# Before you start.

Estravon is a Zotero plugin. You need both to get going.

- **Get Zotero** — Zotero is a free, open-source reference manager that runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux. [Learn more at zotero.org →](https://www.zotero.org/)
- **Install the Estravon plugin** — Download the plugin file, then in Zotero go to Tools → Plugins → Install Add-on From File. [Download estravon-0.5.1.xpi →](https://github.com/tiberavonltd/estravon-plugin/releases/download/v0.5.1/estravon-0.5.1.xpi)
- **Choose how to run it** — Use our hosted service (buy a credit pack, no setup), or run the backend on your own machine — with a pipeline API key, or fully offline with no key at all.

## Two ways in.

Same destination — a clean Markdown library. You just choose who flies the ship.

### Buy it ready (HOSTED)
Buy a credit pack, paste one key, and start converting. Nothing to install.
- Setup is one key in plugin preferences
- Pay as you go — a few pounds a month
- We run the pipeline in the cloud

### Make it yourself (VANILLA · OPEN SOURCE)
Set up the free software on your own machine. Bring your own pipeline key — or run fully offline with no key at all.
- Your own pipeline, your own machine
- AGPL-3.0, pip-installable, forkable
- Keeps working if we don't