Side by side
Cytoscape Desktop vs VOSviewer
Both stand on graph visualization tools software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan LinuxMacWindows
Visit Cytoscape Desktop Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1
Choose VOSviewer if you need free tools to build and share bibliometric visualizations from scientific literature. Its browser version supports interactive sharing, while the stand-alone version connects with Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, and Dropbox. Windows users should take account of the maker's reported malicious executable incident and ongoing investigation when choosing a download.
Visit VOSviewerThe facts
| Cytoscape Desktop | VOSviewer | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Not published | Free or on request |
| Plans published | None | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | desktop.cytoscape.org | vosviewer.com |
| On graph visualization tools software | #9 of 25 | #5 of 25 |
Cytoscape Desktop: what it does well
VOSviewer: what it does well
- Free to use for any purpose.
- Supports four bibliometric relationship types, including citation and co-authorship.
- Works with data from a wide range of listed research sources.
- Includes text mining, clustering, fractional counting, and thesaurus-based cleaning.
- Online visualizations can be shared by link, QR code, or embed.
What to know first
- The stand-alone application requires Java 8 or higher.
- The JAR build is the listed route for other systems.
- The maker reports an ongoing investigation into unauthorized website access and a malicious Windows download.
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