Brandwave

Exercism vs HackerRank:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, HackerRank had more branded searches than Exercism among coding challenge brands worldwide. HackerRank had about 823,000 branded searches, while Exercism had 60,500. HackerRank made up 16.6% of all coding challenge brand searches we track, and Exercism accounted for 1.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about coding challenge brands, HackerRank appeared in all five answers and Exercism in three. HackerRank was mentioned before Exercism in every answer.

Among coding challenge brands worldwide in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

HackerRank, about 14 searches for every 1 for Exercism

HackerRank 823K searchesExercism 60.5K searches

Who does AI mention more?

HackerRank, mentioned in every answer we collected

HackerRank in 5 of 5Exercism in 3 of 5

Who does AI recommend more?

HackerRank, named ahead of Exercism in every answer

HackerRank first in 5Exercism 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, HackerRank appeared in all five answers. Exercism was mentioned in three out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers and in one of the two Google AI Overviews. HackerRank was listed before Exercism in every answer.

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 Exercism or HackerRank more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Exercism and HackerRank 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.

Exercism and HackerRank among coding challenge brands worldwide, by month

Share of searches by month for HackerRank, Exercism. 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 Exercism and HackerRank comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • HackerRank was ahead of Exercism in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Exercism’s share of searches among coding challenge brands worldwide moved from 1.8% to 1.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 74K to 60.5K.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, HackerRank’s share of searches among coding challenge brands worldwide moved from 20.2% to 16.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 823K.

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

1 change

  1. Exercism’s share of searches among coding challenge brands worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 1.8% to 1.2% in September 2026.

How are branded searches counted?

2 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Exercism’s and HackerRank’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.

Exercism

1 branded search term

  • exercism

HackerRank

1 branded search term

  • hackerrank

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among coding challenge brands

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