---
title: "Notepad++ vs Visual Studio Code: Which is searched more?"
description: "Is Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Code editors set worldwide. 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."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notepad-plus-plus-vs-vs-code"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Notepad++ vs Visual Studio Code: Which is searched more?

Is Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Code editors set worldwide. 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.

## Key facts

- **Compared**: Notepad++ and Visual Studio Code
- **Competitive set**: Code editors
- **Market**: Global
- **Month measured**: Sep 2026
- **Notepad++ Share of Search**: 12.6%
- **Visual Studio Code Share of Search**: 74%

## Is Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code more popular in search?

- In September 2026, Visual Studio Code had more branded searches than Notepad++ among code editors worldwide. Visual Studio Code had about 4 million branded searches, while Notepad++ had 673,000. Visual Studio Code made up 74% of all code editor searches we track, and Notepad++ accounted for 12.6%.
- Visual Studio Code was ahead of Notepad++ in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Notepad++’s share of searches among code editors worldwide moved from 14.5% to 12.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 823K to 673K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Visual Studio Code’s share of searches among code editors worldwide moved from 69.6% to 74%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 4M.

## How did search popularity change for code editors worldwide in September 2026?

- In September 2026, Notepad++ lost share of searches among code editors worldwide, from 13.3% to 12.6%.

## Month by month

| Month | Notepad++ estimated searches | Notepad++ Share of Search | Notepad++ rank | Visual Studio Code estimated searches | Visual Studio Code Share of Search | Visual Studio Code rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Oct 2025 | 823K | 14.5% | 2 | 4M | 69.6% | 1 |
| Nov 2025 | 823K | 15.3% | 2 | 3.7M | 69.7% | 1 |
| Dec 2025 | 823K | 17.1% | 2 | 3.2M | 67.4% | 1 |
| Jan 2026 | 823K | 14.6% | 2 | 4M | 70.2% | 1 |
| Feb 2026 | 1.2M | 21% | 2 | 3.7M | 64.5% | 1 |
| Mar 2026 | 823K | 14.4% | 2 | 4M | 69.1% | 1 |
| Apr 2026 | 673K | 12.4% | 2 | 4M | 72.8% | 1 |
| May 2026 | 673K | 12.3% | 2 | 4M | 72.6% | 1 |
| Jun 2026 | 673K | 12.6% | 2 | 4M | 74.2% | 1 |
| Jul 2026 | 673K | 13.3% | 2 | 3.7M | 73.7% | 1 |
| Aug 2026 | 673K | 13.3% | 2 | 3.7M | 73.8% | 1 |
| Sep 2026 | 673K | 12.6% | 2 | 4M | 74% | 1 |

## How each brand is measured

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Notepad++’s and Visual Studio 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.

- **Notepad++**: Measured on the search term “notepad++”.
- **Visual Studio Code**: Measured on the search terms “visual studio code”, “vs code” and “vscode”, summed into one figure.

- [Notepad++ profile](/demand/global-en/brands/notepad-plus-plus)
- [Visual Studio Code profile](/demand/global-en/brands/vs-code)
- [All code editors worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/code-editors): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Notepad++ or Visual Studio Code more popular in search?

In September 2026, Visual Studio Code had more branded searches than Notepad++ among code editors worldwide. Visual Studio Code had about 4 million branded searches, while Notepad++ had 673,000. Visual Studio Code made up 74% of all code editor searches we track, and Notepad++ accounted for 12.6%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Notepad++ vs Visual Studio Code: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notepad-plus-plus-vs-vs-code

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notepad-plus-plus-vs-vs-code. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.