Brandwave

How popular isMendeley in search?

In September 2026, there were an estimated 738K branded searches for Mendeley worldwide which is down 17.1% over the last 12 months. Mendeley holds 41.7% estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide and is ranked 2nd of 5 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, September 2026
  1. Zotero47.4%
  2. Mendeley41.7%
  3. EndNote7.7%
  4. RefWorks1.9%
  5. Paperpile1.3%
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Which reference management software compete with Mendeley?

Mendeley against reference management software worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of search table
MonthZoteroMendeleyEndNoteRefWorksPaperpile
Oct 202546.1%40.6%9.3%2.8%1.2%
Nov 202542.5%44.9%8.5%2.6%1.4%
Dec 202541%44.4%10%2.5%2%
Jan 202649.2%36.4%9.9%2.5%2%
Feb 202649.2%36.3%9.8%3%1.6%
Mar 202648.5%35.2%11.8%3%1.6%
Apr 202646.1%40.8%9.2%2.3%1.5%
May 202646.2%40.8%9.2%2.3%1.5%
Jun 202646.1%41.4%9.1%1.5%1.9%
Jul 202651.2%37.4%8.3%1.4%1.7%
Aug 202646.5%41.5%9.2%1.3%1.5%
Sep 202647.4%41.7%7.7%1.9%1.3%

  1. 1.Zotero

    47.4%

    Held 1st. 841K estimated branded searches, +48.9% vs prior month. Share +0.9 points.

  2. 2.Mendeley

    41.7%

    Held 2nd. 738K estimated branded searches, +46.5% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

  3. 3.EndNote

    7.7%

    Held 3rd. 136K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share -1.5 points.

  4. 4.RefWorks

    1.9%

    Moved from 5th to 4th. 34.1K estimated branded searches, +119.5% vs prior month. Share +0.6 points.

  5. 5.Paperpile

    1.3%

    Moved from 4th to 5th. 22.5K estimated branded searches, +22.3% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

Compare search popularity between Mendeley and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Mendeley

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

  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Mendeley worldwide fell from 891K to 738K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide increased from 40.6% to 41.7%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide peaked at 44.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 35.2% in March 2026.

How did search popularity change for reference management software worldwide in September 2026?

  1. In September 2026, RefWorks overtook Paperpile to rank 4th among reference management software worldwide, with 1.9% estimated Share of Search.

  2. In September 2026, Zotero gained estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 46.5% to 47.4%.

  3. In September 2026, EndNote lost estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 9.2% to 7.7%.

  4. Paperpile’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.9% to 1.3% in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Mendeley worldwide fell 17.1% over 12 measured months, from 891K to 738K in September 2026.

Where does Mendeley compete?

Mendeley is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of SearchRanking
Citation and reference tools1st of 627%Show ranking
Reference management software2nd of 541.7%Shown above
Reference manager software1st of 382.1%Show ranking

How is Mendeley measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Mendeley’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.

4 branded search terms

  • mendeley
  • mendeley app
  • mendeley reference manager
  • mendeley software

Do you work for Mendeley? 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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