Compare software

RStudioGNU Emacs
Freemium

The IDE is free; the Posit AI assistant is a paid add-on with a free trial.

 Free

Free software under the GPL, part of the GNU Project.

Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux, Android
  • Editor, console, data viewer and environment pane in one window
  • Data frame viewer with sorting, filtering and histogram filters
  • Extensible in Emacs Lisp at runtime, so any behaviour can be changed without rebuilding
  • Org mode is a genuinely excellent system for notes, tasks and literate documents
  • Built around R; other languages are secondary
  • AI assistant requires a paid subscription after the trial
  • A steep learning curve, with keybindings unlike any other editor
  • A usable configuration takes substantial time, hence Doom and Spacemacs
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Open source
License not stated License: GPL-3.0
No account needed No account needed
Not stated if it works offline Works offline

Checked September 23, 2026

Checked September 21, 2026

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