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1 more ways to get Nova
Package managers
- Homebrew
brew install --cask nova
About Nova
Nova is a code editor and IDE built entirely with native Mac frameworks, which keeps memory use and battery drain low. It brings editing, debugging, terminals, Git and remote file transfers into a single workspace, with direct publishing to servers.
Version 14 adds language server management, where Nova can install servers for you, built-in Rust, Swift and C/C++ support, and per-language editor settings. It requires macOS 15.6 or later and offers a free 30-day trial.
Strengths
- Fully native Mac app with low resource use
- Terminal, Git, debugging and file transfer in one window
- Installs and manages language servers
- Built-in Rust, Swift and C/C++ support
Limitations
- macOS only, requiring macOS 15.6 or later
- Paid after the trial
Details
- Pricing
- PaidPaid app with a free 30-day trial.
- License
- Proprietary (Proprietary)
- Developer
- Panic
- Platforms
- macOS
- How it runs
- Downloadable app
- Best suited for
- Mac developers who want a native editor with built-in publishing and Git
- Categories
- Code editors, Developer tools
- Last verified
- Added
- Provenance
- Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.
Alternatives to Nova
Compare allSoftware that can replace Nova for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.
Visual Studio Code
Microsoft's code editor, free to use but shipped under a Microsoft licence rather than an open one.
Visual Studio Code is free, runs on Windows and Linux too, and has extensions for nearly every language, but is Electron-based rather than a native Mac app.
Zed
A Rust editor from the people who built Atom, written for speed and for two people editing one file.
Zed is a GPU-rendered Rust editor with language servers, real-time collaboration and AI features, available on Windows and Linux, and mostly licensed under GPL 3.0 or later.
Sublime Text
A fast native editor for code and prose, paid for but with an evaluation that never stops working.
Sublime Text is a paid native editor for macOS, Windows and Linux that handles very large files, but its language support relies on third-party packages.
BBEdit
A long-running macOS text and code editor for writers, web authors and software developers.
BBEdit is a long-running macOS editor with grep search across files and SFTP editing, and its free mode stays usable after the trial, though some features need payment.
CodeEdit
A lightweight, open-source code editor for macOS, built natively in Swift.
CodeEdit is a free, open-source native Swift editor for macOS with a lightweight design, but it is still in development at version 0.3.6.
TextMate
An open-source macOS text editor known for bundles, snippets, multiple carets and scoped settings.
TextMate is a free open-source macOS editor with bundles, snippets, multiple carets and a built-in version control view, though its updates are infrequent.
VSCodium
Visual Studio Code built from the same source without Microsoft’s branding, telemetry or licence.
VSCodium offers the VS Code editor under the MIT licence without telemetry on macOS, Windows and Linux, using Open VSX for extensions.
Nova as an alternative
Listings that name Nova as an alternative.
CodeRunner
A lightweight macOS programming editor that runs and debugs code in many languages.
Nova is Panic's paid native macOS editor with terminals, Git, debugging and managed language servers in one window, but it requires macOS 15.6 or later.
CotEditor
A free, open-source plain-text and code editor made for macOS.
Nova adds terminals, Git, debugging and managed language servers in a native Mac app, but it is paid after the trial and needs macOS 15.6 or later.
RustRover
A JetBrains IDE for Rust with code analysis, refactoring, debugging, testing and Cargo integration.
Nova is a paid native macOS editor with built-in Rust support, language server management and debugging, but it runs on macOS only.
Similar software
Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.
