Rephrasa and MyBib side by side
| Rephrasa | MyBib (as published) | |
|---|---|---|
| Styles | APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 17, Harvard (Cite Them Right), IEEE, AMA 11 | "APA, MLA, Chicago & Harvard styles supported (plus 10,000 others!)" |
| Formatting engine | citeproc-js with official CSL styles | "the same citation formatting engine as professional-grade reference managers such as Zotero and Mendeley" |
| Lookup inputs | DOI, URL, ISBN | Title or identifier "such as a URL or ISBN"; "URLs to PDFs supported" |
| Price and ads | Free, no ads at launch | "Free to get started. No ads or privacy trackers." |
| Export | Copy with formatting, .txt, .ris, .bib | Microsoft Word, Google Docs |
| Paraphraser | Free AI paraphraser | None found |
| Indonesian edition | Yes, under /id | None found |
What the two tools have in common
MyBib says it uses the same formatting engine as Zotero and Mendeley; Rephrasa uses citeproc-js with styles from the Citation Style Language project. In practice both aim for references that match the style guides, and both are free and, at least for now, without ads. If you already like MyBib, there is no need to switch for APA or MLA alone.
Where Rephrasa differs
- DOI first: paste a DOI and Rephrasa reads Crossref, with doi.org as a fallback for DataCite and mEDRA DOIs.
- Reference manager exports: .ris for Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote and .bib for LaTeX.
- IEEE and AMA named and tested: examples on the IEEE and AMA pages come from the official guide and library guides.
- Paraphrase and cite: the paraphrasing tool helps you write about the source you just cited.
When MyBib may suit you better
- You need one of the thousands of styles beyond Rephrasa's six families.
- You want to search for a source by its title instead of an identifier.
- You want to export straight to Google Docs.
Choose Rephrasa if your sources have DOIs or ISBNs, you want RIS or BibTeX exports, or you also need a paraphraser or an Indonesian interface.
A note on Harvard
Both tools offer Harvard. Rephrasa names its version, Cite Them Right, and explains how it differs from university guides on the Harvard referencing generator page.
Moving a bibliography between tools
If you build part of a list in one tool and part in another, RIS is the easiest bridge. Export a .ris file from Rephrasa and import it into Zotero or another reference manager that reads RIS, then combine lists there. BibTeX works the same way for LaTeX users.
For students who write in Indonesian too
Rephrasa has an Indonesian edition with the same citation engine and Indonesian locale terms. Students who write some assignments in English and some in Indonesian can use one tool for both, with the paraphraser working in both languages as well.
Privacy on both sides
MyBib states that it has no ads or privacy trackers. Rephrasa keeps the bibliography on your device and never uploads it, sends only the identifier you paste to the registry that resolves it, and does not send the details of your sources to analytics. If privacy is your main criterion, both are reasonable choices; read each privacy policy for the details.
When there is no identifier
For a printed report or a thesis without a DOI, open the manual form and pick the source type; required fields are marked, and the preview shows the formatted reference as you type.