---
title: "Reference manager software in New Zealand: Which are most popular?"
description: "Compare the reference manager software teams use. Share of Search among Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley and Paperpile, the reference manager software Brandwave compares in New Zealand, 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/nz/categories/nz-reference-manager-software"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Reference manager software in New Zealand: Which are most popular?

Compare the reference manager software teams use. Share of Search among Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley and Paperpile, the reference manager software Brandwave compares in New Zealand, 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**: New Zealand
- **Brands compared**: 4
- **Month measured**: Oct 2026
- **Highest Share of Search**: Zotero, 60.8%

## Which brand is most popular in search among reference manager software in New Zealand?

- In October 2026, Zotero was the most searched among reference manager software in New Zealand, with an estimated 2.6K branded searches, 60.8% of all searches for the four tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index.
- EndNote is in 2nd place, 39.9 percentage points behind at 21%.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Zotero’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand increased from 57.3% to 60.8%.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Mendeley’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand decreased from 19.7% to 16.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Paperpile’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand decreased from 2.5% to 1.6%.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Zotero’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand peaked at 60.8% in October 2026 and was lowest at 51.8% in December 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, EndNote’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand peaked at 29.4% in July 2026 and was lowest at 20.5% in November 2025.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Mendeley’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand peaked at 22% in December 2025 and was lowest at 12.7% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Paperpile’s share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand peaked at 3.2% in December 2025 and was lowest at 0.88% in March 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, EndNote held steady: its share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

## Top reference manager software in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In Brandwave's three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Zotero, EndNote and Mendeley appeared every time. Zotero was recommended most often, coming first in every answer. EndNote was second, and Mendeley was third.

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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Zotero | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| EndNote | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| Mendeley | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 |
| Paperpile | 4th | 2 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 3 of 5 |

## Every AI answer about reference manager software

- Asked ChatGPT "Which reference manager software should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Zotero, 2. EndNote, 3. Mendeley
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best reference manager software options in New Zealand?": 1. Zotero, 2. EndNote, 3. Mendeley, 4. Paperpile
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best reference manager software in New Zealand for a research team?": 1. Zotero, 2. EndNote, 3. Paperpile, 4. Mendeley
- Searched Google, AI Overview "reference manager software": 1. Zotero, 2. Mendeley, 3. EndNote
- Searched Google, AI Overview "best reference manager": 1. Zotero, 2. EndNote, 3. Mendeley, 4. Paperpile

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

## Compare search popularity between leading brands

- [Zotero vs EndNote: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/endnote-vs-zotero): 60.8% against 21% Share of Search.
- [Zotero vs Mendeley: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/mendeley-vs-zotero): 60.8% against 16.6% Share of Search.
- [EndNote vs Mendeley: compare search popularity](/demand/nz/compare/endnote-vs-mendeley): 21% against 16.6% Share of Search.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand reference manager software in October 2026?

- In October 2026, Zotero gained share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand, from 54.9% to 60.8%.
- In October 2026, Mendeley gained share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand, from 15% to 16.6%.
- In October 2026, EndNote lost share of searches among reference manager software in New Zealand, from 28.6% to 21%.
- Estimated monthly branded searches for Paperpile in New Zealand fell 22.2% over 12 measured months, from 90 to 70 in October 2026.

## Which reference manager software do people search for most?

| Rank | Brand | Share of Search | Estimated monthly branded searches | Change vs prior month | Owned by |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Zotero | 60.8% | 2.6K | +0.4% | Zotero |
| 2 | EndNote | 21% | 910 | -33.6% | EndNote |
| 3 | Mendeley | 16.6% | 720 | 0.0% | Mendeley |
| 4 | Paperpile | 1.6% | 70 | 0.0% | Paperpile |

## Historical estimated branded-search demand

| Month | Brand | Estimated monthly branded searches | Share of Search | Rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nov 2025 | Zotero | 2.1K | 57.3% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | EndNote | 750 | 20.5% | 2 |
| Nov 2025 | Mendeley | 720 | 19.7% | 3 |
| Nov 2025 | Paperpile | 90 | 2.5% | 4 |
| Dec 2025 | Zotero | 1.1K | 51.8% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | EndNote | 500 | 22.9% | 2 |
| Dec 2025 | Mendeley | 480 | 22% | 3 |
| Dec 2025 | Paperpile | 70 | 3.2% | 4 |
| Jan 2026 | Zotero | 1.8K | 56.1% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | EndNote | 750 | 23.4% | 2 |
| Jan 2026 | Mendeley | 590 | 18.4% | 3 |
| Jan 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 2.2% | 4 |
| Feb 2026 | Zotero | 3.2K | 55.1% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | EndNote | 1.6K | 28.3% | 2 |
| Feb 2026 | Mendeley | 880 | 15.1% | 3 |
| Feb 2026 | Paperpile | 90 | 1.5% | 4 |
| Mar 2026 | Zotero | 7.2K | 57% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | EndNote | 3.7K | 29.4% | 2 |
| Mar 2026 | Mendeley | 1.6K | 12.7% | 3 |
| Mar 2026 | Paperpile | 110 | 0.88% | 4 |
| Apr 2026 | Zotero | 3.9K | 59% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | EndNote | 1.7K | 25% | 2 |
| Apr 2026 | Mendeley | 1K | 15% | 3 |
| Apr 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1% | 4 |
| May 2026 | Zotero | 3.9K | 59% | 1 |
| May 2026 | EndNote | 1.6K | 24.9% | 2 |
| May 2026 | Mendeley | 1K | 15.1% | 3 |
| May 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1.1% | 4 |
| Jun 2026 | Zotero | 2.1K | 57.9% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | EndNote | 760 | 20.7% | 2 |
| Jun 2026 | Mendeley | 720 | 19.6% | 3 |
| Jun 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1.9% | 4 |
| Jul 2026 | Zotero | 3.2K | 56.5% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | EndNote | 1.6K | 29.4% | 2 |
| Jul 2026 | Mendeley | 720 | 12.8% | 3 |
| Jul 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1.2% | 4 |
| Aug 2026 | Zotero | 4K | 56.8% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | EndNote | 1.9K | 27.9% | 2 |
| Aug 2026 | Mendeley | 1K | 14.3% | 3 |
| Aug 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1% | 4 |
| Sep 2026 | Zotero | 2.6K | 54.9% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | EndNote | 1.4K | 28.6% | 2 |
| Sep 2026 | Mendeley | 720 | 15% | 3 |
| Sep 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1.5% | 4 |
| Oct 2026 | Zotero | 2.6K | 60.8% | 1 |
| Oct 2026 | EndNote | 910 | 21% | 2 |
| Oct 2026 | Mendeley | 720 | 16.6% | 3 |
| Oct 2026 | Paperpile | 70 | 1.6% | 4 |

## How are branded searches counted for reference manager software?

- **EndNote**: Measured on the search terms “endnote” and “endnote web”, summed into one figure.
- **Mendeley**: Measured on the search term “mendeley”.
- **Paperpile**: Measured on the search term “paperpile”.
- **Zotero**: Measured on the search terms “word zotero”, “zotero”, “zotero chrome plugin”, “zotero connector” and “zotero plugin”, summed into one figure.

- [EndNote](/demand/nz/brands/endnote)
- [Mendeley](/demand/nz/brands/mendeley)
- [Paperpile](/demand/nz/brands/paperpile)
- [Zotero](/demand/nz/brands/zotero)

## 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

### Which brand is most popular in search among reference manager software in New Zealand?

In October 2026, Zotero was the most searched among reference manager software in New Zealand, with an estimated 2.6K branded searches, 60.8% of all searches for the four tracked by the Brandwave Brand Demand Index.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Reference manager software in New Zealand: Which are most popular?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/categories/nz-reference-manager-software

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