Neovim vs Sublime Text:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Sublime Text had more branded searches than Neovim among code editors worldwide. Sublime Text had about 201,000 branded searches, while Neovim had 90,500. Sublime Text made up 3.8% of all code editor searches we track, and Neovim accounted for 1.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about code editors, Neovim and Sublime Text each appeared in three of the five answers. Sublime Text was mentioned before Neovim in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
Sublime Text, about 2 searches for every 1 for Neovim
Who does AI mention more?
Both were mentioned in 3 of 5 answers.
Who does AI recommend more?
Sublime Text, named ahead of Neovim in 3 of 3 answers
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Top code editors in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Neovim and Sublime Text were each mentioned in three out of five: in one of the three ChatGPT answers and in both Google AI Overviews. Sublime Text was listed before Neovim in every answer that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Visual Studio Code1st
Cursor2nd
Zed3rd- Sublime Text4th
JetBrains5th
Neovim6th
Notepad++7th
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Visual Studio 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
- Zed5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Sublime Text3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Neovim3 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Notepad++2 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- JetBrains2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about code editors
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which code editor should I use?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best code editors?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best code editor for daily programming work?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“code editor”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“programming editor”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 20, 2026.
Is Neovim or Sublime Text more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Neovim and Sublime Text by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all seven code editors we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for Sublime Text, Neovim. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Visual Studio Code | Notepad++ | JetBrains | Sublime Text | Cursor | Neovim | Zed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 69.6% | 14.5% | 5.3% | 4.3% | 2.9% | 2.4% | 1.1% |
| Nov 2025 | 69.7% | 15.3% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 3% | 2% | 0.75% |
| Dec 2025 | 67.4% | 17.1% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 3% | 2.3% | 0.84% |
| Jan 2026 | 70.2% | 14.6% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3.2% | 2.4% | 0.88% |
| Feb 2026 | 64.5% | 21% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 3.2% | 1.9% | 0.85% |
| Mar 2026 | 69.1% | 14.4% | 5.3% | 4.3% | 3.7% | 2.4% | 0.86% |
| Apr 2026 | 72.8% | 12.4% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 2% | 1.1% |
| May 2026 | 72.6% | 12.3% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 3.5% | 2% | 1.4% |
| Jun 2026 | 74.2% | 12.6% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.5% | 1.7% | 1.1% |
| Jul 2026 | 73.7% | 13.3% | 4% | 3.2% | 3.3% | 1.8% | 0.8% |
| Aug 2026 | 73.8% | 13.3% | 4% | 3.3% | 3.1% | 1.8% | 0.8% |
| Sep 2026 | 74% | 12.6% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 2.7% | 1.7% | 0.76% |
How has the Neovim and Sublime Text comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Sublime Text was ahead of Neovim in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Neovim’s share of searches among code editors worldwide moved from 2.4% to 1.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 135K to 90.5K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Sublime Text’s share of searches among code editors worldwide moved from 4.3% to 3.8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 246K to 201K.
How did search popularity change for code editors worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
Sublime Text’s share of searches among code editors worldwide has gained ground for 3 months in a row, from 3.1% to 3.8% in September 2026.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Neovim 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 Neovim’s and Sublime Text’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.
Neovim
1 branded search term
- neovim
Sublime Text
1 branded search term
- sublime text
Other head-to-heads among code editors
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