--- title: "Cursor vs OpenAI Codex: Which is searched more in New Zealand?" description: "Is Cursor or OpenAI Codex more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI coding assistants set in New Zealand. 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/nz/compare/cursor-vs-openai-codex" publisher: "Brandwave" --- # Cursor vs OpenAI Codex: Which is searched more in New Zealand? Is Cursor or OpenAI Codex more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the AI coding assistants set in New Zealand. 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**: Cursor and OpenAI Codex - **Competitive set**: AI coding assistants - **Market**: New Zealand - **Month measured**: Sep 2026 - **Cursor Share of Search**: 7.9% - **OpenAI Codex Share of Search**: 2% ## Is Cursor or OpenAI Codex more popular in search? - In September 2026, Cursor had more branded searches than OpenAI Codex among AI coding assistants in New Zealand. Cursor had about 1,050 branded searches, while OpenAI Codex had 260. Cursor made up 7.9% of all AI coding assistant searches we track, and OpenAI Codex accounted for 2%. - Cursor was ahead of OpenAI Codex in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Cursor’s share of searches among AI coding assistants in New Zealand moved from 12.3% to 7.9%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 1.5K to 1.1K. - Across the 12 months ending September 2026, OpenAI Codex’s share of searches among AI coding assistants in New Zealand moved from 3.1% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 390 to 260. ## Top AI coding assistants in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Cursor appeared in all five answers. OpenAI Codex was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Cursor was listed before OpenAI Codex 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 | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Cursor | 1st | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | GitHub Copilot | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | Claude Code | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 2 of 2 | 5 of 5 | | OpenAI Codex | 4th | 3 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 3 of 5 | | Windsurf | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 2 | 2 of 5 | | Replit | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Lovable | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | | Bolt | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 2 | 0 of 5 | ## Every AI answer about AI coding assistants - Asked ChatGPT "Which AI coding assistant should I use in New Zealand?": 1. Cursor, 2. Claude Code, 3. GitHub Copilot, 4. OpenAI Codex - Asked ChatGPT "What are the best AI coding assistants in New Zealand?": 1. GitHub Copilot, 2. Cursor, 3. Claude Code, 4. OpenAI Codex, 5. Windsurf - Asked ChatGPT "What's the best AI coding assistant in New Zealand for software development?": 1. Cursor, 2. Claude Code, 3. GitHub Copilot, 4. OpenAI Codex - Searched Google, AI Overview "ai coding assistant": 1. Cursor, 2. GitHub Copilot, 3. Claude Code, 4. Windsurf - Searched Google, AI Overview "ai pair programming": 1. GitHub Copilot, 2. Cursor, 3. Claude Code Not named in any answer: Replit, Lovable and Bolt. Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 20, 2026. ## How did search popularity change for New Zealand AI coding assistants in September 2026? - In September 2026, Cursor lost share of searches among AI coding assistants in New Zealand, from 9.7% to 7.9%. - Estimated monthly branded searches for OpenAI Codex in New Zealand fell 33.3% over 12 measured months, from 390 to 260 in September 2026. ## Month by month | Month | Cursor estimated searches | Cursor Share of Search | Cursor rank | OpenAI Codex estimated searches | OpenAI Codex Share of Search | OpenAI Codex rank | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Oct 2025 | 1.5K | 12.3% | 4 | 390 | 3.1% | 7 | | Nov 2025 | 1.6K | 13.7% | 4 | 170 | 1.5% | 8 | | Dec 2025 | 1.1K | 10.1% | 4 | 390 | 3.5% | 6 | | Jan 2026 | 1.2K | 7.3% | 4 | 260 | 1.6% | 7 | | Feb 2026 | 1.6K | 7.6% | 4 | 720 | 3.5% | 6 | | Mar 2026 | 1.9K | 7% | 4 | 590 | 2.2% | 6 | | Apr 2026 | 1.8K | 6.5% | 4 | 480 | 1.7% | 6 | | May 2026 | 1.9K | 7.4% | 4 | 390 | 1.5% | 6 | | Jun 2026 | 2.2K | 10% | 4 | 390 | 1.8% | 6 | | Jul 2026 | 1.2K | 7.8% | 4 | 590 | 3.9% | 6 | | Aug 2026 | 1.5K | 9.7% | 4 | 260 | 1.7% | 7 | | Sep 2026 | 1.1K | 7.9% | 4 | 260 | 2% | 7 | ## How each brand is measured Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Cursor’s and OpenAI Codex’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. - **Cursor**: Measured on the search terms “cursor ai”, “cursor coding”, “cursor editor” and “cursor ide”, summed into one figure. - **OpenAI Codex**: Measured on the search term “openai codex”. - [Cursor profile](/demand/nz/brands/cursor) - [OpenAI Codex profile](/demand/nz/brands/openai-codex) - [All AI coding assistants in New Zealand](/demand/nz/categories/nz-ai-coding-assistants): The set both shares are measured inside, 8 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 Cursor or OpenAI Codex more popular in search? In September 2026, Cursor had more branded searches than OpenAI Codex among AI coding assistants in New Zealand. Cursor had about 1,050 branded searches, while OpenAI Codex had 260. Cursor made up 7.9% of all AI coding assistant searches we track, and OpenAI Codex accounted for 2%. ## Cite this page Brandwave. "Cursor vs OpenAI Codex: Which is searched more in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/cursor-vs-openai-codex This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/cursor-vs-openai-codex. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.