--- title: "Docusaurus vs Fern: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Docusaurus or Fern more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Developer documentation platforms 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/compare/docusaurus-vs-fern-api" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Docusaurus vs Fern: Which is searched more? Is Docusaurus or Fern more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Developer documentation platforms 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**: Docusaurus and Fern - **Competitive set**: Developer documentation platforms - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Docusaurus Share of Search**: 44% - **Fern Share of Search**: 0.85% ## Is Docusaurus or Fern more popular in search? - In September 2026, Docusaurus had more branded searches than Fern among developer documentation platforms worldwide. Docusaurus had about 22,200 branded searches, while Fern had 430. Docusaurus made up 44% of all developer documentation platform searches we track, and Fern accounted for 0.85%. - Docusaurus was ahead of Fern in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Docusaurus’ share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide moved from 48.9% to 44%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 40.5K to 22.2K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Fern’s share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide moved from 0.59% to 0.85%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 490 to 430. ## Top developer documentation platforms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Docusaurus was mentioned in four out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Fern was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Docusaurus was listed before Fern in three out of four answers that named either. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Mintlify | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | ReadMe | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | GitBook | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Docusaurus | 4th | 3 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 4 of 5 | | Fern | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Read the Docs | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Slate | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about developer documentation platforms - Asked ChatGPT "Which developer documentation platform should I use?": 1. Mintlify, 2. Docusaurus, 3. ReadMe, 4. GitBook, 5. Fern - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best developer documentation platforms?": 1. Mintlify, 2. ReadMe, 3. GitBook, 4. Fern, 5. Docusaurus - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best developer documentation platform for a dev team?": 1. Mintlify, 2. GitBook, 3. ReadMe, 4. Docusaurus - Searched Google, AI Overview "api documentation tool": 1. ReadMe, 2. Mintlify, 3. GitBook, 4. Docusaurus - Searched Google, AI Overview "developer documentation platforms": 1. Mintlify, 2. ReadMe, 3. GitBook Not named in any answer: Read the Docs and Slate. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for developer documentation platforms worldwide in September 2026? - In September 2026, Docusaurus lost share of searches among developer documentation platforms worldwide, from 46.6% to 44%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Fern worldwide fell 12.2% over 12 measured months, from 490 to 430 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Docusaurus estimated searches | Docusaurus Share of Search | Docusaurus rank | Fern estimated searches | Fern Share of Search | Fern rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 40.5K | 48.9% | 1 | 490 | 0.59% | 6 | | Nov 2025 | 40.5K | 52.1% | 1 | 460 | 0.59% | 6 | | Dec 2025 | 40.5K | 49.6% | 1 | 560 | 0.69% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 40.5K | 47.8% | 1 | 690 | 0.82% | 6 | | Feb 2026 | 27.1K | 42.6% | 1 | 600 | 0.94% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 33.1K | 43.9% | 1 | 600 | 0.8% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 33.1K | 42.1% | 1 | 530 | 0.67% | 6 | | May 2026 | 27.1K | 43.9% | 1 | 580 | 0.94% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 40.5K | 47.8% | 1 | 520 | 0.61% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 27.1K | 41.6% | 1 | 420 | 0.64% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 33.1K | 46.6% | 1 | 470 | 0.66% | 6 | | Sep 2026 | 22.2K | 44% | 1 | 430 | 0.85% | 6 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Docusaurus’ and Fern’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. - **Docusaurus**: Measured on the search term “docusaurus”. - **Fern**: Measured on the search terms “buildwithfern” and “fern api”, summed into one figure. - [Docusaurus profile](/demand/global-en/brands/docusaurus) - [Fern profile](/demand/global-en/brands/fern-api) - [All developer documentation platforms worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/developer-documentation-platforms): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Is Docusaurus or Fern more popular in search? In September 2026, Docusaurus had more branded searches than Fern among developer documentation platforms worldwide. Docusaurus had about 22,200 branded searches, while Fern had 430. Docusaurus made up 44% of all developer documentation platform searches we track, and Fern accounted for 0.85%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Docusaurus vs Fern: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/docusaurus-vs-fern-api This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/docusaurus-vs-fern-api. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.