Compare software

Howl vs Textadept: catalog facts
Howl	Textadept
Free Free and open source under the MIT license.	Free Free and open source.
Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Extensible with Lua or Moonscript Keyboard-driven interface	Portable executables with no installation Graphical and terminal interfaces
The last official release was in 2019 Developed for Linux, with FreeBSD and OpenBSD builds also expected	Extending it well means learning its Lua API Smaller extension ecosystem than mainstream editors
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: MIT	License not stated
Not stated if an account is needed	No account needed
Not stated if it works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

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