Compare software

Helix vs ne: catalog facts
Helix	ne
Free Free and open source under the MPL 2.0.	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	macOS, Linux, Command line
Language server and tree-sitter support without installing anything Selection-first editing makes multiple cursors a first-class tool	Easy to learn compared with vi or Emacs Light on memory and CPU
No plugin system, so anything missing stays missing Selection-first keys are genuinely different from Vim muscle memory	Terminal only, with no graphical interface Smaller user community than vi or Emacs
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MPL-2.0	License: GPL-3.0
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 October 1, 2026

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