Claude Code vs GitHub Copilot:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, Claude Code had more branded searches than GitHub Copilot among AI coding assistants in New Zealand. Claude Code had about 5,400 branded searches, while GitHub Copilot had 1,620. Claude Code made up 40.7% of all AI coding assistant searches we track, and GitHub Copilot accounted for 12.2%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about AI coding assistants, both Claude Code and GitHub Copilot appeared in all five answers. GitHub Copilot was mentioned before Claude Code in three out of five answers.
Who do people search for more?
Claude Code, about 3 searches for every 1 for GitHub Copilot
Who does AI mention more?
Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.
Who does AI recommend more?
GitHub Copilot, named ahead of Claude Code in 3 of 5 answers
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Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, both Claude Code and GitHub Copilot showed up in all five answers. GitHub Copilot was listed before Claude Code in three of them.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Cursor1st- GitHub Copilot2nd
- Claude Code3rd
OpenAI Codex4th
Windsurf5th
Replit–
Lovable–
Bolt–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Claude Code5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- GitHub Copilot5 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
- OpenAI Codex3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Windsurf2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Replit0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Lovable0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Bolt0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about AI coding assistants
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which AI coding assistant should I use in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best AI coding assistants in New Zealand?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best AI coding assistant in New Zealand for software development?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ai coding assistant”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“ai pair programming”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in New Zealand on October 20, 2026.
Is Claude Code or GitHub Copilot more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Claude Code and GitHub Copilot by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all eight AI coding assistants we track, month by month, from searches in New Zealand.
Share of searches by month for Claude Code, GitHub Copilot. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Claude Code | Replit | GitHub Copilot | Cursor | Lovable | Bolt | OpenAI Codex | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 23.3% | 30.6% | 15.9% | 12.3% | 7.3% | 5% | 3.1% | 2.4% |
| Nov 2025 | 25.4% | 33.4% | 14.5% | 13.7% | 6.2% | 3.2% | 1.5% | 2% |
| Dec 2025 | 26.4% | 34.8% | 14.1% | 10.1% | 6.3% | 3% | 3.5% | 1.8% |
| Jan 2026 | 48.3% | 22.7% | 11.8% | 7.3% | 5.2% | 1.9% | 1.6% | 1.2% |
| Feb 2026 | 47.6% | 22.1% | 12.3% | 7.6% | 4% | 1.7% | 3.5% | 1.2% |
| Mar 2026 | 54.5% | 17.2% | 13.3% | 7% | 3.8% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 0.88% |
| Apr 2026 | 51.9% | 16.1% | 17.6% | 6.5% | 4.3% | 0.98% | 1.7% | 0.88% |
| May 2026 | 47.6% | 18.3% | 16.6% | 7.4% | 6.2% | 1.3% | 1.5% | 1% |
| Jun 2026 | 45% | 21.1% | 13.5% | 10% | 5.8% | 1.4% | 1.8% | 1.4% |
| Jul 2026 | 43.8% | 20.4% | 13.6% | 7.8% | 7.6% | 1.7% | 3.9% | 1.2% |
| Aug 2026 | 42.2% | 24.3% | 12.4% | 9.7% | 6.1% | 2.5% | 1.7% | 1.2% |
| Sep 2026 | 40.7% | 28.4% | 12.2% | 7.9% | 5.6% | 2.1% | 2% | 1.2% |
How has the Claude Code and GitHub Copilot comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Claude Code was ahead of GitHub Copilot in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Claude Code’s share of searches among AI coding assistants in New Zealand moved from 23.3% to 40.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2.9K to 5.4K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, GitHub Copilot’s share of searches among AI coding assistants in New Zealand moved from 15.9% to 12.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 2K to 1.6K.
How did search popularity change for New Zealand AI coding assistants in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, Claude Code lost share of searches among AI coding assistants in New Zealand, from 42.2% to 40.7%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for GitHub Copilot in New Zealand fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 2K to 1.6K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
11 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Claude Code’s and GitHub Copilot’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
1 branded search term
- claude code
GitHub Copilot
10 branded search terms
- copilot business
- copilot github
- github copilot
- github copilot ai
- github copilot cli
- github copilot ide
- github copilot model
- github copilot subscribe
- githubcopilot
- vscode copilot
Other head-to-heads among AI coding assistants
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