--- title: "Notepad++ vs Zed: Which is searched more?" description: "Is Notepad++ or Zed 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-zed-editor" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Notepad++ vs Zed: Which is searched more? Is Notepad++ or Zed 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 Zed - **Competitive set**: Code editors - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Notepad++ Share of Search**: 12.6% - **Zed Share of Search**: 0.76% ## Is Notepad++ or Zed more popular in search? - In September 2026, Notepad++ had more branded searches than Zed among code editors worldwide. Notepad++ had about 673,000 branded searches, while Zed had 40,500. Notepad++ made up 12.6% of all code editor searches we track, and Zed accounted for 0.76%. - Notepad++ was ahead of Zed 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, Zed’s share of searches among code editors worldwide moved from 1.1% to 0.76%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 60.5K to 40.5K. ## Top code editors in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Zed appeared in all five answers. Notepad++ was mentioned in two out of five: not in any of the three ChatGPT answers, but in both Google AI Overviews. Zed was listed before Notepad++ in every answer. Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options. | Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | Google AI Overviews that named it | All answers that named it | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Visual Studio Code | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Cursor | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Zed | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Sublime Text | 4th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | JetBrains | 5th | 2 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Neovim | 6th | 1 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Notepad++ | 7th | 0 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 2 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about code editors - Asked ChatGPT "Which code editor should I use?": 1. Visual Studio Code, 2. Cursor, 3. Zed - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best code editors?": 1. Visual Studio Code, 2. Cursor, 3. Zed, 4. JetBrains, 5. Sublime Text, 6. Neovim - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best code editor for daily programming work?": 1. Visual Studio Code, 2. Cursor, 3. JetBrains, 4. Zed - Searched Google, AI Overview "code editor": 1. Visual Studio Code, 2. Cursor, 3. Zed, 4. Sublime Text, 5. Neovim, 6. Notepad++ - Searched Google, AI Overview "programming editor": 1. Visual Studio Code, 2. Cursor, 3. Zed, 4. Sublime Text, 5. Notepad++, 6. Neovim Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in the United States on October 20, 2026. ## 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%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for Zed worldwide fell 33.1% over 12 measured months, from 60.5K to 40.5K in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Notepad++ estimated searches | Notepad++ Share of Search | Notepad++ rank | Zed estimated searches | Zed Share of Search | Zed rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 823K | 14.5% | 2 | 60.5K | 1.1% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 823K | 15.3% | 2 | 40.5K | 0.75% | 7 | | Dec 2025 | 823K | 17.1% | 2 | 40.5K | 0.84% | 7 | | Jan 2026 | 823K | 14.6% | 2 | 49.5K | 0.88% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 1.2M | 21% | 2 | 49.5K | 0.85% | 7 | | Mar 2026 | 823K | 14.4% | 2 | 49.5K | 0.86% | 7 | | Apr 2026 | 673K | 12.4% | 2 | 60.5K | 1.1% | 7 | | May 2026 | 673K | 12.3% | 2 | 74K | 1.4% | 7 | | Jun 2026 | 673K | 12.6% | 2 | 60.5K | 1.1% | 7 | | Jul 2026 | 673K | 13.3% | 2 | 40.5K | 0.8% | 7 | | Aug 2026 | 673K | 13.3% | 2 | 40.5K | 0.8% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 673K | 12.6% | 2 | 40.5K | 0.76% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Notepad++’s and Zed’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++”. - **Zed**: Measured on the search term “zed editor”. - [Notepad++ profile](/demand/global-en/brands/notepad-plus-plus) - [Zed profile](/demand/global-en/brands/zed-editor) - [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 Zed more popular in search? In September 2026, Notepad++ had more branded searches than Zed among code editors worldwide. Notepad++ had about 673,000 branded searches, while Zed had 40,500. Notepad++ made up 12.6% of all code editor searches we track, and Zed accounted for 0.76%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Notepad++ vs Zed: Which is searched more?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notepad-plus-plus-vs-zed-editor This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/notepad-plus-plus-vs-zed-editor. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.