Compare software

GNU nano vs micro: catalog facts
GNU nano	micro
Free Free and open source under the GPL.	Free Free and open source under the MIT licence.
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	Common keybindings, so there is nothing to learn before editing a file A single static binary with no dependencies or external files
No plugins, projects or language intelligence Not designed for editing large codebases	Not an IDE; no language server support or project tooling The plugin ecosystem is small
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0	License: MIT
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.