Claude Code vs Cline:Which is more popular by branded search?
In August 2026, Claude Code had more branded searches than Cline among AI coding tools worldwide. Claude Code was estimated to have 3.6M branded searches compared to Cline’s 197K, and held a 29.5% Share of Search versus Cline’s 1.6%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.
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Which is more popular in search, Claude Code or Cline?
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 by month for Claude Code, Cline. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of search table
| Month | OpenAI Codex | Claude Code | Cursor | GitHub Copilot | Windsurf | Cline | Factory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 16.4% | 18.5% | 40.6% | 12.6% | 9.6% | 1.8% | 0.47% |
| Nov 2025 | 13.8% | 19.8% | 42.9% | 11.1% | 10.2% | 1.9% | 0.4% |
| Dec 2025 | 11.9% | 23.9% | 42.2% | 11.3% | 8.7% | 1.6% | 0.36% |
| Jan 2026 | 11% | 40.9% | 33.1% | 7.8% | 5.6% | 1.2% | 0.26% |
| Feb 2026 | 22.1% | 39.2% | 25.8% | 7.3% | 4.5% | 1% | 0.16% |
| Mar 2026 | 17.9% | 45.2% | 23.8% | 7.9% | 4% | 0.92% | 0.2% |
| Apr 2026 | 23.5% | 40.9% | 22% | 8.8% | 3.7% | 0.85% | 0.19% |
| May 2026 | 32.5% | 34.9% | 19.6% | 7.5% | 4.5% | 0.88% | 0.16% |
| Jun 2026 | 31.5% | 31.3% | 25.3% | 6.4% | 4.3% | 1% | 0.2% |
| Jul 2026 | 38.3% | 30.8% | 20.7% | 4.8% | 4% | 1.1% | 0.19% |
| Aug 2026 | 35.9% | 29.5% | 23.7% | 5.4% | 3.7% | 1.6% | 0.2% |
| Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
How has the Claude Code and Cline comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Claude Code was ahead of Cline in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Claude Code’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide moved from 18.5% to 29.5%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.4M to 3.6M.
- Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Cline’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide moved from 1.8% to 1.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 136K to 197K.
How did search popularity change for AI coding tools worldwide in August 2026?
2 changes
In August 2026, Claude Code lost estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, from 30.8% to 29.5%.
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.
How each brand is measured
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Claude Code’s and Cline’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.
Claude Code
29 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 download
- claude code extension
- claude code free
- claude code github
- claude code install
- claude code mac
- claude code mcp
- claude code plugins
- claude code price
- claude code pricing
- claude code skills
- claude code subscription
- claude code vscode
- claude code web
- claude code windows
- claude codes
- claude coding
- claude-code
- install claude code
- what is claude code
Cline
15 branded search terms
- Cline
- cline agent
- cline ai
- cline ai agent
- cline ai coding
- cline ai vscode
- cline bot
- cline bot inc
- cline cli
- cline code
- cline coding
- cline dev
- cline extension
- cline vscode
- cline.bot
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