Alternatives to Vim
The editor that is already on every server, with a graphical build for Windows and a licence that asks you to donate to Ugandan children. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
Vim
The editor that is already on every server, with a graphical build for Windows and a licence that asks you to donate to Ugandan children.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as Vim.
Neovim
A modern rewrite of Vim with a built-in language server client, Lua configuration and an embeddable API.
Neovim keeps Vim's modal editing but adds a built-in LSP client, Tree-sitter parsing and Lua configuration in place of Vimscript.
Helix
A modal terminal editor with language servers and multiple selections built in, and no plugins to install.
Helix is a modal terminal editor with language servers built in and selection-first keys, which differ from Vim muscle memory, and it has no plugin system.
GNU Emacs
An editor that is really a Lisp environment, extensible to the point where people run their email, calendar and shell inside it.
GNU Emacs is extensible in Emacs Lisp and runs in a terminal or window, with its own steep learning curve and keybindings unlike Vim.
GNU nano
Small terminal text editor with the shortcuts printed on screen.
GNU nano is a simple terminal editor with shortcuts shown on screen and wide availability, but it has no plugins or language intelligence.
micro
A terminal editor with the keybindings you already know: Ctrl-S to save, Ctrl-C to copy, Ctrl-Z to undo.
micro is a terminal editor with common Ctrl-S and Ctrl-C keybindings instead of modes, a single static binary, but no language server support.
Microsoft Edit
Edit text with a familiar interface inside your terminal.
Microsoft Edit is an MIT-licensed terminal editor with a familiar non-modal interface, focused on basic text editing rather than Vim's extensibility.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
Sublime Text
A fast native editor for code and prose, paid for but with an evaluation that never stops working.
Lapce
A code editor written in Rust with GPU rendering, built-in LSP support, optional modal editing and remote development.
Zed
A Rust editor from the people who built Atom, written for speed and for two people editing one file.
Visual Studio Code
Microsoft's code editor, free to use but shipped under a Microsoft licence rather than an open one.
