18 Most Used IDEs in 2026: The Ranked List (Real Developer Data)

By Elton Chan, Co-Founder September 22, 2026 10 min read

18 Most Used IDEs in 2026: The. 18 Most Used IDEs in 2026: The Ranked List (Real Developer Data), by Second Talent.

TL;DR: Visual Studio Code is the most used IDE in 2026: 75.9% of developers use it, according to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025. Visual Studio (29%), Notepad++ (27.4%), IntelliJ IDEA (27.1%) and Vim (24.3%) complete the top five. Cursor is the highest-ranked AI-native editor, sixth at 17.9%.

Cursor was not on Stack Overflow's IDE list in 2024. A year later it placed sixth, ahead of PyCharm, Android Studio and Xcode, and on 14 August 2026 it became part of SpaceX. Terminal-based Claude Code entered the same list at 9.7%.

Key takeaways

1Neovim is the most admired editor at 74.4%: three in four of its users want to keep using it.
2Among professional developers who use AI, Cursor reaches 21.7% and Claude Code 11.3%.
351% of professional developers use AI tools every day.
4Eclipse fell from 9.4% to 7.1%, and only 32.9% of its users want to keep it.

The 18 Most Used IDEs and Code Editors in 2026

The 18 most used IDEs in 2026, in order, are VS Code, Visual Studio, Notepad++, IntelliJ IDEA, Vim, Cursor, PyCharm, Android Studio, Jupyter, Neovim, Nano, Sublime Text, Xcode, Claude Code, WebStorm, Zed, Rider and Eclipse.

The ranking is the IDE question of the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, answered by 26,143 developers.

IDE	All devs	Pros using AI	Admired
1. VS Code	75.9%	77.7%	62.6%
2. Visual Studio	29%	29%	51.8%
3. Notepad++	27.4%	26%	54.7%
4. IntelliJ IDEA	27.1%	29.1%	58.2%
5. Vim	24.3%	23.3%	59.3%
6. Cursor	17.9%	21.7%	46.7%
7. PyCharm	15%	14.7%	52.9%
8. Android Studio	15%	15.2%	43.2%
9. Jupyter	14.1%	12.7%	53.8%
10. Neovim	14%	13.5%	74.4%
11. Nano	12.2%	11%	51.2%
12. Sublime Text	10.5%	10.8%	50.1%
13. Xcode	10%	11%	41.3%
14. Claude Code	9.7%	11.3%	52.5%
15. WebStorm	7.6%	8.8%	59.1%
16. Zed	7.3%	7.9%	57%
17. Rider	7.1%	8.1%	60.8%
18. Eclipse	7.1%	6.3%	32.9%

Source: Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, IDE question. All devs n=26,143. Admired: share of current users who want to keep using the tool.

How to read the numbers. Developers could tick every tool they used regularly in the past year, so the column adds up to far more than 100%. The 2024 figures quoted below come from a larger sample (58,121 answers), so small year-on-year moves are within the noise.

1. Visual Studio Code: 75.9%

48.9% want to use it next year73.6% in 2024Free, MIT-licensed AI chat

48.9% of all developers say they want to work in VS Code next year, more than double the share for any other editor. Stack Overflow notes it has been the most used IDE five years running. It rose from 73.6% in 2024 to 75.9%.

Visual Studio Code editor with file explorer, code, and integrated terminal — Visual Studio Code, the most used editor in 2026. Image: Microsoft, public domain (Wikimedia Commons).

Microsoft's answer to the AI editors was to open its own. In June 2025 it open-sourced the GitHub Copilot Chat extension under the MIT license, the first step in making VS Code an open-source AI editor.

Cursor and Windsurf are both built on VS Code's open-source core, so a VS Code user can switch to either without relearning the basics.

The 2025 developer survey at a glance: 26,143 developers answered the IDE question, 75.9 percent use VS Code, and 42 percent of Java developers use more than one IDE

The 42% in that summary applies to Java developers only, from Perforce's 2025 Java Developer Productivity Report; the IntelliJ entry below has the detail. Our IDE statistics roundup covers pricing and extension numbers.

2. Visual Studio: 29%

VS 2026 GA November 202529.7% of professionals51.8% admired

Visual Studio, the full Microsoft IDE for .NET and C++, is a different product from VS Code, and it still ranks second. Microsoft made Visual Studio 2026 generally available on 11 November 2025.

Its share went from 29.3% in 2024 to 29%, which fits a tool chosen by platform rather than taste: Windows desktop and enterprise .NET work.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2022 showing IntelliSense code completion — Visual Studio 2022 with IntelliSense. Image: Hwi.padam, public domain (Wikimedia Commons).

3. Notepad++: 27.4%

+3.5 points since 2024Windows only, GPL

A free Windows text editor sits above IntelliJ IDEA. Notepad++ rose from 23.9% in 2024 to 27.4%, the biggest gain of any tool in the top five. It runs only on Windows, and its authors release it under the GNU General Public License.

Notepad++ editor showing code with line numbers on Windows — Notepad++, the Windows quick-edit favorite. Image: Delta83, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

4. IntelliJ IDEA: 27.1%

72% to 84% of Java developers17.5% want it next year, 2ndOne installer since 2025

IntelliJ IDEA ranks fourth overall but first in Java, and it is the second most wanted IDE after VS Code. The size of its lead depends on the survey.

Perforce's 2025 Java Developer Productivity Report found 84% of Java developers use IntelliJ, 31% VS Code and 28% Eclipse, with 42% using more than one Java IDE.

Top IDEs among Java developers in 2025: IntelliJ IDEA 84 percent, VS Code 31 percent, Eclipse 28 percent — Figures: Perforce 2025 Java Developer Productivity Report.

Perforce, 2025

84% of Java developers use IntelliJ IDEA
42% use more than one Java IDE

JetBrains, 2025

72% of Java developers use IntelliJ IDEA
5,000+ Java developers surveyed

JetBrains' own State of Java 2025 puts IntelliJ at 72%. In 2025 JetBrains also merged Community and Ultimate into one installer; Ultimate features still need a subscription.

IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition showing a Java project with code completion — IntelliJ IDEA, the leading Java IDE. Image: JetBrains, screenshot by VulcanSphere, Apache License 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

5. Vim: 24.3%

59.3% admired21.6% in 2024

One developer in four uses Vim, up from 21.6% in 2024.

It runs in any terminal, including a remote server over SSH where a graphical IDE will not start, and its users are loyal: 59.3% want to keep using it, a higher share than Visual Studio or Notepad++ get.

Vim text editor running in a terminal with syntax highlighting — Vim, still used by a quarter of developers. Image: SyfulAakash, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

6. Cursor: 17.9%

Part of SpaceX since 14 Aug 202621.7% of pros using AI46.7% admired

Cursor is the only AI-native editor in the top 10, and it is far more popular with working developers than with learners: 21.7% of professionals who use AI, against 11.3% of people learning to code.

It is a fork of VS Code that adds an agent able to plan and edit across many files. Cursor became part of SpaceX on 14 August 2026, completing a deal that started in April.

AI-native coding tools and their 2025 adoption: Cursor 17.9 percent, Claude Code 9.7 percent, Zed 7.3 percent, Windsurf 4.9 percent, Bolt 2.3 percent, Aider 1.9 percent

Satisfaction lags the hype. Only 46.7% of Cursor users want to keep using it, below the survey's big editors. Windsurf, its closest VS Code-based rival at 4.9%, agreed to be acquired by Cognition in 2025.

Our Cursor statistics and Cursor vs GitHub Copilot comparison cover pricing and usage.

7. PyCharm: 15%

21.8% of learnersFree core since 2025

PyCharm is more popular with people learning to code (21.8%) than with professionals (14.2%). JetBrains made PyCharm one unified product in 2025: the core, including Jupyter notebook support, is free, and a Pro subscription adds the rest.

Its share was flat, 15.1% in 2024 against 15% in 2025.

PyCharm Community Edition showing a Python file with the project tree — PyCharm, the JetBrains IDE for Python. Image: JetBrains, screenshot by VulcanSphere, Apache License 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

8. Android Studio: 15%

43.2% admired16.1% in 2024

Android Studio is one of the least loved tools on the list: only 43.2% of its users want to keep using it. It is Google's official IDE for native Android apps, which leaves Android developers few alternatives.

Its share slipped from 16.1% in 2024 to 15%, and learners use it more than professionals (21.9% against 14.8%).

Android Studio showing an Android project with the layout editor — Android Studio, the official Android IDE. Image: Google LLC, CC BY 2.5 (Wikimedia Commons).

9. Jupyter Notebook and JupyterLab: 14.1%

22.9% of learners12.8% in 2024

Almost one learner in four uses Jupyter (22.9%), against 12% of professionals. A Jupyter notebook mixes live code, equations, text and charts in one web document, which suits data analysis and model building.

You run a cell, check its output, then run the next.

Jupyter Notebook showing Python code cells with output — Jupyter Notebook, the data science standard. Image: Andrey Yakimchik, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

10. Neovim: 14%

74.4% admired, the highest23.7% of learners

Neovim has the most loyal users of any tool in the survey: 74.4% want to keep using it. It is also far more common among learners (23.7%) than professionals (13.6%). The current major version, Neovim 0.11, shipped in March 2025.

With language-server plugins it behaves like a full IDE inside the terminal.

Neovim running in a terminal with a file tree and code — Neovim, the modern rebuild of Vim. Image: Neovim contributors, screenshot by VulcanSphere, Apache License 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

Emacs, the other long-lived terminal editor, was used by 4.2% of developers in 2024 and did not make the 2025 chart.

GNU Emacs with the Doom configuration showing code — GNU Emacs with the Doom config. Image: Henrik Lissner, MIT License (Wikimedia Commons).

11. Nano: 12.2%

+3 points since 202418% of learners

Nano rose from 9.2% to 12.2%, a bigger jump than Vim's. GNU nano is a small terminal editor with no plugins or modes to learn, which makes it the quick option on a server. Learners use it more than professionals, 18% against 11.3%.

12. Sublime Text: 10.5%

$99 personal license10.9% in 2024

A Sublime Text license costs $99, a one-off price rather than a subscription. It still holds a tenth of developers, against 10.9% in 2024, and half its users (50.1%) want to keep it.

Sublime Text 3 showing a PHP hello world program — Sublime Text, fast and lightweight. Image: MJ500, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

13. Xcode: 10%

Agentic coding since Xcode 26.341.3% admired

Xcode is the only real option for iOS and macOS apps, and it has the second-lowest admiration score among the top 18 at 41.3%.

Apple added coding agents in February 2026: Xcode 26.3 lets developers run Anthropic's Claude Agent and OpenAI's Codex inside the IDE. Its share edged up from 9.3% to 10%.

Apple Xcode running on macOS with a Swift project — Xcode, the IDE for iOS and macOS. Image: HtetPyae, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

14. Claude Code: 9.7%

Terminal, not an editor11.3% of pros using AI52.5% admired

Claude Code is the only tool in the top 18 without an editor window. It is an AI agent that runs in the terminal, reads a project, and makes changes across files that the developer then reviews.

Anthropic made it generally available in May 2025, with integrations for VS Code and JetBrains IDEs.

AI tools, all devs2025

84%

use or plan to use AI tools when coding, up from 76% in 2024

Daily use, professionals2025

51%

of professional developers use AI tools every day

Source: Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, AI section.

The same Stack Overflow survey found 84% of developers using or planning to use AI tools. Our Claude statistics track Claude Code's growth since.

15. WebStorm: 7.6%

Free for non-commercial use59.1% admired

WebStorm is JetBrains' JavaScript and TypeScript IDE. In October 2024 JetBrains made WebStorm and Rider free for non-commercial use. Usage held steady at 7.6%, against 7.5% in 2024, and its users rate it well: 59.1% want to keep it.

16. Zed: 7.3%

Built in Rust, GPL57% admired

Zed is the one AI editor on the list that is not a VS Code fork. Its team wrote it in Rust and made it open source under the GPL, including its agent panel.

Zed was not in the 2024 question and entered at 7.3%, with a higher admiration score (57%) than Cursor's.

17. Rider: 7.1%

60.8% admired5.7% in 2024

Rider, JetBrains' .NET IDE, grew from 5.7% to 7.1% and has the third-highest admiration score in the top 18 (60.8%). It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux, where Visual Studio is Windows-only.

18. Eclipse: 7.1%

32.9% admired, the lowest9.4% in 2024

Eclipse lost the most ground of any tool on the list, from 9.4% to 7.1%, and only 32.9% of its users want to keep it.

It remains in large enterprise Java systems, and the Eclipse Foundation still ships regular releases: the current one is Eclipse IDE 2026-09.

Eclipse IDE showing a Java project with the package explorer — Eclipse, still common in enterprise Java. Image: Linux Screenshots, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).

Editor, IDE, Terminal or AI Agent

The 18 tools fall into five types. Most developers use more than one, switching by task rather than by brand.

Tool type	Examples	Best for
Lightweight editor	VS Code, Notepad++, Sublime Text	Scripts, configs, many languages
Full IDE	IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio, PyCharm	Large typed codebases, refactoring
Terminal editor	Vim, Neovim, Nano	Remote servers, low resource use
AI editor or agent	Cursor, Zed, Claude Code	Multi-file changes, AI pair programming
Notebook	Jupyter	Data science and analysis

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most used IDE in 2026?

Visual Studio Code is the most used IDE, used by 75.9% of developers in the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025. Visual Studio is second at 29%.

What is the best IDE for Java?

IntelliJ IDEA is the most used Java IDE: 84% of Java developers in Perforce's 2025 survey and 72% in JetBrains' State of Java 2025. VS Code and Eclipse follow.

Which AI code editor is most popular?

Cursor, at 17.9% of all developers, followed by Claude Code (9.7%), Zed (7.3%) and Windsurf (4.9%). GitHub Copilot is an extension inside VS Code and JetBrains IDEs rather than a separate editor; see our GitHub Copilot statistics.

Is there a 2026 Stack Overflow survey yet?

Not as of September 2026. The 2025 edition is still the latest one Stack Overflow has published.

Image credits: editor screenshots are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licenses noted in each caption. VS Code (Microsoft, public domain), Visual Studio (Hwi.padam, public domain), Notepad++ (Delta83, CC BY-SA 4.0), IntelliJ IDEA and PyCharm (VulcanSphere, Apache 2.0), Vim (SyfulAakash, CC BY-SA 4.0), Neovim (VulcanSphere, Apache 2.0), Android Studio (Google, CC BY 2.5), Sublime Text (MJ500, CC BY-SA 4.0), Xcode (HtetPyae, CC BY-SA 4.0), Jupyter (Andrey Yakimchik, CC BY 4.0), Eclipse (Linux Screenshots, CC BY 2.0), and Emacs (Henrik Lissner, MIT).

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Written by

Elton Chan

Elton Chan is the Co-Founder of Second Talent, a solution that connects global tech leaders with top-tier tech talent across Asia. He specializes in talent solutions and has led Second Talent’s rapid growth since 2024, helping scale its network to over 100,000 pre-vetted developers and earning industry recognition as the #1 in the Global Hiring category on G2. A long-time entrepreneur with deep roots in digital transformation, Elton previously co-founded Branch8, a Y Combinator–backed e-commerce technology firm, and served as the Founding Chairman of HKEBA, a leading Asia-focused business association driving innovation, digital education, and cross-border collaboration. His work bridges technology, talent, and business strategy to shape how companies scale in an increasingly remote and digital world.