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Howl vs Lite XL: catalog facts
Howl	Lite XL
Free Free and open source under the MIT license.	Free The open-source application is available without a license fee.
Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Extensible with Lua or Moonscript Keyboard-driven interface	Extensible through Lua plugins and themes
The last official release was in 2019 Developed for Linux, with FreeBSD and OpenBSD builds also expected	Some Lite plugins need adaptations for Lite XL.
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License: MIT
Not stated if an account is needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Not stated if it works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 22, 2026

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