Scite vs Semantic Scholar:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, Semantic Scholar had more branded searches than Scite among AI research assistants worldwide. Semantic Scholar was estimated to have 201K branded searches compared to Scite’s 33.1K, and held a 1.7% Share of Search versus Scite’s 0.27%. These are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, Scite or Semantic Scholar?
Compare the tools used to research a topic with AI. 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 Semantic Scholar, Scite. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | Perplexity | Consensus | Elicit | Semantic Scholar | Scite |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 96.9% | 0.77% | 1.4% | 0.77% | 0.16% |
| Nov 2025 | 96.3% | 1.2% | 1.5% | 0.8% | 0.2% |
| Dec 2025 | 95.8% | 1.4% | 1.7% | 0.92% | 0.23% |
| Jan 2026 | 94.8% | 1.5% | 2.3% | 1% | 0.25% |
| Feb 2026 | 94.3% | 1.9% | 2.3% | 1.3% | 0.25% |
| Mar 2026 | 93.1% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 1.8% | 0.24% |
| Apr 2026 | 93.4% | 2.2% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 0.24% |
| May 2026 | 93% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 1.5% | 0.24% |
| Jun 2026 | 92.7% | 3.2% | 2.7% | 1.2% | 0.24% |
| Jul 2026 | 92.1% | 3% | 3% | 1.7% | 0.22% |
| Aug 2026 | 92% | 3% | 3% | 1.7% | 0.27% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Scite and Semantic Scholar comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Semantic Scholar was ahead of Scite in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Scite’s estimated Share of Search among AI research assistants worldwide moved from 0.16% to 0.27%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 33.1K.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Semantic Scholar’s estimated Share of Search among AI research assistants worldwide moved from 0.77% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 301K to 201K.
How did search popularity change for AI research assistants worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
Estimated monthly branded searches for Scite worldwide fell 45.3% over 11 measured months, from 60.5K to 33.1K in August 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Semantic Scholar worldwide fell 33.2% over 11 measured months, from 301K to 201K in August 2026.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Scite’s and Semantic Scholar’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.
Scite
1 branded search term
- scite
Semantic Scholar
1 branded search term
- semantic scholar
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.