--- title: "Reference manager software: Which are searched most?" description: "Compare the reference manager software teams use. Share of Search among Mendeley, EndNote and Zotero, the reference manager 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-manager-software" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Reference manager software: Which are searched most? Compare the reference manager software teams use. Share of Search among Mendeley, EndNote and Zotero, the reference manager 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 manager software - **Market**: Global - **Brands compared**: 3 - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Highest Share of Search**: Mendeley, 82.1% ## Which brand is most popular in search among reference manager software worldwide? - In September 2026, Mendeley was the most searched among reference manager software worldwide, with an estimated 673K branded searches and 82.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. - EndNote is in 2nd place, 65.6 percentage points behind at 16.5% Share of Search. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide increased from 79.9% to 82.1%. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, EndNote’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide decreased from 19.5% to 16.5%. - 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, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide peaked at 82.8% in November 2025 and was lowest at 72.5% in March 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, EndNote’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide peaked at 26.5% in March 2026 and was lowest at 16.5% in September 2026. - 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. ## Compare search popularity between leading brands - [Mendeley vs EndNote: compare search popularity](/demand/global-en/compare/endnote-vs-mendeley): 82.1% against 16.5% Share of Search. ## How did search popularity change for reference manager software worldwide in September 2026? - 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. ## Share of Search ranking | Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Mendeley | 82.1% | 673K | +49.6% | Mendeley | | 2 | EndNote | 16.5% | 135K | +22.7% | EndNote | | 3 | Zotero | 1.5% | 12.1K | +22.2% | Zotero | ## Historical estimated branded-search demand | Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | Mendeley | 823K | 79.9% | 1 | | Oct 2025 | EndNote | 201K | 19.5% | 2 | | Oct 2025 | Zotero | 6.6K | 0.64% | 3 | | Nov 2025 | Mendeley | 823K | 82.8% | 1 | | Nov 2025 | EndNote | 165K | 16.6% | 2 | | Nov 2025 | Zotero | 5.4K | 0.54% | 3 | | Dec 2025 | Mendeley | 550K | 79.8% | 1 | | Dec 2025 | EndNote | 135K | 19.6% | 2 | | Dec 2025 | Zotero | 4.4K | 0.64% | 3 | | Jan 2026 | Mendeley | 450K | 76.2% | 1 | | Jan 2026 | EndNote | 135K | 22.9% | 2 | | Jan 2026 | Zotero | 5.4K | 0.91% | 3 | | Feb 2026 | Mendeley | 450K | 76.1% | 1 | | Feb 2026 | EndNote | 135K | 22.8% | 2 | | Feb 2026 | Zotero | 6.6K | 1.1% | 3 | | Mar 2026 | Mendeley | 550K | 72.5% | 1 | | Mar 2026 | EndNote | 201K | 26.5% | 2 | | Mar 2026 | Zotero | 8.1K | 1.1% | 3 | | Apr 2026 | Mendeley | 673K | 79.5% | 1 | | Apr 2026 | EndNote | 165K | 19.5% | 2 | | Apr 2026 | Zotero | 8.1K | 0.96% | 3 | | May 2026 | Mendeley | 550K | 79.4% | 1 | | May 2026 | EndNote | 135K | 19.5% | 2 | | May 2026 | Zotero | 8.1K | 1.2% | 3 | | Jun 2026 | Mendeley | 450K | 79.4% | 1 | | Jun 2026 | EndNote | 110K | 19.4% | 2 | | Jun 2026 | Zotero | 6.6K | 1.2% | 3 | | Jul 2026 | Mendeley | 368K | 78.2% | 1 | | Jul 2026 | EndNote | 90.5K | 19.2% | 2 | | Jul 2026 | Zotero | 12.1K | 2.6% | 3 | | Aug 2026 | Mendeley | 450K | 79% | 1 | | Aug 2026 | EndNote | 110K | 19.3% | 2 | | Aug 2026 | Zotero | 9.9K | 1.7% | 3 | | Sep 2026 | Mendeley | 673K | 82.1% | 1 | | Sep 2026 | EndNote | 135K | 16.5% | 2 | | Sep 2026 | Zotero | 12.1K | 1.5% | 3 | ## What is being compared - **EndNote**: Measured on the search term “endnote”. - **Mendeley**: Measured on the search term “mendeley”. - **Zotero**: Measured on the search term “reference manager zotero”. - [EndNote](/demand/global-en/brands/endnote) - [Mendeley](/demand/global-en/brands/mendeley) - [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 manager software worldwide? In September 2026, Mendeley was the most searched among reference manager software worldwide, with an estimated 673K branded searches and 82.1% estimated Share of Search within this set. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Reference manager software: Which are searched most?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-manager-software This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-manager-software. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.