Text tools / Citation generator8 tools
Best citation generators
Create APA and MLA citations. Facts come from each tool's own pages, and every score says where it comes from. How we rank
- Tools
- 8
- Researched
- 6
- Free option
- 2
- Only listed
- 2
Made by agathox · free, no sign-up, runs in your browser
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We build this tool, so it is labelled. It is scored with the same tests as the rest, and this box never changes the ranking below.
Ranked by signals we can measure or quote: website health, the facts each tool's own pages state, and community discussion. Nothing here has been hands-on tested yet, so this is not a quality test. How the signals rank works
Quick answer
- No signup needed: agathox text tools
- Files stay on your device: agathox text tools
Based on what each tool's own pages say. A tool is left out when its pages say it varies or do not say. Details are listed under each tool.
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Details and sources
- Free tier
- Free to use. No paid plan and no limits on how many files you process.
- Paid plan
- There is no paid plan.
- Signup
- No account or sign-up is needed.
- Watermark
- Nothing is added to your files.
- Where files go
- Runs in your browser, so files are not uploaded.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-10. Sources: Privacy page. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Not stated.
- Paid plan
- BibMe offers a paid service called BibMe Plus. The page says: “Resources. BibMe Plus . Citation Guides . APA . MLA . Chicago Style.”
- Signup
- BibMe provides a sign up option. The page says: “Upgrade Sign up Sign in Get your paper hand-in ready.”
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Not stated.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-08. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Not stated.
- Paid plan
- Not stated.
- Signup
- Users are prompted to sign up for the service. The page says: “Citation Machine®: Format & Generate - APA, MLA, & Chicago Citations . Plagiarism . Upgrade . . . Citations Plagiarism Upgrade Sign up Sign in Get your paper hand-in ready.”
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Not stated.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-08. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Not stated.
- Paid plan
- The premium plan costs £6.99 per month. The page says: “Free. . £6.99/mo.. . . . Sign up.”
- Signup
- A sign up is required. The page says: “Sign up . Sign up . . . . . . Cite smarter, worry less with Cite This For Me Premium. Upgrade to save your work, check with plagiarism, and more!.”
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Uploaded papers are added to a plagiarism database and used internally to improve results. The page says: “The papers you upload will be added to our plagiarism database and will be used internally to improve plagiarism results.”
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-08. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Not stated.
- Paid plan
- Not stated.
- Signup
- Users are prompted to sign up for EasyBib. The page says: “Dashboard Citations Writing Assistant Upgrade Sign up Sign in Get your paper hand-in ready.”
- Watermark
- Not stated.
- Where files go
- Not stated.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-08. Sources: Home. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Read automatically by a program, not by a person. Each fact quotes the sentence it came from, and a fact is shown only if that sentence is on the page. Where a page did not say, it reads “Not stated.”
Details and sources
- Free tier
- Home page says free to get started and to generate a bibliography for free. No usage limits mentioned. Says no ads or privacy trackers.
- Paid plan
- Not stated.
- Signup
- Page offers both 'Start your bibliography' and 'Create an account' but does not say whether an account is required.
- Watermark
- Not applicable.
- Where files go
- Privacy policy says an email address is collected only if you create an account, plus usage data and cookies, and Google Analytics is used. Data may be processed in the United States. No general retention period; deletion on request by email.
From the tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Sources: Home page, Privacy. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them.
Answers come from each tool's own pages (“Unclear” means they do not say). Tick “Compare” on two to four tools to read them side by side.
Also listed (2, not yet tested)
Each of these answered when we visited its site. We have not tested them or recorded facts, so they are in alphabetical order, not ranked.
- Scribbr Citation GeneratorOpen
Scribbr Citation Generator is listed for: citation generator.
- ZoteroBibOpen
Free, accurate citation and bibliography maker for APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA, and 10,000 other styles. No ads, no downloads, no account required.
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