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GNU nano vs Helix: catalog facts
GNU nano	Helix
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source under the MPL 2.0.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Shortcuts shown on screen, so there is nothing to memorise Installed or one package away on practically every Unix system	Language server and tree-sitter support without installing anything Selection-first editing makes multiple cursors a first-class tool
No plugins, projects or language intelligence Not designed for editing large codebases	No plugin system, so anything missing stays missing Selection-first keys are genuinely different from Vim muscle memory
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: MPL-2.0
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 September 22, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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