AI coding assistants · #6 of 34 · ↑ OpenAI Codex · ↓ Cline
Windsurf
Windsurf ranks #6 of 34 in ai coding assistants in the week of 12 October 2026, with a visibility score of 21 across ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Perplexity. It was named in 27% of the answers we sampled.
Windsurf lands an overall score of 25 out of 100, named in 28 of 70 answers across the AI coding assistants category. Gemini rates it highest at 54, while ChatGPT is far less convinced at 11, with Claude at 26 and Perplexity at 24. It shows up consistently for broad questions like "What are the top AI coding assistants in 2026?" and "What's the best AI code editor right now?", each 4 of 4 answers. But it's absent entirely from more specific asks, including reliability, local/privacy use, test writing, beginner-friendliness, and pull request review.
this is mine claim it, free, forever. We also check whether ChatGPT and Claude can read windsurf.com.
Who's talking about you
| assistant | score | named in, this week | usual spot, this week |
|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | 12 | 20% of answers | #5.0 |
| Claude | 25 | 40% of answers | #6.1 |
| Gemini | 41 | 45% of answers | #5.4 |
| Perplexity | 16 | 11% of answers | #4.0 |
Questions you win
| question | named in | best spot |
|---|---|---|
| What's the best AI code editor right now? | 3 of 3 | #2 |
| What are the best AI coding assistants? | 4 of 4 | #3 |
| What are the best alternatives to Cursor? | 3 of 4 | #1 |
| What are the top AI coding assistants in 2026? | 3 of 4 | #3 |
| What are the best alternatives to GitHub Copilot? | 3 of 4 | #3 |
| What are the best alternatives to Claude Code? | 3 of 4 | #4 |
| 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 | #6 |
| What are the best free AI coding assistants? | 1 of 3 | #4 |
| Which AI coding assistant gives the best value for the money? | 1 of 3 | #4 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for Python? | 1 of 3 | #4 |
| What's the best AI tool for writing and fixing React and Next.js code? | 1 of 3 | #6 |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for VS Code? | 1 of 4 | #4 |
| Which AI coding assistant is best for professional developers? | 1 of 4 | #5 |
| Which AI coding tool writes the most reliable code? | 1 of 4 | #10 |
Questions you lose
| question | who got named instead |
|---|---|
| What's the best AI coding assistant for a solo developer building a SaaS? | Cursor, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for beginners learning to code? | GitHub Copilot, Cursor |
| Which AI coding assistant is best for large codebases? | Claude Code, Cursor, Sourcegraph Cody |
| What's the best AI tool to review pull requests automatically? | CodeRabbit, Greptile, GitHub Copilot |
| 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 |
| Which AI coding tool is best for writing tests? | Cursor, Qodo, Claude Code |
| What's the best AI coding assistant for building mobile apps? | Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code |
Assistants cited 12 pages for questions in this category that name your rivals and not you. Claim to see them. See all sources for AI coding assistants.
In their words
- ChatGPT“If you're looking for a better alternative to GitHub Copilot, my top recommendations are Cursor, Claude Code, Windsurf, and OpenAI Codex\.”
- Gemini“Windsurf (by Codeium)”
- Claude“Windsurf — similar category, agentic "Cascade" workflow.”
Closest rivals
- Windsurf vs Cline20
- Windsurf vs OpenAI Codex22
- Windsurf vs Aider23
- Windsurf vs Continue15
- Windsurf vs JetBrains AI Assistant11
All Windsurf alternatives · Full AI coding assistants leaderboard · Sources