Agent-native
40+ MCP tools.
Research, fully AI-wired.
Scholardo is your library, run by your AI agent — not an AI bolted onto a reference manager. It searches, cites, and drafts; you review and decide.
Works with the most capable agent CLIs
Claude Code and Codex are their vendors' official CLIs and need their own subscription or a compatible third-party model — Scholardo is not affiliated with them. Open-source CLIs like opencode and pi run on any protocol-compatible model provider.
Core capabilities
Ready out of the box.
Terminal data workflows
Install envs, run analysis, render charts.
Bring your own model
OpenAI / Anthropic / Gemini.
Hybrid semantic search
Lexical + dense.
Unified annotations
PDF / EPUB / web.
Citation-native
citeproc-js + CSL.
In-app browser & capture
Save to Sources.
Feeds & AI digests
RSS groups, AI digest.
Hypothesis sync
One-way pull.
Session branching
Branch & merge.
Menu-bar worklist
AI session summaries.
Scheduled backup & restore
Per-project archives.
Head to head
How it compares.
| Capability | Scholardo | Zotero | Mendeley | Obsidian | EndNote |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native agent tools (MCP) | |||||
| Dense semantic search | |||||
| Lexical + semantic fusion | |||||
| Unified PDF/EPUB/web annotations | |||||
| In-app browser capture | |||||
| RSS feeds + AI digest | |||||
| Citation rendering (CSL 100+) | |||||
| Session branching & merge | |||||
| Menu-bar todo + AI summary | |||||
| Hypothesis annotation sync | |||||
| Presentation / slide output |
- Comparison reflects publicly documented features as of 2026. Other tools may partially achieve some of these via third-party plugins.
- Scholardo works with OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek, and any OpenAI-compatible endpoint.
Pricing
Pick your plan
Best value
Personal · Lifetime
$199.99
one-time
- Everything in Annual
- 1-user license
- macOS app updates
- Pay once, own forever
For labs & teams
Team
Custom
per seat
- All Personal features
- Volume seat licensing
- Centralized license management
- Priority support & onboarding
All prices in USD · Taxes may apply at checkout
FAQ
Common questions
Is my data sent anywhere?
No. Everything stays in ~/.scholardo/ on your machine. The only network call is a license activation check — no telemetry, no usage data, no cloud sync.
Do I need an AI API key to use it?
No. Core features — search, annotations, citations, browser capture — work locally without any key. A key is only needed for AI-powered features like selection rewriting or feed digests.
How is this different from Zotero?
Zotero is built for one researcher. Scholardo is built for two: you and your agent share the same library, the same annotations, and live reading context — natively, not through a plugin.
Does it work without internet?
Almost entirely. Local search, annotations, citations, and terminal sessions all work offline. Exceptions: fetching web content, embedding API calls if configured, and the annual license refresh.
What's the license model?
Personal licenses come in two forms: Annual ($49.99/yr, cancel anytime) and Lifetime ($199.99, pay once). Download the app and unlock it with a license key. Team pricing is available on request.
Which agents and terminals are supported?
Any MCP-compatible agent — Claude Code, Codex CLI, and others. The built-in terminal runs Ghostty; any agent you can invoke from a shell session works.
Download for macOS
Free 7-day trial, all features included