Brandwave

How popular isFern?

In September 2026, people searched for Fern by name about 430 times worldwide, a 12.2% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 0.85% of all global developer documentation platform searches, placing Fern sixth out of seven platforms. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about developer documentation platforms, Fern appeared in two of the five answers and was the fifth most recommended of the seven.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Fern is the sixth most searched of 7 competitors and the fifth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. DocusaurusShare of searches 44%Mentioned in 4 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  2. MintlifyShare of searches 35.9%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  3. Read the DocsShare of searches 10.7%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
  4. GitBookShare of searches 7.1%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd
  5. FernShare of searches 0.85%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th

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Top developer documentation platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Fern was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Fern is the fifth most recommended of the seven.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Mintlify1st
  2. ReadMe2nd
  3. GitBook3rd
  4. Docusaurus4th
  5. Fern5th
  6. Read the Docs–
  7. Slate–

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Mintlify5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitBook5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • ReadMe5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Docusaurus4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Fern2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Read the Docs0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Slate0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about developer documentation platforms

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which developer documentation platforms compete with Fern?

Fern against developer documentation platforms worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Docusaurus, Mintlify, Read the Docs, GitBook, Fern. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthDocusaurusMintlifyRead the DocsGitBookReadMeFernSlate
Oct 202548.9%32.7%9.8%6.5%1.3%0.59%0.17%
Nov 202552.1%28.6%10.4%6.9%1.1%0.59%0.22%
Dec 202549.6%33.2%9.9%5.4%1%0.69%0.13%
Jan 202647.8%32%11.7%6.4%1.1%0.82%0.17%
Feb 202642.6%34.9%12.7%6.9%1.6%0.94%0.17%
Mar 202643.9%35.9%10.7%7.2%1.3%0.8%0.19%
Apr 202642.1%42.1%8.4%5.6%1.1%0.67%0.11%
May 202643.9%36%10.7%7.1%1.2%0.94%0.15%
Jun 202647.8%39%6.4%5.2%0.94%0.61%0.11%
Jul 202641.6%41.6%8.3%6.8%1%0.64%0.14%
Aug 202646.6%38.1%7.6%6.2%0.73%0.66%0.1%
Sep 202644%35.9%10.7%7.1%1.2%0.85%0.14%

  1. 1.Docusaurus

    44%

    Held 1st. 22.2K estimated branded searches, -32.9% vs prior month. Share -2.6 points.

  2. 2.Mintlify

    35.9%

    Held 2nd. 18.1K estimated branded searches, -33.2% vs prior month. Share -2.2 points.

  3. 3.Read the Docs

    10.7%

    Held 3rd. 5.4K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +3.1 points.

  4. 4.GitBook

    7.1%

    Held 4th. 3.6K estimated branded searches, -18.2% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  5. 5.ReadMe

    1.2%

    Held 5th. 630 estimated branded searches, +21.2% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  6. 6.Fern

    0.85%

    Held 6th. 430 estimated branded searches, -8.5% vs prior month. Share +0.2 points.

  7. 7.Slate

    0.14%

    Held 7th. 70 estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share 0 points.

Compare popularity between Fern and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Fern

6 comparisons

How has branded search demand for Fern changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

2 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Fern worldwide fell from 490 to 430.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fern’s share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide held steady, from 0.59% to 0.85%.

How did search popularity change for developer documentation platforms worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, Read the Docs gained share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 7.6% to 10.7%.

  2. In September 2026, GitBook gained share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 6.2% to 7.1%.

  3. In September 2026, ReadMe gained share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 0.73% to 1.2%.

  4. In September 2026, Docusaurus lost share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 46.6% to 44%.

  5. In September 2026, Mintlify lost share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 38.1% to 35.9%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Slate worldwide fell 50% over 12 measured months, from 140 to 70 in September 2026.

How are Fern’s branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Fern’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • buildwithfern
  • fern api

Do you work for Fern? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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