Free trial
A permanent Free plan is offered with one topic, three journals and 20 papers per day. The homepage does not mention a time limited trial of Pro.
Learn moreZiNote
A mobile feed that turns new papers into a five-minute daily habit
Beginner
What is ZiNote?
ZiNote is an iOS and Android app that delivers a personalized daily feed of research papers based on your keywords and tracked journals. Cards include AI summaries and abstract translation, and saved papers sync to Zotero. Free covers one topic and 20 papers a day, while Pro expands to 10 topics and 200 papers.
ZiNote is a mobile app for researchers who want new papers to come to them instead of rebuilding the same searches every morning. You define what you study once, following focused keywords and journals, and ZiNote assembles a daily feed of matching papers inside an iOS or Android app. Each card shows a match score next to the title, so the feed communicates why a paper surfaced rather than presenting a generic trending list. Triage happens at the card level. You swipe through titles and abstracts, and the built-in AI summary condenses a paper's method and contribution so you can judge relevance before committing to a full read. Titles and abstracts can be translated in place, which helps when the source language is not one you read fluently. Anything worth keeping is saved, then moved into Zotero or exported so it joins the library you already maintain. The positioning is deliberately narrow. Google Scholar and Semantic Scholar serve researchers who already know what to search for, and Zotero handles citation and annotation after papers are found. ZiNote occupies the gap between those two stages: recurring discovery and early filtering. It is not a full PDF reader, so deep reading still happens in the original source or your reference manager. The feed also learns from behavior, since saving and skipping papers adjusts future recommendations. The free tier sets clear limits: one topic with three keywords, three tracked journals, and 20 papers per day. Pro raises this to 10 topics with 10 keywords each, 30 journals, and 200 papers per day, which suits researchers covering several subfields at once. Anyone who primarily reads PDFs on a desktop, or who needs annotation and note taking inside the discovery tool, will find ZiNote only part of the answer.
How do you use ZiNote?
1Install ZiNote on your phone
Download the app from the App Store for iPhone and iPad or from Google Play for Android. No desktop install is needed to start.
2Set up your research feed
Add the keywords and journals that describe your field. This initial selection shapes the papers that appear, so keep it focused rather than broad.
3Triage the daily feed
Open the feed and swipe through titles and abstracts. Match scores show why each paper was selected, and skipping a paper informs later recommendations.4Use summaries and translation on a card
Read the AI summary to grasp the method and contribution quickly, and translate the title or abstract in place when the source language is unfamiliar.
5Save papers and connect Zotero
Save the papers worth a full read and connect Zotero so they move into your existing library or export them into your current workflow.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Feed personalization learns from save and skip decisions, not just initial keywordsAI
- AI summaries and translation sit on the paper card, so triage happens without switching appsAI
- Zotero sync and export keep discovery connected to a library researchers already useAI
- Transparent free tier with stated limits: one topic, three journals, 20 papers dailyAI
- Available on both iPhone, iPad and Android, which fits short check-ins during the dayAI
Cons
- Not a full PDF reader, so annotation and deep reading still require other toolsAI
- Discovery-only scope means it cannot replace a reference manager for citation workAI
- Journal tracking caps at 3 on Free and 30 on Pro, which is tight for broad fieldsAI
- No desktop or web app listed, so the workflow is tied to a phoneAI
- Feed quality depends on how well chosen keywords map to indexed sources, and the site gives no detail on coverageAI
How much does ZiNote cost?
Pricing
ZiNote runs a Free plan and a Pro plan. Free includes 1 topic with 3 keywords, 3 tracked journals, and 20 papers per day. Pro includes 10 topics with 10 keywords each, 30 journals, and 200 papers per day. Exact Pro pricing is listed on the pricing page.
Learn moreIntegrations
Zotero sync is the main integration, letting saved papers move into a library you already maintain. The homepage also mentions export into an existing research workflow.
Learn moreFeatures
Personalized daily paper feed built from chosen keywords and journals, with recommendations that adapt as you save or skip. AI summaries explain a paper's method and contribution on the card, and titles and abstracts can be translated in place. Saved papers sync to Zotero or export into an existing research workflow. The app is designed for short mobile triage sessions rather than full PDF reading.
Learn moreFrequently asked questions about ZiNote
How much does ZiNote cost?
ZiNote runs a Free plan and a Pro plan. Free includes 1 topic with 3 keywords, 3 tracked journals, and 20 papers per day. Pro includes 10 topics with 10 keywords each, 30 journals, and 200 papers per day. Exact Pro pricing is listed on the pricing page.Does ZiNote offer a free trial?
A permanent Free plan is offered with one topic, three journals and 20 papers per day. The homepage does not mention a time limited trial of Pro.How do you use ZiNote?
The walkthrough on this page covers 5 steps: 1. Install ZiNote on your phone 2. Set up your research feed 3. Triage the daily feed 4. Use summaries and translation on a card 5. Save papers and connect Zotero.What platforms does ZiNote support?
ZiNote is available on iOS and Android.What does ZiNote integrate with?
Zotero sync is the main integration, letting saved papers move into a library you already maintain. The homepage also mentions export into an existing research workflow.What are the limitations of ZiNote?
Not a full PDF reader, so annotation and deep reading still require other tools. Discovery-only scope means it cannot replace a reference manager for citation work. Journal tracking caps at 3 on Free and 30 on Pro, which is tight for broad fields.
Status
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Added10/21/2026
Platforms
iOSAndroid
Pricing
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