---
title: "Mendeley vs Zotero: Which is searched more?"
description: "Which is more popular in search, Mendeley or Zotero? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Reference manager software set worldwide. 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/compare/mendeley-vs-zotero"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Mendeley vs Zotero: Which is searched more?

Which is more popular in search, Mendeley or Zotero? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Reference manager software set worldwide. 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

- **Compared**: Mendeley and Zotero
- **Competitive set**: Reference manager software
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Mendeley Share of Search**: 82.1%
- **Zotero Share of Search**: 1.5%

## Which is more popular in search, Mendeley or Zotero?

- In September 2026, Mendeley had more branded searches than Zotero among reference manager software worldwide. Mendeley was estimated to have 673K branded searches compared to Zotero’s 12.1K, and held an 82.1% Share of Search versus Zotero’s 1.5%.
- Mendeley was ahead of Zotero in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Mendeley’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide moved from 79.9% to 82.1%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 823K to 673K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Zotero’s estimated Share of Search among reference manager software worldwide moved from 0.64% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.6K to 12.1K.

## 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%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Zotero worldwide rose 83.3% over 12 measured months, from 6.6K to 12.1K in September 2026.

## Month by month

| Month | Mendeley estimated searches | Mendeley Share of Search | Mendeley rank | Zotero estimated searches | Zotero Share of Search | Zotero rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 823K | 79.9% | 1 | 6.6K | 0.64% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | 823K | 82.8% | 1 | 5.4K | 0.54% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | 550K | 79.8% | 1 | 4.4K | 0.64% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | 450K | 76.2% | 1 | 5.4K | 0.91% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | 450K | 76.1% | 1 | 6.6K | 1.1% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | 550K | 72.5% | 1 | 8.1K | 1.1% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | 673K | 79.5% | 1 | 8.1K | 0.96% | 3 |
| May 2026 | 550K | 79.4% | 1 | 8.1K | 1.2% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | 450K | 79.4% | 1 | 6.6K | 1.2% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | 368K | 78.2% | 1 | 12.1K | 2.6% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | 450K | 79% | 1 | 9.9K | 1.7% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | 673K | 82.1% | 1 | 12.1K | 1.5% | 3 |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Mendeley’s and Zotero’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- **Mendeley**: Measured on the search term “mendeley”.
- **Zotero**: Measured on the search term “reference manager zotero”.

- [Mendeley profile](/demand/global-en/brands/mendeley)
- [Zotero profile](/demand/global-en/brands/zotero)
- [All reference manager software worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/reference-manager-software): The set both shares are measured inside, 3 brands.

## 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 is more popular in search, Mendeley or Zotero?

In September 2026, Mendeley had more branded searches than Zotero among reference manager software worldwide. Mendeley was estimated to have 673K branded searches compared to Zotero’s 12.1K, and held an 82.1% Share of Search versus Zotero’s 1.5%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Mendeley vs Zotero: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/categories/reference-manager-software/compare/mendeley-vs-zotero

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