CitApp

CitApp helps students create formatted citations from links or DOIs and keep sources organized. It is available on the web and as a browser extension. Sources can include websites, journal articles, books, PDFs, reports, Wikipedia, news, theses, and videos. CitApp lists 150 citation styles, including built-in, journal and university CSL, and custom options; it also retrieves metadata from CrossRef, PubMed, arXiv, and Google Books. A Google Docs add-on inserts citations at the cursor and updates the reference list. The free plan supports library imports from Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote, plus exports to Word, BibTeX, and RIS. The Chrome extension saves pages and PDFs—including PDFs behind logins—to a project. Projects can be shared with signed-in collaborators by invite link. Academic Shield checks paragraph wording against its source, its fit with an academic section, and its support from the cited source. Free includes unlimited in-app sources, with weekly limits on captures, Docs citations, and Shield checks. Pro is 99 SEK, paid once.

CitApp combines citation formatting, source organization, and Google Docs insertion in a web-based workflow with a Chrome extension. Consider its free plan limits and the stated Pro price when choosing between plans.

CitApp suits students who need to collect sources and format citations for academic work. Its free plan may fit users who can work within the weekly limits on browser captures, Google Docs citations, and Academic Shield checks.

CitApp is a web and Chrome-based citation manager for students who need to collect sources, format references, and work in Google Docs. It is best for research projects with varied source types, shared bibliographies, or discipline-specific styles; the free tier is useful, while frequent capture and checking makes Pro more suitable.

Overview

CitApp turns URLs and DOIs into formatted citations and organizes them in projects. It handles websites, journal articles, books, PDFs, reports, Wikipedia, news, theses, and videos, retrieving metadata from CrossRef, PubMed, arXiv, and Google Books. URL import and identifier lookup reduce manual entry, but generated metadata still deserves a check before submission.

The browser workflow requires no installation. Its Chrome extension saves pages and PDFs, including files behind logins, directly to a CitApp project. Invite-link sharing lets signed-in collaborators view a project and add sources, which is useful for group assignments. A Google Docs add-on places citations at the cursor and updates the document's reference list; some school-managed Google accounts may require administrator approval.

Key features

Styles and source handling

There are 17 built-in styles, more than 130 journal and university CSL styles, and support for custom styles. Plan descriptions state access to 150+ styles, giving students a better chance of matching a department or journal specification than a tool limited to a few common formats.

Free users can import libraries from Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote, then export to Word, BibTeX, or RIS. That makes CitApp practical as a conversion and handoff point even when a project began in another manager.

Academic Shield and privacy

Academic Shield checks whether wording is too close to a source, fits the intended academic section, and is supported by the cited source. Those checks can help during revision, but they involve sending paragraph text to the service. CitApp says the submitted Shield paragraph is not stored; its privacy policy also says account and usage information, submitted sources, and Shield text are collected, with service data and AI requests processed in the EU. AI features use Google Gemini through Google Cloud.

CitApp describes technical and organizational security measures, says it does not sell personal information, and uses an essential session cookie without analytics or advertising cookies. Email is the fastest support route, with replies usually arriving within a couple of days.

Pricing

Free

Free costs nothing. It includes unlimited in-app sources, 10 browser captures per week, 30 Google Docs citation insertions per week, 10 Academic Shield checks per week, 150+ styles, PDF uploads, and Word, BibTeX, and RIS export. There is no free trial. Unlimited source storage is generous for a small paper, but the weekly capture, insertion, and Shield ceilings can interrupt a busy research schedule.

Pro

Pro costs 99 SEK, paid once, billed at 99 kr per term (approximately 16 kr per month). It removes weekly limits, allowing unlimited browser captures, Google Docs citations, and Academic Shield checks, and adds AI source summaries and a page archive. You can cancel any time. This is the sensible choice for sustained or high-volume work; occasional users can stay on Free if its weekly quotas fit their pace.

Platforms

CitApp runs on the web and through a Chrome extension. The web workflow needs nothing installed, while Chrome is required for extension-based page and PDF capture. Google Docs integration depends on the add-on and may need approval from a school administrator.

Who it's for

Choose CitApp for student papers, dissertations, or collaborative projects that combine many source formats and need Google Docs insertion. It is particularly compelling when you need journal or university CSL styles, imports from an existing reference manager, or capture of login-protected PDFs. It is less suitable if you need mobile apps, do not use Chrome or Google Docs, or routinely exceed the Free plan's weekly quotas without wanting Pro.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad style coverage: 150+ styles, custom styles, and journal or university CSL options support specialized academic requirements.
• Strong source workflow: URL and DOI lookup, metadata services, project organization, and imports from Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote reduce repeated data entry.
• Google Docs insertion: Citations go at the cursor and the reference list updates with the document.
• Useful collaboration and capture: Invite-link projects and Chrome saving for pages and behind-login PDFs suit team research.
• Flexible exports: Word, BibTeX, and RIS keep libraries portable.

Cons

• Free weekly caps: Browser captures, Docs insertions, and Shield checks are limited, which can disrupt intensive projects.
• Chrome-specific capture: The extension does not cover users working in another browser.
• Privacy trade-off for Shield: Account, usage, source, and submitted-text data are processed to provide the service, even though the submitted paragraph is not stored.
• Google account administration: Some school accounts need approval before the Docs add-on works.

Alternatives

For a wider comparison, see Citation Generator Tools.

• Cite This For Me suits readers wanting Android and iOS apps as well as web and extension access; its free account is Harvard-only, ad-supported, and keeps citations for seven days, while Premium costs 6.99.
• CiteMaker is a freemium web and mobile option with a free trial.
• BibGuru is a freemium extension and web alternative with a free educator plan for students.
• Citation[Z] offers a free extension and web plan with five styles and bulk paste for up to five references.
• CiteMe is a freemium API, extension, and web service with 60+ styles and metered reference-checking, library, project, and PDF-conversion quotas.
• CitePlain is a freemium extension and web product from indie solo-dev shop BrainBytes Studio.
• Grafiati is a web-only paid service whose free Basic plan allows one bibliography, 20 references, and seven days.
• MyBib offers a free extension and web plan with device-local work and a paid Plus tier at $24 a year.

Verdict

CitApp is a strong pick for students who want broad style support, organized multi-format sources, and direct Google Docs citation insertion in one workflow. Choose it for collaborative or high-volume research when Pro's 99 kr per term removes meaningful limits; look elsewhere if mobile apps, a non-Chrome workflow, or stricter control over submitted text matters more.