Brandwave

How popular isZotero in search?

In September 2026, there were an estimated 841K branded searches for Zotero worldwide which is down 16.9% over the last 12 months. Zotero holds 0.49% estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide and is ranked 6th of 6 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, September 2026
  1. Mendeley27%
  2. MyBib27%
  3. Scribbr22.1%
  4. Citation Machine18%
  5. EndNote5.4%
  6. Zotero0.49%
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Which citation and reference tools compete with Zotero?

Zotero against citation and reference tools worldwide, by month

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

View monthly share of search table
MonthMendeleyMyBibScribbrCitation MachineEndNoteZotero
Oct 202522.4%22.4%27.2%22.4%5.5%0.18%
Nov 202523.8%23.8%23.8%23.8%4.8%0.16%
Dec 202522.3%22.3%27.3%22.3%5.5%0.18%
Jan 202619.9%24.3%29.7%19.9%6%0.24%
Feb 202617.2%25.8%25.8%25.8%5.2%0.25%
Mar 202617.9%26.7%26.7%21.9%6.5%0.26%
Apr 202622.3%27.3%22.3%22.3%5.5%0.27%
May 202622.1%27%27%18.1%5.4%0.33%
Jun 202626.7%21.8%26.7%17.9%6.5%0.39%
Jul 202627.9%18.7%22.8%22.8%6.9%0.92%
Aug 202629.9%24.4%24.4%13.3%7.3%0.66%
Sep 202627%27%22.1%18%5.4%0.49%

  1. 1.Mendeley

    27%

    Held 1st. 673K estimated branded searches, +49.6% vs prior month. Share -2.9 points.

  2. 2.MyBib

    27%

    Held 2nd. 673K estimated branded searches, +82.9% vs prior month. Share +2.6 points.

  3. 3.Scribbr

    22.1%

    Held 3rd. 550K estimated branded searches, +49.5% vs prior month. Share -2.4 points.

  4. 4.Citation Machine

    18%

    Held 4th. 450K estimated branded searches, +123.9% vs prior month. Share +4.7 points.

  5. 5.EndNote

    5.4%

    Held 5th. 135K estimated branded searches, +22.7% vs prior month. Share -1.9 points.

  6. 6.Zotero

    0.49%

    Held 6th. 12.1K estimated branded searches, +22.2% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.

Compare search popularity between Zotero and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Zotero

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

  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Zotero worldwide fell from 1M to 841K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zotero’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide held steady, from 0.18% to 0.49%.

How did search popularity change for citation and reference tools worldwide in September 2026?

  1. In September 2026, Citation Machine gained estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, from 13.3% to 18%.

  2. In September 2026, MyBib gained estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, from 24.4% to 27%.

  3. In September 2026, Mendeley lost estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, from 29.9% to 27%.

  4. In September 2026, Scribbr lost estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, from 24.4% to 22.1%.

  5. In September 2026, EndNote lost estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, from 7.3% to 5.4%.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Zotero worldwide rose 83.3% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 12.1K in September 2026.

Where does Zotero compete?

Zotero 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 tools6th of 60.49%Shown above
Reference management software1st of 547.4%Show ranking
Reference manager software3rd of 31.5%Show ranking

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.

3 branded search terms

  • reference manager zotero
  • zotero
  • zotero app

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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