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Citation and reference tools:Which are searched most?

Mendeley and MyBib share the highest estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, at 27% in September 2026. 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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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare the citation and reference tools teams use. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for Mendeley, MyBib, Scribbr, Citation Machine, EndNote. 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%

This month’s ranking, September 2026

  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 leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among citation and reference tools worldwide?

Mendeley and MyBib share the highest estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide, at 27% in September 2026.

Global citation and reference tools, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
Mendeley22.4% → 27%29.9%Aug 202617.2%Feb 20263rd → 1st
MyBib22.4% → 27%27.3%Apr 202618.7%Jul 20264th → 2nd
Scribbr27.2% → 22.1%29.7%Jan 202622.1%Sep 20261st → 3rd
Citation Machine22.4% → 18%25.8%Feb 202613.3%Aug 20262nd → 4th
EndNote5.5% → 5.4%7.3%Aug 20264.8%Nov 20255th
Zotero0.18% → 0.49%0.92%Jul 20260.16%Nov 20256th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide increased from 22.4% to 27%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, MyBib’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide increased from 22.4% to 27%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Scribbr’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide decreased from 27.2% to 22.1%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Citation Machine’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide decreased from 22.4% to 18%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide peaked at 29.9% in August 2026 and was lowest at 17.2% in February 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, MyBib’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide peaked at 27.3% in April 2026 and was lowest at 18.7% in July 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Scribbr’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide peaked at 29.7% in January 2026 and was lowest at 22.1% in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Citation Machine’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide peaked at 25.8% in February 2026 and was lowest at 13.3% in August 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, EndNote’s estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide peaked at 7.3% in August 2026 and was lowest at 4.8% in November 2025.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley rose from 3rd to 1st among citation and reference tools worldwide.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, MyBib rose from 4th to 2nd among citation and reference tools worldwide.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Scribbr fell from 1st to 3rd among citation and reference tools worldwide.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Citation Machine fell from 2nd to 4th among citation and reference tools worldwide.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, EndNote and Zotero held steady: their estimated Share of Search among citation and reference tools worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

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.

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