AI coding assistants · #2 of 34 · ↑ Cursor · ↓ Claude Code
GitHub Copilot
GitHub Copilot ranks #2 of 34 in ai coding assistants in the week of 12 October 2026, with a visibility score of 62 across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. It was named in 83% of the answers we sampled.
GitHub Copilot shows up often when AI assistants talk about coding tools, named in 60 of 70 answers. Scores vary by assistant: Gemini and Perplexity rate it 68, ChatGPT gives it 65, and Claude comes in lower at 54, for an overall score of 62. It gets named in every answer to questions like "Which AI coding tool writes the most reliable code?", "What are the top AI coding assistants in 2026?", "Which AI coding assistant gives the best value for the money?", "What are the best free AI coding assistants?", and "Which AI coding assistant is best for professional developers?" It never comes up for local, privacy-focused use or terminal-based questions.
Who's talking about you
| assistant | score | named in, this week | usual spot, this week |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 66 | 85% of answers | #2.8 |
| Claude | 56 | 85% of answers | #4.2 |
| Gemini | 63 | 82% of answers | #3.9 |
| Perplexity | 67 | 79% of answers | #2.3 |
Questions you win
| question | named in | best spot |
|---|---|---|
| What are the best AI coding assistants? | 4 of 4 | #1 |
| What are the best free AI coding assistants? | 3 of 3 | #1 |
| What are the top AI coding assistants in 2026? | 4 of 4 | #1 |
| Which AI coding assistant gives the best value for the money? | 3 of 3 | #1 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for Python? | 3 of 3 | #1 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for VS Code? | 4 of 4 | #1 |
| Which AI coding assistant is best for professional developers? | 4 of 4 | #2 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for beginners learning to code? | 3 of 3 | #2 |
| What's the best AI tool to review pull requests automatically? | 3 of 3 | #2 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for building mobile apps? | 4 of 4 | #2 |
| What are the best alternatives to Cursor? | 4 of 4 | #2 |
| What are the best alternatives to Windsurf? | 3 of 3 | #2 |
| What's the best AI code editor right now? | 3 of 3 | #3 |
| Which AI coding tool writes the most reliable code? | 4 of 4 | #3 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for a solo developer building a SaaS? | 4 of 4 | #3 |
| What's the best AI tool for writing and fixing React and Next.js code? | 3 of 3 | #3 |
| Which AI coding assistant is best for large codebases? | 3 of 3 | #3 |
| Which AI coding tool is best for writing tests? | 4 of 4 | #3 |
| What are the best alternatives to Claude Code? | 4 of 4 | #3 |
| What are the best AI coding agents that can work across a whole codebase? | 2 of 3 | #4 |
| What are the best alternatives to Aider? | 2 of 4 | #9 |
Questions you lose
| question | who got named instead |
|---|---|
| What's the best AI coding assistant that works in the terminal? | Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, Aider |
| What's the best AI coding assistant I can run locally for privacy? | Continue, Aider, Cline |
| What's the best open-source AI coding assistant? | Cline, Aider, OpenCode |
Assistants cited 10 pages for questions in this category that name your rivals and not you. See all sources for AI coding assistants.
In their words
- ChatGPT“If you're looking to replace Windsurf's AI-powered coding editor, my top recommendations are Cursor, Claude Code, and GitHub Copilot\.”
- Gemini“GitHub Copilot (with Copilot Workspace)”
- Claude“GitHub Copilot — now has agent mode; cheapest paid option if you're already in the GitHub ecosystem.”
Closest rivals
- GitHub Copilot vs Cursor65
- GitHub Copilot vs Claude Code46
- GitHub Copilot vs Aider23
- GitHub Copilot vs OpenAI Codex22
- GitHub Copilot vs Windsurf21
All GitHub Copilot alternatives · Full AI coding assistants leaderboard · Sources