---
title: "Reference management software: Which brands are most popular in search?"
description: "Compare services and tools used to organize research references and citations. Share of Search among Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, Paperpile and RefWorks, the reference management software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-management-software"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Reference management software: Which brands are most popular in search?

Compare services and tools used to organize research references and citations. Share of Search among Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, Paperpile and RefWorks, the reference management software Brandwave compares worldwide, using the same methodology, market, and reporting period. 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.

## Key facts

- **Competitive set**: Reference management software
- **Market**: Global
- **Brands compared**: 5
- **Month measured**: Aug 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Zotero, 46.4%

## Which brand is most popular in search among reference management software worldwide?

- In August 2026, Zotero was the most searched among reference management software worldwide, with an estimated 567K branded searches and 46.4% estimated Share of Search within this set.
- Mendeley is in 2nd place, 4.7 percentage points behind at 41.7% Share of Search.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide increased from 40.8% to 41.7%.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, RefWorks’ estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide decreased from 2.8% to 1.3%.
- 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.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide peaked at 45.1% in November 2025 and was lowest at 35.3% in March 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, EndNote’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide peaked at 11.7% in March 2026 and was lowest at 8.3% in July 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, RefWorks’ estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide peaked at 3% in February 2026 and was lowest at 1.3% in August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Paperpile rose from 5th to 4th among reference management software worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, RefWorks fell from 4th to 5th among reference management software worldwide.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Zotero and EndNote held steady: their estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Zotero vs Mendeley: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/mendeley-vs-zotero): 46.4% against 41.7% Share of Search.
- [Zotero vs EndNote: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/endnote-vs-zotero): 46.4% against 9.1% Share of Search.
- [Mendeley vs EndNote: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/endnote-vs-mendeley): 41.7% against 9.1% Share of Search.

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

- In August 2026, Mendeley gained estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 37.5% to 41.7%.
- In August 2026, EndNote gained estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 8.3% to 9.1%.
- In August 2026, Zotero lost estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide, from 51.1% to 46.4%.
- 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.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Paperpile worldwide fell 32.7% over 11 measured months, from 27.4K to 18.4K in August 2026.

## Share of Search ranking

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Zotero | 46.4% | 567K | -0.2% | Zotero |
| 2 | Mendeley | 41.7% | 510K | +22.2% | Mendeley |
| 3 | EndNote | 9.1% | 111K | +21.0% | EndNote |
| 4 | Paperpile | 1.5% | 18.4K | -0.2% | Paperpile |
| 5 | RefWorks | 1.3% | 15.6K | 0.0% | RefWorks |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | Zotero | 1M | 46% | 1 |
| Oct 2025 | Mendeley | 902K | 40.8% | 2 |
| Oct 2025 | EndNote | 204K | 9.2% | 3 |
| Oct 2025 | RefWorks | 62.3K | 2.8% | 4 |
| Oct 2025 | Paperpile | 27.4K | 1.2% | 5 |
| Nov 2025 | Mendeley | 889K | 45.1% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | Zotero | 838K | 42.5% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | EndNote | 167K | 8.5% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | RefWorks | 51.5K | 2.6% | 4 |
| Nov 2025 | Paperpile | 27.4K | 1.4% | 5 |
| Dec 2025 | Mendeley | 613K | 44.6% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | Zotero | 562K | 40.9% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | EndNote | 137K | 10% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | RefWorks | 34.1K | 2.5% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Paperpile | 27.4K | 2% | 5 |
| Jan 2026 | Zotero | 686K | 49.1% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | Mendeley | 512K | 36.6% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | EndNote | 137K | 9.8% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | RefWorks | 34.5K | 2.5% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Paperpile | 27.5K | 2% | 5 |
| Feb 2026 | Zotero | 688K | 49.1% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | Mendeley | 512K | 36.5% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | EndNote | 137K | 9.8% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | RefWorks | 41.9K | 3% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Paperpile | 22.6K | 1.6% | 5 |
| Mar 2026 | Zotero | 841K | 48.4% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | Mendeley | 613K | 35.3% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | EndNote | 203K | 11.7% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | RefWorks | 51.3K | 3% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Paperpile | 27.5K | 1.6% | 5 |
| Apr 2026 | Zotero | 841K | 46.1% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | Mendeley | 748K | 41% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | EndNote | 167K | 9.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | RefWorks | 41.9K | 2.3% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Paperpile | 27.5K | 1.5% | 5 |
| May 2026 | Zotero | 691K | 46.1% | 1 |
| May 2026 | Mendeley | 613K | 40.9% | 2 |
| May 2026 | EndNote | 137K | 9.1% | 3 |
| May 2026 | RefWorks | 34.2K | 2.3% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Paperpile | 22.6K | 1.5% | 5 |
| Jun 2026 | Zotero | 565K | 46% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | Mendeley | 511K | 41.6% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | EndNote | 111K | 9.1% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Paperpile | 22.6K | 1.8% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | RefWorks | 18.9K | 1.5% | 5 |
| Jul 2026 | Zotero | 569K | 51.1% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | Mendeley | 417K | 37.5% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | EndNote | 92K | 8.3% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Paperpile | 18.5K | 1.7% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | RefWorks | 15.6K | 1.4% | 5 |
| Aug 2026 | Zotero | 567K | 46.4% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | Mendeley | 510K | 41.7% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | EndNote | 111K | 9.1% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Paperpile | 18.4K | 1.5% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | RefWorks | 15.6K | 1.3% | 5 |
| Sep 2026 | EndNote | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Mendeley | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Paperpile | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | RefWorks | — | — | — |
| Sep 2026 | Zotero | — | — | — |

## What is being compared

- **EndNote**: Measured on the search terms “endnote”, “endnote app”, “endnote com” and “endnote reference manager”, summed into one figure.
- **Mendeley**: Measured on the search terms “mendeley”, “mendeley app”, “mendeley com”, “mendeley online”, “mendeley reference manager” and “mendeley software”, summed into one figure.
- **Paperpile**: Measured on the search terms “paperpile”, “paperpile app”, “paperpile com” and “paperpile reference manager”, summed into one figure.
- **RefWorks**: Measured on the search terms “reference manager refworks”, “refworks”, “refworks app”, “refworks proquest com” and “refworks reference manager”, summed into one figure.
- **Zotero**: Measured on the search terms “reference manager zotero”, “zotero”, “zotero app” and “zotero org”, summed into one figure.

- [EndNote](/demand/global-en/brands/endnote)
- [Mendeley](/demand/global-en/brands/mendeley)
- [Paperpile](/demand/global-en/brands/paperpile)
- [RefWorks](/demand/global-en/brands/refworks)
- [Zotero](/demand/global-en/brands/zotero)

## Methodology

- [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Which brand is most popular in search among reference management software worldwide?

In August 2026, Zotero was the most searched among reference management software worldwide, with an estimated 567K branded searches and 46.4% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Reference management software: Which brands are most popular in search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-management-software

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-management-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.