Brandwave

How popular isWindsurf?

In September 2026, people searched for Windsurf by name about 87,400 times worldwide, a 42.4% decrease from the previous year. These searches made up 1.2% of all global AI coding assistant searches, placing Windsurf eighth out of eight assistants. When we asked both ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI coding assistants, Windsurf appeared in two of the five answers and was the sixth most recommended of the eight.

Search and AI answers in September 2026

Windsurf is the eighth most searched of 8 competitors and the sixth 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. WindsurfShare of searches 1.2%Mentioned in 2 of 5 AI answersPlace in AI recommendations 6th

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Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Windsurf was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Windsurf is the sixth 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 Windsurf?

Windsurf against AI coding assistants worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Claude Code, Replit, OpenAI Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Windsurf. 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 Windsurf and its closest rivals

Every comparison with Windsurf

10 comparisons

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

4 findings
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, estimated monthly branded searches for Windsurf worldwide fell from 152K to 87.4K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Windsurf’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide decreased from 3.1% to 1.2%.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Windsurf’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide peaked at 3.4% in November 2025 and was lowest at 1.1% in August 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Windsurf fell from 6th to 8th 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 Windsurf’s branded searches counted?

14 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Windsurf’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.

  • codeium
  • codeium ai
  • codeium windsurf
  • windsurf ai
  • windsurf ai coding
  • windsurf ai ide
  • windsurf app
  • windsurf cascade
  • windsurf code
  • windsurf code editor
  • windsurf codeium
  • windsurf coding
  • windsurf editor
  • windsurf ide

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Who owns Windsurf?

Windsurf is owned by Cognition. Brandwave does not track any other brands owned by Cognition.

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

Where does Windsurf compete?

Windsurf 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 agents7th of 71.2%Show ranking
AI coding assistants8th of 81.2%Shown above
AI coding tools6th of 71.5%Show ranking
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