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Helix vs mle: catalog facts
Helix	mle
Free Free and open source under the MPL 2.0.	Free Free and open source under the Apache-2.0 license.
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	Syntax highlighting, multiple cursors, and window splitting Lua extensibility and configurable key maps
No plugin system, so anything missing stays missing Selection-first keys are genuinely different from Vim muscle memory	Requires terminal use Windows use requires Cygwin or WSL
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MPL-2.0	License: Apache-2.0
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

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