Sonny Software

Reference Management and Bibliography Software for macOS

What our users are saying about Bookends

“I bought an iPad just to use Bookends on a tablet…” - Wold Carpenter (App Store review)

“Bookends is tremendous. It has increased my enjoyment when writing academic papers, which can be difficult and daunting. Picking scientific articles from the online search is such a breeze. Putting them into Apple Pages is quick and precise.” - H.C.S. Lim

“Bookends is an almost unbelievable program! I say 'almost' because I am now daily forced to believe what I see on my Mac screen. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I have removed EndNote and Papers from my Mac.” - M. Hodges

“I cannot tell you enough how tremendously pleased I am with Bookends. I gave a workshop on technology for graduate students at my university and showcased Bookends among other useful software I use; the people who attended really loved it. Its so simple, intuitive…just excellent overall. Thank you so much for improving the quality of the lives of researchers, students, and writers. I think PC users are really missing out.” - Y. Munro

"Bookends is reason enough to switch to a Mac. I say that having used PCs since 1983 and in that time trying my hand at every other database manager for bibliographies--plus rescuing more than one student thesis that foundered on the shoals of Endnote just as some deadline was looming." - C. Wallace

"Bookends…is a delight. So many things about it are intuitive and easy. The decisions the programmers made are smart. The explanations are marvelously transparent. Software the way it ought to be written.” - W. Wilson

“I have no idea how other Mac reference apps stay alive when Bookends is available.” - E. Boeve

“I have used EndNote but in a moment of crisis it didn't work. After a frantic search for replacement software I came across Bookends. Quite simply it saved my bacon. It was by far the best piece of software I have ever purchased. I have written several journal publications and book chapters with Bookends and it has never failed to do exactly what I needed, even if I didn't know exactly how to go about it. Fantastic software, invaluable in my work and the best $100 I have spent. It saved me endless hours of hassle. Designed exactly to meet my needs and performed flawlessly on each occasion. I highly recommend this software to any researcher using Mac OS.” - Dr. P. O’Connor, Orthopaedic Surgeon

“I've tried different packages, including Endnote, Papers, and Sente. But Bookends does it all: it is much more flexible, and the support is second to none.” - G. Burgos, Professor

“There are very few things one can spend money on that actually change one's life for the better. Bookends is one of them.” - J. Fueston

“If my house were on fire, I would do anything to save my wife. Similarly, if my computer were on fire, I would do anything to save my Bookends files. Penny for penny, dollar for dollar, Bookends is the best value I've ever gotten from any piece of software.” - E. Morrow

"I've used a lot of reference management software over the years, starting with my own database on DOS through Reference Manager to Endnote on a PC. This is by far the best bibliography software that I have ever seen." - P. West, UK

"You already have a number of excellent testimonials, all I can do is echo the "Wow" factor and congratulate you on the latest “get pdf” feature. This seems to work seamlessly and saves a lot of time." - J. S. Burns, Assistant Professor

"WOW! I worked with the evaluation copy for about 5 minutes before realizing that Bookends is the work of a true genius. I am working on my dissertation and was formerly slogging along on a PC with Reference Manager. Now, on a PowerBook with Bookends, I am bibliographically unstoppable!" - C. Mah, student, University of Toronto

"I absolutely love the trial version! It is so simple to use. It does all of the things that I think to myself "Man, a computer should be able to figure out what I want to do next..." and that is a rare thing!" - A. Bentley, student, Cornell University

"Put me in the queue - it must be kilometres long, of those whose first experience of Bookends was so overwhelmingly positive their trial didn't even last out the first day." - G. Moyse, student, Deakin University, Australia

"I recently purchased EndNote before really giving Bookends a fair try. After fussing with Endnote for a while, I went back thinking anything would be easier! After a workout, I am really impressed with Bookends. My copy of Endnote is on EBay - and I know some of my Mac OS X friends in the chemistry department will be joining me soon." - J. Lamb

"I imported my 17,000+ references from EndNote into Bookends last night. All I can say is "Wow!"…I am delighted with the speed and convenience of Bookends in comparison to EndNote. It will take me a while to stop kicking myself for not converting to Bookends earlier." - A. Ruegg, Researcher

"I'm really, really, really liking your program. I've never been so impressed by any piece of software - from usability to usefulness it is incomparable (as a former software tester at Apple, I speak from the experience of likely several thousand apps)." - Brad, Ph.D. student, University of Washington

More testimonials…

Bookends version 13.4.1
The reference manager you’ve been looking for

Here is a list of what’s new in this version of Bookends.

Note to ex-Sente, Papers, and EndNote users: We think you'll find Bookends a good fit. You can easily transfer Sente, Papers, and EndNote references and PDFs to Bookends. Bookends can also import from Zotero and Mendeley. Here are the details.

Download and use the demo version of Bookends for free. It will not timeout and is fully functional except for a 50 reference limit. If you need more than that, you can purchase Bookends and the registration code you receive will allow an unlimited number of references.

Collect, find, organize, annotate, sync, and publish with Bookends

Reference management entails the collection, annotation, curation, and citation of published information. This is exactly what Bookends does. Bookends performs Internet searches to retrieve references and associated pdfs or web pages, or immediately find and import references for which you already have the pdf. Versatile groups (static, smart, hierarchical, and virtual), Term Lists (keywords, authors, etc.), reference cross-linking (links), multiple notecards per reference, searchable PDF tags, PDF annotation, on-the-fly creation of tag clouds of reference information that can be organized into hierarchical metatags, and instantaneous live searches help organize and find information in your personal collection. Floating citations, activated in your word processor by double-tapping a trigger key, lets you search for references in Bookends, read PDF attachments, create and insert temporary citations and more, all without removing your fingers from the keyboard or leaving the document. Highly configurable displays let you view the reference information and attachments the way you want. Scan your word processor manuscripts to create publication-ready documents complete with bibliographies and footnotes. Sync references and pdfs among your Macs, and if you have purchased Bookends for iOS you can sync with your iPad and iPhone. Create and edit PDF annotations and highlighted text, which instantly appear as Bookends notecards. And much more. Compatible with Microsoft Word 2011/2016 and later, Mellel (including Live Bibliography, updating of citations and bibliographies as you type), Apple Pages, Nisus Writer Pro, Manuscripts, and LibreOffice/OpenOffice 4.

Selected Features

Have it your way

All the world’s a search…

Attach and organize original sources automatically

Get it in writing

Float like a butterfly…

Note to self…

No book is an island

Get your head into the clouds (tag clouds, that is)

And no matter what you’ve heard, you can take it with you—Bookends for iOS

Bookends for iOS version 3

Want to take your Bookends references and pdfs with you? Import references and annotate pdfs on your iPad or iPhone? And then sync them all with Bookends on your Mac? There’s an app for that…Bookends for iOS

Reference Miner version 4.2

A subset of the Bookends Internet search functionality is available in Reference Miner, a standalone lightweight version of Bookends’ online search. Reference Miner lets you explore PubMed, the Library of Congress, Google Scholar, JSTOR (requires access privileges and ip authentication), and Amazon. See it for yourself in the Mac App Store, or take a tour on our web site.