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 1.5% estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide and is ranked 3rd of 3 competitors for search popularity. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which reference manager software compete with Zotero?
Share of Search by month for Mendeley, EndNote, Zotero. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Mendeley | EndNote | Zotero |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 79.9% | 19.5% | 0.64% |
| Nov 2025 | 82.8% | 16.6% | 0.54% |
| Dec 2025 | 79.8% | 19.6% | 0.64% |
| Jan 2026 | 76.2% | 22.9% | 0.91% |
| Feb 2026 | 76.1% | 22.8% | 1.1% |
| Mar 2026 | 72.5% | 26.5% | 1.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 79.5% | 19.5% | 0.96% |
| May 2026 | 79.4% | 19.5% | 1.2% |
| Jun 2026 | 79.4% | 19.4% | 1.2% |
| Jul 2026 | 78.2% | 19.2% | 2.6% |
| Aug 2026 | 79% | 19.3% | 1.7% |
| Sep 2026 | 82.1% | 16.5% | 1.5% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, held 1st | 82.1% | 673K | +49.6% | +3.1 points | |
| 2, held 2nd | 16.5% | 135K | +22.7% | -2.8 points | |
| 3, held 3rd | 1.5% | 12.1K | +22.2% | -0.3 points |
Compare search popularity between Zotero and its closest rivals
Every comparison with Zotero
7 comparisons
How has branded search demand for Zotero changed worldwide over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- 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 reference manager software worldwide increased from 0.64% to 1.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zotero’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide peaked at 2.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 0.54% in November 2025.
How did search popularity change for reference manager software worldwide in September 2026?
3 changes
In September 2026, Mendeley gained estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide, from 79% to 82.1%.
In September 2026, EndNote lost estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide, from 19.3% to 16.5%.
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?
| Competitor set | Rank | Share of Search | Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citation and reference tools | 6th of 6 | 0.49% | Show ranking |
| Reference management software | 1st of 5 | 47.4% | Show ranking |
| Reference manager software | 3rd of 3 | 1.5% | Shown above |
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
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Is Zotero your brand?
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