Brandwave

Claude Code vs OpenAI Codex:Which is more popular by branded search?

In August 2026, OpenAI Codex had more branded searches than Claude Code among AI coding tools worldwide. OpenAI Codex was estimated to have 4.4M branded searches compared to Claude Code’s 3.6M, and held a 35.9% Share of Search versus Claude Code’s 29.5%. Worldwide · English terms: these are worldwide searches for English-language branded terms.

Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide in August 2026Which is more popular in search, Claude Code or OpenAI Codex?
Claude Code29.5%3.6M searches
vs
OpenAI Codex35.9%4.4M searches

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Which is more popular in search, Claude Code or OpenAI Codex?

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.

Claude Code and OpenAI Codex among AI coding tools worldwide, by month

Share of Search by month for OpenAI Codex, Claude Code. 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———————

How has the Claude Code and OpenAI Codex comparison changed over the last 12 months?

  • The lead changed hands once in the 11 months ending August 2026: OpenAI Codex took it in June 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, OpenAI Codex’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide moved from 16.4% to 35.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.2M to 4.4M.

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

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

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

How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Claude Code’s and OpenAI Codex’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

OpenAI Codex

28 branded search terms

  • ai codex
  • chatgpt codex
  • Codex
  • codex agent
  • codex ai
  • codex ai coding
  • codex app
  • codex chat gpt
  • codex chatgpt
  • codex cli
  • codex coding
  • codex desktop
  • codex extension
  • codex github
  • codex ide
  • codex mac
  • codex open ai
  • codex openai
  • codex pricing
  • codex vscode
  • open ai codex
  • openai codex
  • openai codex cli
  • openai codex download
  • openai codex github
  • openai codex pricing
  • openai's codex
  • openaicodex

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

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