Brandwave

How popular isZotero in search?

In August 2026, there were an estimated 567K branded searches for Zotero worldwide which is down 44.3% over the last 11 months. Zotero holds 46.4% estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide and is ranked 1st of 5 competitors for search popularity. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. Zotero46.4%
  2. Mendeley41.7%
  3. EndNote9.1%
  4. Paperpile1.5%
  5. RefWorks1.3%
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Which reference management software compete with Zotero?

Zotero 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
MonthZoteroMendeleyEndNotePaperpileRefWorks
Oct 202546%40.8%9.2%1.2%2.8%
Nov 202542.5%45.1%8.5%1.4%2.6%
Dec 202540.9%44.6%10%2%2.5%
Jan 202649.1%36.6%9.8%2%2.5%
Feb 202649.1%36.5%9.8%1.6%3%
Mar 202648.4%35.3%11.7%1.6%3%
Apr 202646.1%41%9.1%1.5%2.3%
May 202646.1%40.9%9.1%1.5%2.3%
Jun 202646%41.6%9.1%1.8%1.5%
Jul 202651.1%37.5%8.3%1.7%1.4%
Aug 202646.4%41.7%9.1%1.5%1.3%
Sep 2026—————

  1. 1.Zotero

    46.4%

    held 1st · 567K estimated branded searches · -0.25% vs prior month · -4.7 points

  2. 2.Mendeley

    41.7%

    held 2nd · 510K estimated branded searches · +22.2% vs prior month · +4.2 points

  3. 3.EndNote

    9.1%

    held 3rd · 111K estimated branded searches · +21% vs prior month · +0.8 points

  4. 4.Paperpile

    1.5%

    held 4th · 18.4K estimated branded searches · -0.22% vs prior month · -0.2 points

  5. 5.RefWorks

    1.3%

    held 5th · 15.6K estimated branded searches · 0% vs prior month · -0.1 points

Compare search popularity between Zotero and its closest rivals

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

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Zotero worldwide fell from 1M to 567K.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Zotero’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide peaked at 51.1% in July 2026 and was lowest at 40.9% in December 2025.

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

  1. In August 2026, Mendeley gained estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 37.5% to 41.7%.

  2. In August 2026, EndNote gained estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 8.3% to 9.1%.

  3. In August 2026, Zotero lost estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 51.1% to 46.4%.

  4. RefWorks’ estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 2.3% to 1.3% in August 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Paperpile worldwide fell 32.7% over 11 measured months, from 27.4K to 18.4K in August 2026.

How is Zotero measured?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Zotero’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

  • reference manager zotero
  • zotero
  • zotero app
  • zotero org

Do you work for Zotero? 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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