Brandwave

Codewars vs LeetCode:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, LeetCode had more branded searches than Codewars among coding challenge brands worldwide. LeetCode had about 3.4 million branded searches, while Codewars had 90,500. LeetCode made up 67.5% of all coding challenge brand searches we track, and Codewars accounted for 1.8%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about coding challenge brands, LeetCode appeared in four of the five answers and Codewars in three. LeetCode was mentioned before Codewars in every answer that named either.

Among coding challenge brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

LeetCode, about 37 searches for every 1 for Codewars

LeetCode 3.4M searchesCodewars 90.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

LeetCode, mentioned in 4 of 5 answers, Codewars in 3

LeetCode in 4 of 5Codewars in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

LeetCode, named ahead of Codewars in 4 of 4 answers

LeetCode first in 4Codewars never first

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Top coding challenge brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, LeetCode was mentioned in four out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Codewars was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. LeetCode was listed before Codewars in every answer that named either.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. HackerRank1st
  2. LeetCode2nd
  3. CodeSignal3rd
  4. Codewars4th
  5. Codeforces5th
  6. Exercism6th
  7. CoderPad7th
  8. HackerEarth8th
  9. Codility9th
  10. Project Euler10th
  11. +1 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • HackerRank5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • LeetCode4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • Codeforces3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Codewars3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Exercism3 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • CodeSignal3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
  • HackerEarth2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • CoderPad2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Project Euler2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
  • Codility1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers

+1 more

See every answer about coding challenge brands

5 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

Is Codewars or LeetCode more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Codewars and LeetCode by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all 11 coding challenge brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.

Codewars and LeetCode among coding challenge brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for LeetCode, Codewars. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthLeetCodeHackerRankCodeforcesCodewarsExercismHackerEarthHireVueCoderPadCodeSignalProject EulerCodility
Oct 202555.1%20.2%13.5%3.3%1.8%1.2%1.2%1%1.2%0.81%0.55%
Nov 202559.4%17.8%11.9%3.6%1.6%1.3%1.1%0.88%1.1%0.72%0.59%
Dec 202560.1%18%12.1%2.9%1.3%1.6%0.89%0.73%1.1%0.73%0.49%
Jan 202662.7%15.4%12.6%3.1%1.4%1.1%0.93%0.76%0.93%0.62%0.51%
Feb 202662.6%15.4%12.6%2.5%1.7%1.7%0.92%0.76%0.92%0.62%0.41%
Mar 202663.2%15.5%10.4%2.5%2.1%2.1%1.1%0.93%0.93%0.63%0.51%
Apr 202659.7%17.9%12%2.9%2%1.6%1.1%0.88%0.88%0.59%0.48%
May 202665.6%13.2%10.8%3.2%1.8%1.4%0.97%0.97%0.97%0.65%0.43%
Jun 202668.5%13.7%9.2%2.3%1.8%1.2%0.83%0.83%0.68%0.55%0.37%
Jul 202667.6%16.6%9.1%1.8%1.5%0.82%0.67%0.67%0.55%0.45%0.3%
Aug 202667.3%16.5%9%1.8%1.5%0.99%0.81%0.66%0.66%0.45%0.3%
Sep 202667.5%16.6%9.1%1.8%1.2%0.82%0.82%0.67%0.67%0.55%0.3%

How has the Codewars and LeetCode comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • LeetCode was ahead of Codewars in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Codewars’ share of searches among coding challenge brands worldwide moved from 3.3% to 1.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 90.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, LeetCode’s share of searches among coding challenge brands worldwide moved from 55.1% to 67.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.2M to 3.4M.

How did search popularity change for coding challenge brands worldwide in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. Estimated monthly branded searches for LeetCode worldwide rose 49.6% over 12 measured months, from 2.2M to 3.4M in September 2026.

  2. Estimated monthly branded searches for Codewars worldwide fell 33% over 12 measured months, from 135K to 90.5K in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Codewars’ and LeetCode’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.

Codewars

1 branded search term

  • codewars

LeetCode

1 branded search term

  • leetcode

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among coding challenge brands

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