Claude Code vs Cursor
Claude Code is named first more often: 31% of runs against 24% for Cursor. AI Coding Assistants, measured on 2026-09-14.
Claude Code
31%of runs named it first
Named249/374 · 67%
Median position2
Questions led3/15
Measurements tracked2
Tone of mentions
Cursor
24%of runs named it first
Named314/374 · 84%
Median position2
Questions led12/15
Measurements tracked2
Tone of mentions
Question by question
How often each brand was named for each question asked. The larger figure in a pair is set in full weight; colour is not used, so the comparison reads the same in greyscale.
QuestionClaude CodeCursor
What is the best AI coding assistant?Claude Code: 88%Cursor: 96%
Which AI is best for writing code in 2026?Claude Code: 80%Cursor: 92%
What AI coding tool should a beginner start with?Claude Code: 40%Cursor: 96%
Which AI coding assistant is best for a large existing codebase?Claude Code: 80%Cursor: 100%
What is the best AI pair programmer for a professional developer?Claude Code: 84%Cursor: 96%
Which AI coding tool gives the best value for money?Claude Code: 42%Cursor: 96%
What is the best AI agent for autonomous coding tasks?Claude Code: 96%Cursor: 72%
Which AI coding assistant works best in the terminal?Claude Code: 84%Cursor: 24%
What is the best AI code editor?Claude Code: 48%Cursor: 100%
Which AI coding tool do professional software teams prefer?Claude Code: 88%Cursor: 84%
What is the best free AI coding assistant?Claude Code: 8%Cursor: 48%
Which AI is best at debugging existing code?Claude Code: 80%Cursor: 96%
What is the best AI coding assistant for refactoring?Claude Code: 80%Cursor: 100%
Which AI coding tool has the best code review capability?Claude Code: 28%Cursor: 60%
What AI coding assistant should I use for a side project?Claude Code: 72%Cursor: 100%
Rotation over time
The share of answers naming each brand, for each measurement. Zero means the brand was absent from its answered calls. Points are evenly spaced by measurement.
Lines break where measurements are not comparable.
Claude Code Cursor2026-08-22 to 2026-09-14