Best Vim Alternatives
The top-ranked Vim alternative is Neovim (Open Source). The best free option is Emacs (open source).
Vim is a powerful, keyboard-driven text editor beloved for its modal editing and efficiency. Developers seek alternatives for a gentler learning curve, modern defaults, better plugin ecosystems, or full IDE features.
1Hyperextensible modal text editor popular for Swift and general coding.
2Emacs
Open SourceExtensible, customizable editor with an enormous ecosystem.
3Lightweight, extensible code editor with strong Swift and mobile tooling support.
Fast, lightweight code editor with a rich plugin ecosystem.
GNU Nano
Open SourceSimple, easy-to-use terminal text editor for quick edits.
Helix
Open SourcePost-modern modal terminal editor in Rust with built-in LSP.
Kakoune
Open SourceModal editor with a selection-first editing model and multiple selections.
Micro
Open SourceModern, intuitive terminal-based text editor with mouse support.
Hackable text editor from GitHub (archived) built on web tech.
GNU Emacs Evil Mode
Open SourceEmacs extension that provides Vim-style modal editing keybindings.
JetBrains IdeaVim
FreeVim emulation plugin for JetBrains IDEs offering modal editing.
Vim alternatives: FAQ
What is the best alternative to Vim?
Neovim is ranked first on this list (Open Source). The ranking combines our base score with readers' votes, so it can change.
What is the best free alternative to Vim?
The highest-ranked free or open-source options here are Neovim, Emacs and Visual Studio Code.
Which Vim alternatives work on Mac?
Neovim, Emacs, Visual Studio Code and Sublime Text run on macOS.
Which Vim alternatives work on Linux?
Neovim, Emacs, Visual Studio Code and Sublime Text run on Linux.
Know a Vim alternative we missed? Suggest it — we review submissions before they go live.