RefWorks vs Zotero:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, Zotero had more branded searches than RefWorks among reference management software worldwide. Zotero was estimated to have 567K branded searches compared to RefWorks’ 15.6K, and held a 46.4% Share of Search versus RefWorks’ 1.3%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, RefWorks or Zotero?
Compare services and tools used to organize research references and citations. 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.
Share of Search by month for Zotero, RefWorks. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Zotero | Mendeley | EndNote | Paperpile | RefWorks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 46% | 40.8% | 9.2% | 1.2% | 2.8% |
| Nov 2025 | 42.5% | 45.1% | 8.5% | 1.4% | 2.6% |
| Dec 2025 | 40.9% | 44.6% | 10% | 2% | 2.5% |
| Jan 2026 | 49.1% | 36.6% | 9.8% | 2% | 2.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 49.1% | 36.5% | 9.8% | 1.6% | 3% |
| Mar 2026 | 48.4% | 35.3% | 11.7% | 1.6% | 3% |
| Apr 2026 | 46.1% | 41% | 9.1% | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| May 2026 | 46.1% | 40.9% | 9.1% | 1.5% | 2.3% |
| Jun 2026 | 46% | 41.6% | 9.1% | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 51.1% | 37.5% | 8.3% | 1.7% | 1.4% |
| Aug 2026 | 46.4% | 41.7% | 9.1% | 1.5% | 1.3% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the RefWorks and Zotero comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Zotero was ahead of RefWorks in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, RefWorks’ estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide moved from 2.8% to 1.3%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 62.3K to 15.6K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Zotero’s estimated Share of Search among reference management software worldwide moved from 46% to 46.4%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1M to 567K.
How did search popularity change for reference management software worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
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.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using RefWorks’ 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.
Put your own brand in this comparison
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