Zotero is a free desktop and web citation manager that provides extensive tools to add, organize, and share your citations. It is straightforward to use and has comparable features on the desktop version to paid citation managers. All accounts have access to collaborative group libraries. The Zotero Connector browser extensions allow you to add citations to your library with one click and is available for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. Zotero uses your computer's storage to save citations and can sync data across devices and back it up using cloud storage. You can take notes and edit PDFs in the app. Zotero comes with 300 MB of cloud storage for free with paid storage upgrades.
Zotero is open-source software maintained by the Corporation for Digital Scholarship.
Available for: Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, web
Cost: free, with paid cloud storage upgrades (2 GB for $20/year, 6 GB for $60/year, unlimited for $120/year)
Zotero is a great option for those who primarily use a desktop or laptop, want all features with the free version, need shared citation libraries, or support open-source software. Zotero is not as good of an option for people who heavily use Android mobile devices or Chromebooks, who will need to pay for extra storage, or who want to be able to contact professional customer support services.
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You can use Zotero's desktop application without an account after downloading it. Zotero's website should automatically recognize whether you need the Windows, Mac, or Linux application, as well as your browser for adding the Zotero Connector.
You can also create a free account. With an account you can access the web library, sync your library across devices, backup with cloud storage, and join groups.
This video guide from Dublin City University Library provides a quick introduction to Zotero. It covers installing the desktop app and adding the Zotero Connector, creating a folder, adding multiple types of citations using the Connector, and then adding your citations to a Microsoft Word document.
These are the official help guides from the Zotero community.