natbib vs biblatex: Which Citation Package Should You Use?

LaTeX has two major citation packages: natbib (the classic) and biblatex (the modern replacement). Both manage citations and bibliographies, but they differ significantly in flexibility, backend, and compatibility.

Quick comparison

Feature	natbib	biblatex
Backend	BibTeX	Biber (or BibTeX)
Style files	.bst files	.bbx / .cbx files
Customization	Limited (BST language)	Extensive (LaTeX macros)
Unicode support	Poor	Full (with Biber)
Author-year	✅ Built-in	✅ Built-in
Numeric	✅	✅
Footnote citations	Manual	✅ Built-in styles
Multiple bibliographies	Hacky	✅ Native
Conference compatibility	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐

When to use natbib

• Your conference or journal requires a specific .bst style file
• You're using a template that already includes natbib (NeurIPS, ICML, many IEEE formats)
• You need maximum compatibility with existing workflows

\\usepackage[square,numbers]{natbib}
\\bibliographystyle{plainnat}
% ... at the end:
\\bibliography{references}

When to use biblatex

• You need fine-grained control over citation formatting
• Your bibliography has non-ASCII characters (accents, CJK, Cyrillic)
• You want multiple bibliographies, subdivided by type or chapter
• You're writing a thesis with complex citation requirements

\\usepackage[backend=biber, style=authoryear]{biblatex}
\\addbibresource{references.bib}
% ... at the end:
\\printbibliography

The verdict

For conference papers: Use natbib — most templates expect it. For theses and books: Use biblatex — it's more powerful and easier to customize.

Either way, Bibby AI's smart citation search works with both systems. Try it free.