Brandwave

Cursor vs Windsurf:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Cursor had more branded searches than Windsurf among AI coding assistants worldwide. Cursor had about 616,000 branded searches, while Windsurf had 87,400. Cursor made up 8.6% of all AI coding assistant searches we track, and Windsurf accounted for 1.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI coding assistants, Cursor appeared in all five answers and Windsurf in two. Cursor was mentioned before Windsurf in every answer.

Among AI coding assistants worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Cursor, about 7 searches for every 1 for Windsurf

Cursor 616K searchesWindsurf 87.4K searches

Who does AI mention more?

Cursor, mentioned in every answer we collected

Cursor in 5 of 5Windsurf in 2 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

Cursor, named ahead of Windsurf in every answer

Cursor first in 5Windsurf never first

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Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cursor appeared in all five answers. Windsurf was mentioned in two out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Cursor was listed before Windsurf in every answer.

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 Cursor or Windsurf more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Cursor and Windsurf 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.

Cursor and Windsurf among AI coding assistants worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for Cursor, 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%

How has the Cursor and Windsurf comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • Cursor was ahead of Windsurf in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cursor’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide moved from 17.7% to 8.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 864K to 616K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Windsurf’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide moved from 3.1% to 1.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 152K to 87.4K.

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

2 changes

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

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

How are branded searches counted?

35 search terms

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

Cursor

21 branded search terms

  • anysphere cursor
  • cursor agent
  • cursor agents
  • cursor ai
  • cursor ai agent
  • cursor ai app
  • cursor ai coding
  • cursor ai editor
  • cursor ai ide
  • cursor ai pro
  • cursor app
  • cursor bugbot
  • cursor cli
  • cursor code
  • cursor coding
  • cursor composer
  • cursor ide
  • cursor pro
  • cursor sh
  • cursor vscode
  • cursor.sh

Windsurf

14 branded search terms

  • 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

Other head-to-heads among AI coding assistants

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