Reference checking software:Which are most popular?
In September 2026, Zinc was the most searched reference checking software worldwide, accounting for 22.3% of all searches among the nine software we track. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, HiPeople and Xref showed up in every answer. Xref was recommended most often, coming first in every response.
ZincShare of searches 22.3%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 7th
ChecksterShare of searches 18%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
ReferooShare of searches 18%Mentioned in 0 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations –
CrosschqShare of searches 11.8%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
HiPeopleShare of searches 11.8%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
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Top reference checking software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, HiPeople and Xref appeared every time. Xref was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. HiPeople was second, and Checkmate was third. Checkster, which ranked second in searches, was not mentioned at all.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- HiPeople5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Xref5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
Checkmate4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers- Crosschq3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
RefNow3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
SkillSurvey2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers- Zinc1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Checkster0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Referoo0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about reference checking software
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which reference checking software should we use for hiring?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best reference checking software platforms?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best automated reference checking software for a growing company?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“reference check software”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“reference checking software”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 22, 2026.
Which reference checking software do people search for most?
This chart shows how often people search Google for each reference checking software by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine reference checking software we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Zinc, Checkster, Referoo, Crosschq, HiPeople, SkillSurvey, RefNow, Xref. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Zinc | Checkster | Referoo | Crosschq | HiPeople | SkillSurvey | RefNow | Xref | Checkmate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 18.1% | 15% | 18.1% | 15% | 15% | 10% | 5.5% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Nov 2025 | 19.8% | 16.4% | 19.8% | 11% | 16.4% | 6.8% | 6% | 2.7% | 0.96% |
| Dec 2025 | 19.4% | 15.3% | 15.3% | 12.9% | 19.4% | 8.1% | 5.8% | 2.6% | 1.1% |
| Jan 2026 | 20.2% | 16.7% | 16.7% | 13.3% | 16.7% | 9.1% | 5% | 1.2% | 0.98% |
| Feb 2026 | 20.5% | 17% | 20.5% | 13.4% | 13.4% | 7.1% | 5.1% | 1.8% | 1.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 18.3% | 18.3% | 18.3% | 15.2% | 12% | 8.2% | 5.6% | 3% | 1.1% |
| Apr 2026 | 19.1% | 19.1% | 15.8% | 15.8% | 12.5% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 1.1% |
| May 2026 | 19.1% | 23.8% | 15.8% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 6.6% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 0.92% |
| Jun 2026 | 19.1% | 19.1% | 19.1% | 12.5% | 12.5% | 8.6% | 4.7% | 3.2% | 1.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 23.2% | 23.2% | 15.5% | 12.2% | 12.2% | 6.4% | 3.8% | 2.5% | 0.9% |
| Aug 2026 | 22.7% | 22.7% | 15.1% | 12% | 12% | 8.2% | 3.7% | 2.5% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 22.3% | 18% | 18% | 11.8% | 11.8% | 9.9% | 4.5% | 3% | 0.87% |
| Rank | Brand | Share of searches | Estimated monthly branded searches | vs prior month | Share change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1, moved from 2nd to 1st | 22.3% | 3.6K | 0% | -0.4 pointsmoved from 2nd to 1st | |
| 2, moved from 1st to 2nd | 18% | 2.9K | -19.4% | -4.7 pointsmoved from 1st to 2nd | |
| 3, held 3rd | 18% | 2.9K | +20.8% | +2.8 points | |
| 4, held 4th | 11.8% | 1.9K | 0% | -0.2 points | |
| 5, held 5th | 11.8% | 1.9K | 0% | -0.2 points | |
| 6, held 6th | 9.9% | 1.6K | +23.1% | +1.7 points | |
| 7, held 7th | 4.5% | 720 | +22% | +0.7 points | |
| 8, held 8th | 3% | 480 | +23.1% | +0.5 points | |
| 9, held 9th | 0.87% | 140 | -17.6% | -0.2 points |
1.
Zinc22.3%
Moved from 2nd to 1st. 3.6K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.4 points.
18%
Moved from 1st to 2nd. 2.9K estimated branded searches, -19.4% vs prior month. Share -4.7 points.
3.
Referoo18%
Held 3rd. 2.9K estimated branded searches, +20.8% vs prior month. Share +2.8 points.
4.
Crosschq11.8%
Held 4th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
5.
HiPeople11.8%
Held 5th. 1.9K estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
9.9%
Held 6th. 1.6K estimated branded searches, +23.1% vs prior month. Share +1.7 points.
7.
RefNow4.5%
Held 7th. 720 estimated branded searches, +22% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.
8.
Xref3%
Held 8th. 480 estimated branded searches, +23.1% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.
0.87%
Held 9th. 140 estimated branded searches, -17.6% vs prior month. Share -0.2 points.
Which brand is most popular in search among reference checking software worldwide?
9 brands
In September 2026, Zinc was the most searched among reference checking software worldwide, with an estimated 3.6K branded searches, 22.3% of all searches for the nine we track. Checkster is in 2nd place, 4.3 percentage points behind at 18%.
| Brand | Share of searches | Peak | Low | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zinc | 18.1% → 22.3% | 23.2%Jul 2026 | 18.1%Oct 2025 | 2nd → 1st |
| Checkster | 15% → 18% | 23.8%May 2026 | 15%Oct 2025 | 3rd → 2nd |
| Referoo | 18.1% → 18% | 20.5%Feb 2026 | 15.1%Aug 2026 | 1st → 3rd |
| Crosschq | 15% → 11.8% | 15.8%Apr 2026 | 11%Nov 2025 | 4th |
| HiPeople | 15% → 11.8% | 19.4%Dec 2025 | 11.8%Sep 2026 | 5th |
| SkillSurvey | 10% → 9.9% | 10%Oct 2025 | 6.4%Jul 2026 | 6th |
| RefNow | 5.5% → 4.5% | 6%Nov 2025 | 3.7%Aug 2026 | 7th |
| Xref | 2.4% → 3% | 3.9%May 2026 | 1.2%Jan 2026 | 8th |
| Checkmate | 1.1% → 0.87% | 1.2%Feb 2026 | 0.87%Sep 2026 | 9th |
Each finding as a sentence
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zinc’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide increased from 18.1% to 22.3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Checkster’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide increased from 15% to 18%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Crosschq’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide decreased from 15% to 11.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HiPeople’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide decreased from 15% to 11.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, RefNow’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide decreased from 5.5% to 4.5%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xref’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide increased from 2.4% to 3%.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zinc’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 23.2% in July 2026 and was lowest at 18.1% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Checkster’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 23.8% in May 2026 and was lowest at 15% in October 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Referoo’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 20.5% in February 2026 and was lowest at 15.1% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Crosschq’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 15.8% in April 2026 and was lowest at 11% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HiPeople’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 19.4% in December 2025 and was lowest at 11.8% in September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SkillSurvey’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 10% in October 2025 and was lowest at 6.4% in July 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, RefNow’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 6% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.7% in August 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Xref’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide peaked at 3.9% in May 2026 and was lowest at 1.2% in January 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zinc rose from 2nd to 1st among reference checking software worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Checkster rose from 3rd to 2nd among reference checking software worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Referoo fell from 1st to 3rd among reference checking software worldwide.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, SkillSurvey and Checkmate held steady: their share of searches among reference checking software worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.
How did search popularity change for reference checking software worldwide in September 2026?
8 changes
In September 2026, Referoo gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 15.1% to 18%.
In September 2026, SkillSurvey gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 8.2% to 9.9%.
In September 2026, RefNow gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 3.7% to 4.5%.
In September 2026, Xref gained share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 2.5% to 3%.
In September 2026, Checkster lost share of searches among reference checking software worldwide, from 22.7% to 18%.
Crosschq’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 12.5% to 11.8% in September 2026.
HiPeople’s share of searches among reference checking software worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 12.5% to 11.8% in September 2026.
In September 2026, Zinc rose from 2nd to 1st among reference checking software worldwide.
Compare popularity between leading brands
- Zinc vs Checkster: compare popularity
- Zinc vs Referoo: compare popularity
- Zinc vs Crosschq: compare popularity
- Zinc vs HiPeople: compare popularity
- Checkster vs Referoo: compare popularity
- Checkster vs Crosschq: compare popularity
- Checkster vs HiPeople: compare popularity
- Referoo vs Crosschq: compare popularity
- Referoo vs HiPeople: compare popularity
- Crosschq vs HiPeople: compare popularity
- Compare any of these brands
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