Discovery solutions - market overview
See below for a graphical illustration of the current market for discovery products in UK higher education. The market in UK HE is dominated by 3 products:
- EDS (Ebsco)
- Primo (Ex Libris)
- Summon (ProQuest)
- WorldCat Discovery (OCLC)
Of these products, the Ex Libris Primo solution has by far the biggest market share and is commonly used in combination with the Alma Library Services Platform (LSP). The data below is current as of Summer 2024 and is based on a survey of some 170 UK higher education providers.
Primo and WorldCat discovery are tightly integrated with their respective library management systems (Alma and WMS). EDS and Summon work across multiple library systems.
Note that of the 28 institutions indicating using other discovery solutions, the majority are not using “true” discovery solutions but rather OPAC (public catalogue) software with some additional discovery functionality for finding additional web content e.g. SirsiDynix Enterprise.
You can also find more information on the UK Discovery Solution market in the SCONUL report: The Library Technology Landscape: Results of the SCONUL Technology Survey 2024
HELibTech Who Uses What Library Technology
You can also find out more detailed information about which institutions are using which products by visiting the Who Uses What section of the site
Section updated July 2025