VOSviewer

VOSviewer is software for mapping citation, co-authorship, and other bibliometric networks from scientific literature. It suits researchers and research institutions that need to examine relationships across publications and share the resulting maps. Its analytical breadth is useful for literature mapping, though its Java requirement and a reported security incident warrant care when choosing the Windows download.

Overview

VOSviewer builds networks from citation, bibliographic coupling, co-citation, and co-authorship relationships, and can map terms that appear together in scientific literature. It accepts data from sources including Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions, PubMed, Crossref, OpenAlex, Semantic Scholar, and WikiData, giving researchers several routes into a network analysis.

The software combines network layout and clustering with fractional counting, English-language text mining, and thesaurus-based data cleaning. Density and overlay views, along with zooming and scrolling, help readers inspect a map at different levels. High-resolution screenshots can be saved in bitmap or vector formats, which is useful for moving visual results into reports and presentations.

Key features

Mapping and analysis

VOSviewer covers several common bibliometric relationships in one tool. Text mining and thesaurus cleaning extend that work to terms extracted from literature, while fractional counting and clustering provide additional ways to construct and organize networks. These capabilities suit users who want to explore publication patterns rather than manage the screening and review workflow itself.

Sharing visualizations

VOSviewer Online runs in a browser and can open VOSviewer JSON, map, and network files. It can share an interactive visualization by link or QR code, or provide embeddable HTML. That makes it a practical choice when colleagues need to explore a map without installing the stand-alone software. The desktop version also supports sharing through Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox.

VOSviewer Online is integrated into Digital Science’s Dimensions platform for co-authorship and citation visualizations. This gives Dimensions users a direct route to those maps within the platform.

Pricing

VOSviewer is free for any purpose. Its Free plan costs nothing, so there is no paid tier to weigh against the core mapping tools.

Platforms

VOSviewer is available for Linux, macOS, Windows, and the web. The stand-alone application requires Java 8 or higher; its build for other systems runs as a JAR file. The browser-based VOSviewer Online avoids the stand-alone Java runtime requirement for interactive sharing.

The maker reported that an unauthorized party accessed its website and that a malicious Windows executable was available for download on August 31 from 3:30 to 13:20 CEST. The investigation is ongoing. Windows users should take this incident into account when choosing a download.

Who it's for

VOSviewer is a strong fit for researchers studying the structure of scientific literature and for research institutions or funders using such analyses to inform strategic decisions. Its range of network types and data sources supports broad bibliometric exploration, and online sharing helps make results accessible to collaborators.

It is less suited to readers looking for a dedicated systematic-review screening tool. Its focus is building and visualizing bibliometric networks, and the stand-alone application’s Java requirement adds setup work for users who prefer a browser-only workflow.

Pros and cons

• Broad bibliometric coverage: Citation, coupling, co-citation, co-authorship, and term co-occurrence networks support several kinds of literature mapping.
• Many data sources: Support for services including Web of Science, Scopus, Dimensions, OpenAlex, and PubMed gives researchers flexibility in assembling publication data.
• Interactive sharing: The online version shares maps by link, QR code, or embedded HTML, making results easier to explore collaboratively.
• Free for any purpose: The full tool is available without a paid plan.
• Java needed for the stand-alone version: Users need Java 8 or higher, which adds a setup requirement; Windows users should also account for the maker’s reported malicious executable incident and ongoing investigation.

Alternatives

For a broader set of literature-review options, see Literature Review Software.

• ASReview is a free option across web, desktop, API, and self-hosted platforms. Choose it when that platform range better fits your workflow.
• RevMan is a freemium option with a free trial and Linux, macOS, web, and Windows support. Consider it when you want to compare a trial-based freemium product.
• Bibliometrix is a free open-source R package available on CRAN, with a Biblioshiny web interface. Choose it if an R-based bibliometric tool and web interface suit your work better.
• EviSynth offers free academic access, unlimited collaborators, and web and mobile platforms. It may suit academic teams prioritizing collaboration across those platforms.
• Rayyan has a free plan capped at three active reviews and two free reviewers, with limited mobile access. Consider it if those review limits fit your needs and mobile access matters.
• Elicit offers a free Basic plan with limited Research Agent and Research Reports usage, alongside search across more than 138 million papers, summaries, and chat with papers. Consider it for those paper-search and reading tools.
• Inciteful is a free web tool whose maker describes its codebase as fully open source. It is an alternative for readers seeking a browser-based option.
• Litmaps has a free plan capped at 20 inputs, 100 articles, and one Litmap, with no collaboration. Its Pro (Education) plan costs $10 a month, billed at $120 per year. Consider it if its mapping limits and education plan fit your needs.

Verdict

Choose VOSviewer if you need a free, capable way to build bibliometric maps from scientific literature and share them interactively. Its range of network types, data sources, and export views makes it especially useful for researchers and institutions examining publication patterns. Look elsewhere if you need a literature-review screening workflow; Windows users should also weigh the reported malicious executable incident and ongoing investigation before downloading.