--- title: "OpenAI Codex vs Windsurf: Which is more popular by branded search?" description: "Which is more popular in search, OpenAI Codex or Windsurf? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI coding tools 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/openai-codex-vs-windsurf" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # OpenAI Codex vs Windsurf: Which is more popular by branded search? Which is more popular in search, OpenAI Codex or Windsurf? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI coding tools 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**: OpenAI Codex and Windsurf - **Competitive set**: AI coding tools - **Market**: Global - **Month measured**: Aug 2026 - **OpenAI Codex Share of Search**: 35.9% - **Windsurf Share of Search**: 3.7% ## Which is more popular in search, OpenAI Codex or Windsurf? - In August 2026, OpenAI Codex had more branded searches than Windsurf among AI coding tools worldwide. OpenAI Codex was estimated to have 4.4M branded searches compared to Windsurf’s 458K, and held a 35.9% Share of Search versus Windsurf’s 3.7%. - OpenAI Codex was ahead of Windsurf in every measured month of the 11 months ending August 2026. - 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. - Across the 11 months ending August 2026, Windsurf’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide moved from 9.6% to 3.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 723K to 458K. ## How did search popularity change for AI coding tools worldwide in August 2026? - In August 2026, OpenAI Codex lost estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide, from 38.3% to 35.9%. - Windsurf’s estimated Share of Search among AI coding tools worldwide has lost ground for 3 months in a row, from 4.5% to 3.7% in August 2026. ## Month by month | Month | OpenAI Codex estimated searches | OpenAI Codex Share of Search | OpenAI Codex rank | Windsurf estimated searches | Windsurf Share of Search | Windsurf rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.2M | 16.4% | 3 | 723K | 9.6% | 5 | | Nov 2025 | 975K | 13.8% | 3 | 722K | 10.2% | 5 | | Dec 2025 | 806K | 11.9% | 3 | 588K | 8.7% | 5 | | Jan 2026 | 1.2M | 11% | 3 | 591K | 5.6% | 5 | | Feb 2026 | 3M | 22.1% | 3 | 604K | 4.5% | 5 | | Mar 2026 | 3.2M | 17.9% | 3 | 723K | 4% | 5 | | Apr 2026 | 4.5M | 23.5% | 2 | 719K | 3.7% | 5 | | May 2026 | 6M | 32.5% | 2 | 825K | 4.5% | 5 | | Jun 2026 | 5.3M | 31.5% | 1 | 721K | 4.3% | 5 | | Jul 2026 | 5.4M | 38.3% | 1 | 568K | 4% | 5 | | Aug 2026 | 4.4M | 35.9% | 1 | 458K | 3.7% | 5 | | Sep 2026 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using OpenAI Codex’s and Windsurf’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. - **OpenAI Codex**: Measured on the 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” and “openaicodex”, summed into one figure. - **Windsurf**: Measured on the search terms “codeium”, “codeium ai”, “codeium windsurf”, “Windsurf”, “windsurf ai”, “windsurf ai code editor”, “windsurf ai download”, “windsurf ai ide”, “windsurf ai pricing”, “windsurf app”, “windsurf cascade”, “windsurf code”, “windsurf code editor”, “windsurf codeium”, “windsurf coding”, “windsurf com”, “windsurf download”, “windsurf editor”, “windsurf ide”, “windsurf pricing” and “windsurf.com”, summed into one figure. - [OpenAI Codex profile](/demand/global-en/brands/openai-codex) - [Windsurf profile](/demand/global-en/brands/windsurf) - [All AI coding tools worldwide](/demand/global-en/categories/ai-coding-tools): The set both shares are measured inside, 7 brands. ## Methodology - [How is branded search demand measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which is more popular in search, OpenAI Codex or Windsurf? In August 2026, OpenAI Codex had more branded searches than Windsurf among AI coding tools worldwide. OpenAI Codex was estimated to have 4.4M branded searches compared to Windsurf’s 458K, and held a 35.9% Share of Search versus Windsurf’s 3.7%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "OpenAI Codex vs Windsurf: Which is more popular by branded search?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/openai-codex-vs-windsurf This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/global-en/compare/openai-codex-vs-windsurf. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.