Bolt vs Claude Code:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Claude Code had more branded searches than Bolt among AI coding assistants worldwide. Claude Code had about 3.1 million branded searches, while Bolt had 110,000. Claude Code made up 43.7% of all AI coding assistant searches we track, and Bolt accounted for 1.5%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI coding assistants, Claude Code appeared in all five answers and Bolt in one. Claude Code was mentioned before Bolt in every answer.
Who do people search for more?
Claude Code, about 28 searches for every 1 for Bolt
Who does AI mention more?
Claude Code, mentioned in every answer we collected
Who does AI recommend more?
Claude Code, named ahead of Bolt in every answer
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Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Claude Code appeared in all five answers. Bolt was mentioned in one out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in one of the two Google AI Overviews. Claude Code was listed before Bolt in every answer.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Cursor1st- Claude Code2nd
GitHub Copilot3rd
OpenAI Codex4th
Replit5th
Windsurf6th
Lovable7th
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
Asked ChatGPT
“Which AI coding assistant should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best AI coding assistants?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best AI coding assistant for help coding?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ai coding assistant”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“programming ai assistant”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Bolt or Claude Code more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Bolt and Claude Code 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.
Share of searches by month for Claude Code, Bolt. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Claude Code | Replit | OpenAI Codex | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Bolt | Lovable | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 24.9% | 25.2% | 7.9% | 17.7% | 17.1% | 2.3% | 1.9% | 3.1% |
| Nov 2025 | 28% | 22.9% | 6.5% | 19.5% | 15.6% | 2% | 2% | 3.4% |
| Dec 2025 | 31.4% | 26.8% | 5.3% | 15.6% | 14.7% | 1.6% | 2% | 2.7% |
| Jan 2026 | 50.9% | 19.9% | 4.1% | 11.7% | 9.3% | 0.97% | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| Feb 2026 | 50.2% | 16.2% | 11.5% | 9.6% | 9.1% | 0.79% | 1.2% | 1.5% |
| Mar 2026 | 56.8% | 14.8% | 7% | 8.7% | 10% | 0.59% | 0.88% | 1.3% |
| Apr 2026 | 55% | 14.3% | 8% | 8.1% | 11.6% | 0.57% | 1.3% | 1.2% |
| May 2026 | 48.7% | 15.6% | 14.5% | 7.6% | 10.2% | 0.76% | 1.4% | 1.2% |
| Jun 2026 | 49.2% | 15.7% | 11% | 10.9% | 9.1% | 1.1% | 1.4% | 1.6% |
| Jul 2026 | 46.2% | 18.3% | 14.6% | 9% | 7.1% | 1.6% | 2% | 1.3% |
| Aug 2026 | 43.2% | 20.9% | 13.1% | 10.1% | 7.9% | 1.8% | 1.8% | 1.1% |
| Sep 2026 | 43.7% | 21.4% | 13.9% | 8.6% | 8.2% | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.2% |
How has the Bolt and Claude Code comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Claude Code was ahead of Bolt in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Bolt’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide moved from 2.3% to 1.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 110K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Claude Code’s share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide moved from 24.9% to 43.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 3.1M.
How did search popularity change for AI coding assistants worldwide in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Claude Code gained share of searches among AI coding assistants worldwide, from 43.2% to 43.7%.
How are branded searches counted?
24 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Bolt’s and Claude Code’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.
Bolt
2 branded search terms
- bolt new
- bolt.new
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
Other head-to-heads among AI coding assistants
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