Direct comparison
Zenodo Vs Figshare: Key Differences & Comparison | CASRAI
Zenodo and Figshare are both general-purpose, multidisciplinary repositories that mint DataCite DOIs for deposited outputs. Zenodo is CERN-hosted, free, open, and EU-funded with GitHub integration; Figshare is a commercial service from Digital Science offering institutional and free tiers.
Side-by-side comparison
| Dimension | Zenodo | Figshare |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | CERN, within the OpenAIRE / EU research-infrastructure context | Digital Science (commercial) |
| Business model | Free, publicly funded, not-for-profit | Commercial; free individual tier plus paid institutional tiers |
| Scope | General-purpose, multidisciplinary | General-purpose, multidisciplinary |
| DOI minting | Yes — DataCite DOIs | Yes — DataCite DOIs |
| Versioning | Yes — versioned records with a concept DOI | Yes — versioned items |
| Software / code | GitHub integration to archive releases and mint DOIs | Supports code/file uploads; no native GitHub release integration |
| Institutional offering | Single shared platform; communities for grouping | Branded institutional repositories as a paid product |
| Licensing options | Open licences (e.g. CC) and others selectable per record | Open licences (e.g. CC) and others selectable per item |
| Typical use | Open data + software releases tied to publications and grants | Institutional data sharing; researcher and publisher figure/data hosting |
Common questions
FAQ
Which should I use for a software release?+
Zenodo is the common choice for software because of its built-in GitHub integration: connecting a repository lets each tagged release be archived automatically with its own DOI. Figshare can host code files, but does not offer the same native GitHub release workflow.
Do both give me a citable DOI?+
Yes. Both Zenodo and Figshare register DataCite DOIs for deposits, so outputs are persistently identifiable and citable. Both also support versioning so updates get distinct DOIs.
Is one more "official" than the other?+
Neither is inherently more official. Zenodo is publicly funded and operated by CERN; Figshare is a commercial service widely used by institutions and publishers. Choose based on cost, integrations, and whether your institution already runs a Figshare repository.
Going deeper
