Brandwave

AI coding tools:Which brands are most popular in search?

In August 2026, OpenAI Codex was the most searched among AI coding tools worldwide, with an estimated 4.4M branded searches and 35.9% estimated Share of Search within this set. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search, August 2026
  1. OpenAI Codex35.9%
  2. Claude Code29.5%
  3. Cursor23.7%
  4. GitHub Copilot5.4%
  5. Windsurf3.7%
  6. Cline1.6%
  7. Factory0.2%

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Share of SearchLeaderboard

Compare AI coding assistants, editors, and agents used by software developers, measured through worldwide English-language branded search demand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, by month

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

View monthly share of search table
MonthOpenAI CodexClaude CodeCursorGitHub CopilotWindsurfClineFactory
Oct 202516.4%18.5%40.6%12.6%9.6%1.8%0.47%
Nov 202513.8%19.8%42.9%11.1%10.2%1.9%0.4%
Dec 202511.9%23.9%42.2%11.3%8.7%1.6%0.36%
Jan 202611%40.9%33.1%7.8%5.6%1.2%0.26%
Feb 202622.1%39.2%25.8%7.3%4.5%1%0.16%
Mar 202617.9%45.2%23.8%7.9%4%0.92%0.2%
Apr 202623.5%40.9%22%8.8%3.7%0.85%0.19%
May 202632.5%34.9%19.6%7.5%4.5%0.88%0.16%
Jun 202631.5%31.3%25.3%6.4%4.3%1%0.2%
Jul 202638.3%30.8%20.7%4.8%4%1.1%0.19%
Aug 202635.9%29.5%23.7%5.4%3.7%1.6%0.2%
Sep 2026———————

This month’s ranking, August 2026

  1. 1.OpenAI Codex

    35.9%

    held 1st · 4.4M estimated branded searches · -18.5% vs prior month · -2.4 points

  2. 2.Claude Code

    29.5%

    held 2nd · 3.6M estimated branded searches · -16.9% vs prior month · -1.4 points

  3. 3.Cursor

    23.7%

    held 3rd · 2.9M estimated branded searches · -0.65% vs prior month · +3 points

  4. 4.GitHub Copilot

    5.4%

    held 4th · 658K estimated branded searches · -3.8% vs prior month · +0.5 points

  5. 5.Windsurf

    3.7%

    held 5th · 458K estimated branded searches · -19.3% vs prior month · -0.3 points

  6. 6.Cline

    1.6%

    held 6th · 197K estimated branded searches · +22.9% vs prior month · +0.5 points

  7. 7.Factory

    0.2%

    held 7th · 25.1K estimated branded searches · -6.3% vs prior month · 0 points

Compare search popularity between leading brands

Which brand is most popular in search among AI coding tools worldwide?

In August 2026, OpenAI Codex was the most searched among AI coding tools worldwide, with an estimated 4.4M branded searches and 35.9% estimated Share of Search within this set. Claude Code is in 2nd place, 6.4 percentage points behind at 29.5% Share of Search.

Global AI coding tools, last 12 months ending September 2026
BrandShare of SearchPeakLowRank
OpenAI Codex16.4% → 35.9%38.3%Jul 202611%Jan 20263rd → 1st
Claude Code18.5% → 29.5%45.2%Mar 202618.5%Oct 20252nd
Cursor40.6% → 23.7%42.9%Nov 202519.6%May 20261st → 3rd
GitHub Copilot12.6% → 5.4%12.6%Oct 20254.8%Jul 20264th
Windsurf9.6% → 3.7%10.2%Nov 20253.7%Aug 20265th
Cline1.8% → 1.6%1.9%Nov 20250.85%Apr 20266th
Factory0.47% → 0.2%0.47%Oct 20250.16%Feb 20267th

Each finding as a sentence

  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OpenAI Codex’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide increased from 16.4% to 35.9%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Claude Code’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide increased from 18.5% to 29.5%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cursor’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide decreased from 40.6% to 23.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, GitHub Copilot’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide decreased from 12.6% to 5.4%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Windsurf’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide decreased from 9.6% to 3.7%.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OpenAI Codex’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide peaked at 38.3% in July 2026 and was lowest at 11% in January 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Claude Code’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide peaked at 45.2% in March 2026 and was lowest at 18.5% in October 2025.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cursor’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide peaked at 42.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 19.6% in May 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, GitHub Copilot’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide peaked at 12.6% in October 2025 and was lowest at 4.8% in July 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Windsurf’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide peaked at 10.2% in November 2025 and was lowest at 3.7% in August 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cline’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide peaked at 1.9% in November 2025 and was lowest at 0.85% in April 2026.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, OpenAI Codex rose from 3rd to 1st among AI coding tools worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cursor fell from 1st to 3rd among AI coding tools worldwide.
  • Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cline and Factory held steady: their estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide each moved less than 0.5 percentage points.

How did search popularity change for AI coding tools worldwide in August 2026?

  1. In August 2026, Cursor gained estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, from 20.7% to 23.7%.

  2. In August 2026, GitHub Copilot gained estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, from 4.8% to 5.4%.

  3. In August 2026, OpenAI Codex lost estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, from 38.3% to 35.9%.

  4. In August 2026, Claude Code lost estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, from 30.8% to 29.5%.

  5. Cline’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 0.88% to 1.6% in August 2026.

  6. Windsurf’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.5% to 3.7% in August 2026.

  7. Estimated monthly branded searches for Factory worldwide fell 29.3% over 11 measured months, from 35.6K to 25.1K in August 2026.

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