1. Should you try Citation Machine? Overview

What it is	Citation generator and writing assistant
Country / HQ	New York, USA (Chegg)
Best for	Generating citations in 7,000+ styles quickly
Check before buying	Create a free account and pick your citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).
Pricing signal	Free tier + paid from $9.95/mo

2. Features What it does

Feature	What it does
7,000+ styles	Covers APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, Turabian and thousands of niche styles.
Auto-fill	Generate a citation from a URL, DOI, ISBN or keyword lookup.
Manual entry	Enter source details by hand for unusual publication types.
In-text citations	Build parenthetical or footnote references alongside the bibliography.
Plagiarism & grammar	Optional checks scan writing for copied text and grammar issues.
Export	Save bibliographies to Google Drive and Microsoft Word.

Plan	Price / mo	Key limits & who it fits
Free account	$0	Oct 2026 Basic citation generation, saved citations (limited), writing guides
Plus	~$9.95/mo	Oct 2026 Plagiarism scans, unlimited grammar checks, 30 papers/month, in-text citations
Plus & Chegg Study Pack	~$19.95/mo	Oct 2026 Everything in Plus plus expert homework help and textbook solutions

Create a free account and pick your citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.).

Access type	Details
Runs	in any browser; no install.
Integrates	with Google Drive and Microsoft Word for export.
An account	is required to save citations.

Source	Rating	What it says
iTechGuides	8.2/10	Praised for style breadth and source lookup; notes it is web-only with no app.
PCnMobile	#22 of 29	Solid free generator; ranks mid-pack among citation tools.
Editorial	Mixed-to-positive	Great for quick multi-style citations; output should always be verified.

✔ Suitable	✘ Not suitable
• High-school and early-college students who need to format citations across many styles fast.	• High-stakes submissions where a missed error matters; verify against the official style guide.

Competitor	How it differs	Best for
EasyBib	EasyBib is the classic student generator, MLA-first with paid APA/Chicago.	Choose EasyBib for middle/high-school MLA work.
BibMe	BibMe is a sibling-style free generator with similar coverage.	Choose BibMe for a quick free alternative with the same ease.
MyBib	MyBib is a free tool with cross-device storage and no ads.	Choose MyBib when you want a clean, ad-light free experience.
Zotero	Zotero is a full reference manager that stores PDFs and cites as you browse.	Choose Zotero for research that spans many sources over time.
Mendeley	Mendeley blends reference management with a researcher social network.	Choose Mendeley for academic literature management.
Scribbr	Scribbr is a citation checker known for accuracy on complex sources.	Choose Scribbr when citation correctness on hard sources is the priority.
Cite This For Me	Cite This For Me offers a freemium generator with mobile apps.	Choose Cite This For Me if you want app access on the go.
EndNote	EndNote is the professional-grade manager for large libraries.	Choose EndNote for graduate-level or faculty-scale bibliographies.

Takeaway	Citation Machine is the tool most students meet first, and for good reason: it covers an enormous number of styles and gets a standard book, website or journal article formatted in seconds. Treat it as a fast first draft, not a final authority – its edge cases are exactly where grades get lost, so a quick check against the official style manual is worth the minute.
Who should pick it	High-school and early-college students who need to format citations across many styles fast.
Who should skip it	High-stakes submissions where a missed error matters; verify against the official style guide.