TL;DR: VS Code leads every developer survey in 2026 at 75.9% usage. IntelliJ IDEA still rules Java. Cursor and Claude Code are the fastest-rising AI-native editors.
The most used IDE in 2026 is Visual Studio Code, chosen by 75.9% of developers. Visual Studio (29%), Notepad++ (27.4%), IntelliJ IDEA (27.1%), and Vim (24.3%) make up the rest of the top five. Cursor, an AI-first editor that barely existed two years ago, debuted at 17.9% and sits sixth. Claude Code reached 9.7% in its first year.
These numbers come from the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, which polled 26,143 developers on the tools they use, and the JetBrains State of Developer Ecosystem 2025, based on 24,534 developers across 194 countries. This post ranks the editors people actually open every day. It does not rank features or hype.
One shift defines 2026. The line between an editor and an AI agent is gone. The fastest-growing tools on the list write code with you, not just for you. We see this every week when we vet engineers. The IDE someone picks now tells you how they work, not just what they type in.
Key takeaways
- VS Code holds 75.9% usage in 2025, its strongest lead yet and more than double any other editor.
- IntelliJ IDEA is used by 84% of Java developers, where VS Code reaches only 31%.
- Cursor entered the survey at 17.9% and Claude Code at 9.7%, the fastest editor debuts ever recorded.
- Terminal editors still matter: Vim 24.3% and Neovim 14% together rival the big graphical IDEs.
- The editor a developer chooses now signals AI fluency, which matters more for hiring than the brand name.
The most used IDEs and code editors in 2026
Here is the full ranking from the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025. The percentage is the share of all 26,143 respondents who use each tool. Many developers use more than one, so the numbers add up to well over 100%.
| Rank | IDE / editor | 2025 usage | Type | Best known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visual Studio Code | 75.9% | Editor | Everything, extensions |
| 2 | Visual Studio | 29% | Full IDE | .NET, C++, Windows |
| 3 | Notepad++ | 27.4% | Editor | Quick edits on Windows |
| 4 | IntelliJ IDEA | 27.1% | Full IDE | Java, Kotlin |
| 5 | Vim | 24.3% | Terminal | Speed, servers |
| 6 | Cursor | 17.9% | AI editor | AI pair programming |
| 7 | PyCharm | 15% | Full IDE | Python, data work |
| 8 | Android Studio | 15% | Full IDE | Android apps |
| 9 | Jupyter Notebook | 14.1% | Notebook | Data science, ML |
| 10 | Neovim | 14% | Terminal | Modern Vim, plugins |
| 11 | Nano | 12.2% | Terminal | Simple terminal edits |
| 12 | Sublime Text | 10.5% | Editor | Fast, lightweight |
| 13 | Xcode | 10% | Full IDE | iOS, macOS |
| 14 | Claude Code | 9.7% | AI agent | Terminal AI coding |
| 15 | WebStorm | 7.6% | Full IDE | JavaScript, front end |
| 16 | Zed | 7.3% | AI editor | Speed, collaboration |
| 17 | Rider | 7.1% | Full IDE | .NET, game dev |
| 18 | Eclipse | 7.1% | Full IDE | Java, enterprise |
What is your team trying to fix?
Pick one. We will point you to the right next step.
Most teams standardize on VS Code, then let Java and mobile engineers keep their full IDE. The tool matters less than the people using it. We match senior full-stack engineers who slot into any stack.
Ask candidates how they use Cursor, Copilot, or Claude Code in real work. We screen for exactly this when we vet AI and machine learning engineers.
Android Studio and Xcode are not optional for native apps. Hire engineers who already live in them. We place mobile app developers across Asia.
The biggest cost lever is labor, not licenses. Senior engineers in Asia ship the same work for 40 to 75% less. Tell us what you are building.
Why VS Code keeps winning
Visual Studio Code has led the list for nine straight years. In 2025 it reached 75.9%, its highest share ever. No other editor comes close. It is free, fast, and runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. The real reason it wins is the extension marketplace. You can turn it into a Python IDE, a Go IDE, or a Rust IDE in two clicks.
VS Code also became the base for the AI editor wave. Cursor and Windsurf are forks of it. That means an engineer who knows VS Code can move to an AI-native fork in an afternoon. When we onboard a new engineer for a client, VS Code is the safe default. It works for almost every role, from backend to data to front end.
The JetBrains family still owns serious projects
VS Code wins on volume. JetBrains wins on depth. For large, typed codebases, a full IDE still saves hours. IntelliJ IDEA leads Java by a wide margin. The JetBrains data shows 84% of Java developers use IntelliJ, while VS Code reaches only 31% and Eclipse 28%. The deep refactoring, debugging, and code analysis are hard to match in a lightweight editor.
PyCharm does the same job for Python. It sits seventh overall at 15%. It bundles a debugger, a test runner, and database tools that data teams rely on. WebStorm covers JavaScript, and Rider covers .NET and game development. We placed a senior Python engineer with a fintech client last year who refused to give up PyCharm. The client tried to standardize on VS Code. After two weeks they let the data team keep PyCharm because the debugging was faster.
Platform IDEs: Visual Studio, Android Studio, and Xcode
Some IDEs are tied to a platform. You do not choose them. The platform chooses for you. Visual Studio, not to be confused with VS Code, is the full Microsoft IDE for .NET and C++. It sits second overall at 29%. It is the standard for Windows desktop and enterprise .NET work.
Android Studio is the official IDE for Android, used by 15% of all developers and nearly every Android engineer. Xcode is the only real option for iOS and macOS apps, at 10%. If you build native mobile apps, your engineers need these tools. There is no shortcut. This is why we screen mobile candidates inside their real IDE, not on a whiteboard.
The terminal editors that refuse to die
Graphical IDEs did not kill the terminal editor. Vim sits fifth overall at 24.3%. Neovim, the modern rebuild of Vim, reaches 14%. Together they rival the big graphical tools. Engineers reach for them when they work on remote servers over SSH, where a heavy IDE will not run. They are also fast. Once your fingers learn the keys, you never touch the mouse.
Neovim added native plugin support and a language server, so it now feels like a real IDE inside the terminal. Emacs keeps a smaller but loyal base. We work with a backend engineer in Vietnam who runs Neovim with a custom config. He ships faster than most people on VS Code. The lesson is simple. The best editor is the one the engineer has mastered, not the one on a trend list.
Lightweight editors: Notepad++ and Sublime Text
Not every job needs a full IDE. Sometimes you just open a file, change one line, and save. Notepad++ is third overall at 27.4%. It is a Windows favorite for quick edits, log files, and config changes. It opens in a second and never gets in the way.
Sublime Text holds 10.5%. It is fast, clean, and handles huge files that crash other editors. Many engineers keep it next to a heavier IDE for fast text work. Both tools prove a point. Speed and simplicity still win a real share of daily use.
The AI-native wave: Cursor, Claude Code, and Windsurf
This is the real story of 2025. AI-native editors arrived and climbed fast. Cursor reached 17.9% and ranks sixth in its first survey appearance. Claude Code, which runs in the terminal, hit 9.7%. Zed reached 7.3% and Windsurf 4.9%. No category has ever grown this fast on the list.
These tools do more than autocomplete. They read your whole project, plan a change, and edit many files at once. You review the result. The GitHub Octoverse 2025 report found that AI is now part of daily work for most developers. The skill that matters is no longer typing speed. It is knowing how to direct an AI agent and check its output. We now ask every senior candidate how they use these tools in real projects.
Jupyter and notebook-based development
Data science works differently. It runs on notebooks. Jupyter sits ninth overall at 14.1% and is the standard for machine learning and data analysis. A notebook mixes code, output, and charts in one document. You run one cell, see the result, then run the next. This fits the trial-and-error loop of model building.
Eclipse still holds 7.1%, mostly in large enterprise Java and Android shops. It is older, but it runs critical systems that will not be rewritten soon. If you maintain legacy enterprise software, you will still meet Eclipse.
Editor versus full IDE: which one fits the job
People argue about editors the way they argue about football teams. The honest answer is that it depends on the job. A lightweight editor like VS Code or Sublime Text starts fast and stays out of your way. A full IDE like IntelliJ or Visual Studio does more for you, but it asks for more memory and more setup time.
Use a light editor when you switch languages often, jump across many small repos, or edit config files and scripts. Use a full IDE when you live in one large, typed codebase every day. The deep refactoring and built-in analysis pay back the extra weight. AI editors sit in the middle. They start like VS Code, then add an agent that can plan and edit across files. Most strong engineers own more than one and switch without thinking about it.
| Tool type | Startup speed | Setup effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lightweight editor | Instant | Low | Scripts, configs, many languages |
| Full IDE | Slower | Higher | Large typed codebases, refactoring |
| Terminal editor | Instant | High (one-time) | Remote servers, speed, low resource use |
| AI editor | Fast | Low | AI pair programming, multi-file changes |
| Notebook | Fast | Low | Data science, machine learning, analysis |
This is why a single company standard rarely holds for every team. A backend team may run VS Code, a Java team may need IntelliJ, and a data team may live in Jupyter. That is normal and healthy. Forcing one tool on everyone usually costs more in lost speed than it saves in support.
What the IDE survey means for hiring
The tool list is useful when you hire. It tells you what to test for. A strong engineer is comfortable in more than one editor. The JetBrains data shows 42% of Java developers use two or more IDEs. That flexibility is a good sign. It means the person adapts to the task, not the other way around.
Do not screen on IDE brand. Screen on how someone works. Can they jump into your stack quickly? Do they use AI tools well, or do they fight them? We test for both. Every engineer in our network is checked on real coding tasks in real tools, including AI editors. You can read the full process on how Second Talent works.
The bigger point is cost. The editor is free or cheap. The engineer is the expense. A senior engineer in the United States can cost 8,000 to 18,000 dollars a month. The same skill in Vietnam or the Philippines costs 2,200 to 6,500 dollars. The tools are identical. The output is the same. We see this every day when we place engineers who use VS Code, Cursor, and IntelliJ for clients in the US and Europe.
The bottom line
VS Code rules by volume. JetBrains rules serious typed projects. Vim and Neovim hold the terminal. AI-native editors are the fastest risers and will keep climbing in 2026. But the tool is only half the story. The engineer behind it is what ships your product.
If you want senior engineers who are fluent in modern tools and AI workflows, we can help. We match pre-vetted developers across Asia in 24 hours, with no upfront fees. Tell us what you are building →
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).
