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Neovim vs Helix: catalog facts
Neovim	Helix
Free Free and open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, with some parts under the Vim licence.	Free Free and open source under the MPL 2.0.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Built-in LSP client for semantic code inspection and refactoring Tree-sitter parsing for fast, accurate highlighting, navigation and text objects	Language server and tree-sitter support without installing anything Selection-first editing makes multiple cursors a first-class tool
Modal editing is a real learning curve if you have not used Vim A usable setup usually means assembling plugins or adopting someone else’s configuration	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: Apache-2.0	License: MPL-2.0
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 20, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026

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