Brandwave

How popular isOpenAI Codex?

In September 2026, people searched for OpenAI Codex by name about 992,000 times worldwide, a 157.2% increase from the previous year. These searches made up 13.9% of all global AI coding assistant searches, placing OpenAI Codex third out of eight assistants. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI coding assistants, OpenAI Codex appeared in three of the five answers and was the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

OpenAI Codex is the third most searched of 8 competitors and the fourth most recommended in AI answers.

  1. Claude CodeShare of searches 43.7%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 2nd
  2. ReplitShare of searches 21.4%Mentioned in 1 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 5th
  3. OpenAI CodexShare of searches 13.9%Mentioned in 3 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 4th
  4. CursorShare of searches 8.6%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 1st
  5. GitHub CopilotShare of searches 8.2%Mentioned in 5 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 3rd

+3 more

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Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, OpenAI Codex was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. OpenAI Codex is the fourth most recommended of the eight.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Cursor1st
  2. Claude Code2nd
  3. GitHub Copilot3rd
  4. OpenAI Codex4th
  5. Replit5th
  6. Windsurf6th
  7. Lovable7th
  8. Bolt8th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Claude Code5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Cursor5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • GitHub Copilot5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • OpenAI Codex3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
  • Windsurf2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Replit1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Bolt1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Lovable1 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers

See every answer about AI coding assistants

5 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.

Which AI coding assistants compete with OpenAI Codex?

OpenAI Codex against AI coding assistants worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Claude Code, Replit, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthClaude CodeReplitOpenAI CodexCursorGitHub CopilotBoltLovableWindsurf
Oct 202524.9%25.2%7.9%17.7%17.1%2.3%1.9%3.1%
Nov 202528%22.9%6.5%19.5%15.6%2%2%3.4%
Dec 202531.4%26.8%5.3%15.6%14.7%1.6%2%2.7%
Jan 202650.9%19.9%4.1%11.7%9.3%0.97%1.4%1.6%
Feb 202650.2%16.2%11.5%9.6%9.1%0.79%1.2%1.5%
Mar 202656.8%14.8%7%8.7%10%0.59%0.88%1.3%
Apr 202655%14.3%8%8.1%11.6%0.57%1.3%1.2%
May 202648.7%15.6%14.5%7.6%10.2%0.76%1.4%1.2%
Jun 202649.2%15.7%11%10.9%9.1%1.1%1.4%1.6%
Jul 202646.2%18.3%14.6%9%7.1%1.6%2%1.3%
Aug 202643.2%20.9%13.1%10.1%7.9%1.8%1.8%1.1%
Sep 202643.7%21.4%13.9%8.6%8.2%1.5%1.5%1.2%

  1. 1.Claude Code

    43.7%

    Held 1st. 3.1M estimated branded searches, -0.96% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  2. 2.Replit

    21.4%

    Held 2nd. 1.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share +0.5 points.

  3. 3.OpenAI Codex

    13.9%

    Held 3rd. 992K estimated branded searches, +3.3% vs prior month. Share +0.7 points.

  4. 4.Cursor

    8.6%

    Held 4th. 616K estimated branded searches, -16.8% vs prior month. Share -1.5 points.

  5. 5.GitHub Copilot

    8.2%

    Held 5th. 583K estimated branded searches, +1.4% vs prior month. Share +0.3 points.

  6. 6.Bolt

    1.5%

    Held 6th. 110K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  7. 7.Lovable

    1.5%

    Held 7th. 110K estimated branded searches, -18.5% vs prior month. Share -0.3 points.

  8. 8.Windsurf

    1.2%

    Held 8th. 87.4K estimated branded searches, +6.5% vs prior month. Share +0.1 points.

Compare popularity between OpenAI Codex and its closest rivals

Every comparison with OpenAI Codex

10 comparisons

How has branded search demand for OpenAI Codex changed worldwide over the last 12 months?

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for OpenAI Codex worldwide rose from 386K to 992K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenAI Codex’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide increased from 7.9% to 13.9%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenAI Codex’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide peaked at 14.6% in July 2026 and was lowest at 4.1% in January 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenAI Codex rose from 5th to 3rd among AI coding assistants worldwide.

How did search popularity change for AI coding assistants worldwide in September 2026?

6 changes

  1. In September 2026, OpenAI Codex gained share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide, from 13.1% to 13.9%.

  2. In September 2026, Claude Code gained share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide, from 43.2% to 43.7%.

  3. In September 2026, Cursor lost share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide, from 10.1% to 8.6%.

  4. Replit’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 15.7% to 21.4% in September 2026.

  5. Estimated monthly branded searches for Lovable worldwide rose 21.5% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 110K in September 2026.

  6. Estimated monthly branded searches for Windsurf worldwide fell 42.4% over 12 measured months, from 152K to 87.4K in September 2026.

How are OpenAI Codex’s branded searches counted?

23 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OpenAI Codex’s name. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brand is growing, holding steady, or fading.

  • ai codex
  • chatgpt codex
  • codex agent
  • codex ai
  • codex ai coding
  • codex app
  • codex chatgpt
  • codex cli
  • codex coding
  • codex desktop
  • codex extension
  • codex github
  • codex ide
  • codex mac
  • codex open ai
  • codex openai
  • codex vscode
  • open ai codex
  • openai codex
  • openai codex cli
  • openai codex github
  • openai's codex
  • openaicodex

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns OpenAI Codex?

OpenAI Codex is owned by OpenAI. Brandwave also tracks ChatGPT, OpenAI Agents SDK and OpenAI API, owned by the same company, worldwide.

Do you work for OpenAI Codex? To request corrections or removal please contact us via our support page and we will be happy to assist.

Where does OpenAI Codex compete?

OpenAI Codex is ranked in three competitor sets. Each share is worked out among that set's brands, so it differs from set to set.
Competitor setRankShare of searchesRanking
AI coding agents3rd of 713.7%Show ranking
AI coding assistants3rd of 813.9%Shown above
AI coding tools2nd of 717.5%Show ranking
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