply by searching from the web. It's also useful when you are writing a scientific paper, in building rapidly the references. 5 stars.

Nice. Works as advertised.

It is so great that I switched from EndNote I had been using for more that 15 years. All the features you need for bibliography management. Nice an powerful. Great job!!!!!

I am a very satisfied user of Bookends On Tap...been following Bookends development for quite a while, interface is little bit unpolished (compared to Sente 6.5 preview), but Jon's approach and iPhone app beat it... one thing I am quite worried about, I had previous version during my time at university, now I think about buying my own, as I have more Macs, buying on Mac App Store seems like easy solution...but...Sandboxing...one does not have to be a developer to know it will be quite a challenge to keep Bookends there with similar functionality...and 80 Euros is some amount of money I hope Jon will find some sort of solution (he is currently the only one offering his product there, Sente and Papers teams are not interested)

I had a little trouble at first because of the marvelous capabilities of this program. But those difficulties were taken care of by simple emails to the support staff who helped me at all times of the day. I really like how you can search for items. This factor has allowed me to do a lot of research in a short time. The real savior is the bibliography that the footnotes create. If you are a student who types a lot of papers this is a must have.

Bookends is so good that I actually switched to it from EndNote even though I was in the middle of a huge project. I was able to complete the switch in less than two hours, including converting my existing reference database and creating the citation style I needed. (It would be nice if I could have found a way to import my existing custom citation styles, or if I could locate an online repository of them.)

Bookends is a great product, it is an essential part of my academic writing, especially as I have begun work on my Master's Thesis and am looking beyond that to my eventual PhD dissertation. No other tool is more helpful in keep all your sources under control and easily useable in your writing process. It's only downside is that it's interface feels clunky and inefficient at times.

I have to give my highest recommendation to this company. The developer, Jon, is excellent. He's patient and answers all questions. He's goes the extra distance to help you out. The product functions great. It's efficient and works with many word processors, including Pages. Another key point is that educational discounts are available. As a student who has needed to purchases hundreds of dollars worth of programs in this last year, every bit of savings helps. Thanks for a great product and excellent customer service.

I recently tried many of the reference managers for the Mac, including Sente, Papers. I ended up staying with Bookends, principally because it has the best combination of features with keywords, groups, attached documents, etc. The program has many features that aren't clearly documented in the user manual, though they are often obvious enough to try, like dragging a keyword from the keyword list onto a group of selected references to add them to those references. Recent improvements in finding and downloading articles from the pubmed web search make that aspect a snap. And as I've noted before, the support by the developer is great.

Developer support continues to be great. Helped me out of a bind in grant rush deadline, even though the trouble ended up being something very funky with my system install.