CitePlain creates citations from web pages, journal articles, books, tweets, YouTube videos, and podcasts. Enter a URL, DOI, or ISBN; the service reads publisher citation and Open Graph metadata, with Crossref lookup for DOIs and Open Library for ISBNs. Its free tier offers APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 17, Vancouver, CSE, and BibTeX, plus a bibliography builder for up to 50 sources per batch. The Chrome, Edge, and Firefox extension reads metadata from the active tab and can provide BibTeX with a stable cite key for Overleaf or Zotero. Pro adds 24 specialised styles, including Harvard, IEEE, AMA, OSCOLA, ACS, and ICMJE, plus batch URL import for 50 sources and a cloud library synced across the web app and extension. Free references are saved in browser local storage and do not leave the device. Pro is $4.99 USD per month or $39.00 USD per year; lifetime options are $89.00 USD once and $199.00 USD once. CitePlain is intended for individual citations, not as a replacement for a research reference manager.
Who it is for
CitePlain suits people who need to generate individual citations from online sources or identifiers. Its browser extension and free citation styles may also suit users who want to collect references while browsing.
What is good
- Accepts URLs, DOIs, and ISBNs.
- Free bibliography builder supports 50 sources per batch.
- Extension reads metadata from active tabs.
- Free references stay in device-local browser storage.
What to know first
- Free tier offers six citation styles.
- Pro styles may not match every house-style detail.
- No free trial is offered.
Verdict
CitePlain covers common citation needs, with a free tier and browser extension for collecting references. Its own guidance positions it as an individual-citation tool rather than a full research reference manager.
CitePlain plans and pricing
All plansCompared on citation generator tools
- Free plan
- Yes
- Paid from
- $4.99/mo
- Identifier lookup
- Yes
- URL import
- Yes
- Browser extension
- Yes
- Word add-in
- Yes
- BibTeX export
- Yes
