Brandwave

Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Claude Code had more branded searches than GitHub Copilot among AI coding assistants worldwide. Claude Code had about 3.1 million branded searches, while GitHub Copilot had 583,000. Claude Code made up 43.7% of all AI coding assistant searches we track, and GitHub Copilot accounted for 8.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI coding assistants, both Claude Code and GitHub Copilot appeared in all five answers. Claude Code was mentioned before GitHub Copilot in three out of five answers.

Among AI coding assistants worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Claude Code, about 5 searches for every 1 for GitHub Copilot

Claude Code 3.1M searchesGitHub Copilot 583K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Claude Code in 5 of 5GitHub Copilot in 5 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Claude Code, named ahead of GitHub Copilot in 3 of 5 answers

Claude Code first in 3GitHub Copilot first in 2

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Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Claude Code and GitHub Copilot showed up in all five answers. Claude Code was listed before GitHub Copilot in three of them.

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.

Is Claude Code or GitHub Copilot more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Claude Code and GitHub Copilot by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight AI coding assistants we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Claude Code and GitHub Copilot among AI coding assistants worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Claude Code, 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%

How has the Claude Code and GitHub Copilot comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings

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

2 changes

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

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for GitHub Copilot worldwide fell 29.9% over 12 measured months, from 832K to 583K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

41 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Claude Code’s and GitHub Copilot’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.

Claude Code

22 branded search terms

  • anthropic claude code
  • Claude Code
  • claude code agents
  • claude code ai
  • claude code anthropic
  • claude code app
  • claude code cli
  • claude code desktop
  • claude code docs
  • claude code extension
  • claude code github
  • claude code mac
  • claude code mcp
  • claude code plugins
  • claude code skills
  • claude code vscode
  • claude code web
  • claude code windows
  • claude codes
  • claude coding
  • claude-code
  • claudecode

GitHub Copilot

19 branded search terms

  • copilot github
  • copilot vscode
  • git copilot
  • GitHub Copilot
  • github copilot agent
  • github copilot ai
  • github copilot app
  • github copilot business
  • github copilot certification
  • github copilot cli
  • github copilot enterprise
  • github copilot extension
  • github copilot intellij
  • github copilot pro
  • github copilot vscode
  • github copilots
  • microsoft github copilot
  • vscode copilot
  • vscode github copilot

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among AI coding assistants

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