EasyBib vs CitationMachine
EasyBib and Citation Machine are both part of Chegg’s family of educational tools, which might make you wonder, which one’s better. They offer similar user experiences and quality levels, reflecting their shared background. However, the detailed review below shows some subtle differences. If you are looking for a short answer, then here it is: Citation Machine has a wider range of subscription options and a slightly better user experience. On the other hand, EasyBib excels with its better integration capabilities with text editors. Yet, if you want to learn more details, you should check out the full comparison below.
Citation Convenience of EasyBib vs CitationMachine
When it comes to citation convenience, both EasyBib and CitationMachine make the process smooth and straightforward. CitationMachine stands out for its easy and efficient citation generation, offering both manual and automatic data retrieval options. Users can find and cite sources using URLs, DOIs, ISBNs, author names, and titles, and it supports a wide range of citation styles like APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard. The platform also allows citing various sources, from books and journal articles to videos and images. Its editing features are excellent, allowing quick style changes, in-text citation copying, bibliography creation, citation sharing, and downloading, while also flagging any missing information.
EasyBib also offers manual and automatic data retrieval and supports searches via URLs, DOIs, ISBNs, author names, and titles. The service excels in its editing options, with features like quick style changes (in paid plans), in-text citation copying, bibliography creation, and the ability to share and download works cited. It even alerts users about missing information to make sure of complete and accurate citations. EasyBib can handle a variety of materials, including entire books, specific chapters, and even introductions, making it a versatile tool for generating citations.
In general, both services are pretty convenient, though Citation Machines wins a few points over EasyBib mostly due to its vast selection of editing options.
Overall Experience of Working with CitationMachine vs EasyBib
Citation tools should be quick and easy to use for them to be really helpful and save time. As to the two reviewed services, both proved that they can be used by basically anyone.
EasyBib is simple, as you don’t even need to register here. Still, having a personal account is handy, with a trial period and third-party login options making it even more convenient. The website experience is smooth, offering features for exporting and sharing citations and integration with popular writing tools like MS Word and Google Docs. It's mobile-friendly too. However, the lack of browser extensions and the abundance of ads can be a bit annoying. As to the support features, there are FAQs, tutorials, and a contact form available, but there's no live chat (where you could actually report the abundance of ads).
CitationMachine also offers a positive experience. Like EasyBib, it doesn’t require registration but offers a useful personal account with a 3-day trial period and third-party login options, including Apple, Facebook, and Google. The website is simple and therefore easy to manage. It allows exporting and sharing, integration with writing software like MS Word and saving user preferences. It's also mobile-friendly, though it shares the same drawbacks of missing extensions and having many ads. Support is provided through FAQs, tutorials, and a contact form, but no live chat (another similar trait to its competitor, as you can see).
Despite such similarities, EasyBib is a bit more pleasant tool to use in the web version, of course, only if you put aside all the ads there.
Value for Money: What Does EasyBib vs CitationMachine Have to Offer
When it comes to value for money, both EasyBib and CitationMachine have something to offer, but their pricing and features differ. CitationMachine has a free account that, although ad-supported, provides useful functionality, including writing style suggestions, grammar, and sentence structure improvements. For those looking for more, the Citation Machine Plus plan costs $9.95 a month and gives unlimited access to all features. Additionally, the $19.95 combined plan with the Chegg Study Pack brings in Chegg's extensive support features, making it a solid choice for all-inclusive writing help. The paid plans also include plagiarism and grammar checkers, spellcheck, and proofreading tools, adding to the overall value.
EasyBib, on the other hand, has a more limited free account only supporting MLA citations and checking the first five errors. However, the EasyBib Plus plan at $9.95 unlocks over 7000 citation styles, including APA and Chicago, and offers unlimited grammar checks, plagiarism checks, and expert proofreading for up to 30 papers. While the free version has significant restrictions, the paid plan provides extensive features that justify the cost, making it a great service for those needing effective citation and writing assistance.
To draw the line, CitationMachine wins in this aspect, considering the fact that it offers a more versatile and inclusive free plan compared to EasyBib.
However, if you are looking for that extended free-sue opportunity, you can also look into AHelp Citation Generator. This service provides the convenience, availability, and variety of the CitationMachine tools, but without all the ads.
And The Winner Is…
The two reviewed services proved to be rather similar: many citation style options, convenient, but add-loaded websites, and a variety of possible integration options. Yet, with all the pros and cons collected, it seems that CitationMachine is a slightly better option, especially in terms of the variety of available editing options and pricing. So yeah, those of you searching for a citation creation tool, should certainly look into using this service as your first option.