alternatives to

Vim

The official Vim repository

Neovim, Helix, and Kakoune. 3 alternatives to Vim, in Vim Script, Rust, C++. Compare fit, licence, stars and the latest signed release. Drop-in: Neovim.

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3 open source alternatives to Vim
ToolFitStarsLicenceTermsSelf-hostedLanguageLatestLast push
NeovimDrop-in104kOtherOpen sourceNoVim Scriptv0.12.62026-11-12
HelixPartial47kMPL-2.0Open sourceNoRust25.07.12026-11-12
KakounePartial11kUnlicenseOpen sourceNoC++v2026.05.212026-10-30

Every alternative

Language
Licence
Fit

3 alternatives

HelixPartial

A post-modern modal text editor.

Modal like Vim but selection first, with LSP and tree-sitter built in.

Language
Rust
Licence
MPL-2.0
Stars
47k
Latest
25.07.1
Last push
2026-11-12
KakounePartial

mawww's experiment for a better code editor

Modal editing that selects first and acts second, with different keys.

Language
C++
Licence
Unlicense
Stars
11k
Last push
2026-10-30

Head to head

About Vim

Language
Vim Script
Licence
Vim
Stars
41k
Last push
2026-11-11

About Vim →