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Helix vs micro: catalog facts
Helix	micro
Free Free and open source under the MPL 2.0.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Language server and tree-sitter support without installing anything Selection-first editing makes multiple cursors a first-class tool	Common keybindings, so there is nothing to learn before editing a file A single static binary with no dependencies or external files
No plugin system, so anything missing stays missing Selection-first keys are genuinely different from Vim muscle memory	Not an IDE; no language server support or project tooling The plugin ecosystem is small
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MPL-2.0	License: MIT
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.