Vim AlternativesOnly apps categorised as Code Editors & IDEsText Editors for Mac

There are many alternatives to Vim for Mac if you are looking for a replacement. If that doesn't work for you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Vim, but unfortunately only zero of them are Code Editors available for Mac. If you can't find an alternative you can try to remove all filters.

filter to find the best alternatives

Vim alternatives are mainly Code Editors but may also be Text Editors or IDEs.  Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Vim.
Vim iconVim
  1306
  • ...

Vim ("Vi IMproved") is an advanced text editor that allows syntax highlighting, word completion and has a huge amount of contributed content. It also has a GUI version called GVim.

More about Vim
More about Vim
Vim alternatives page was last updated Sep 5, 2024
  Suggest Alternatives
  1. Visual Studio Code icon
    Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1281 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Visual Studio Code is a free and extensible code editor for building web, desktop, and mobile applications, using any programming language and framework.

    210 Visual Studio Code alternatives
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 2
    +2
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  IDE
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Code Completion
    7.  Multiple languages
    8.  Git Support
    9.  GitHub Integration
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Supports Python
    12.  C++
    13.  Source code debugging
    14.  Multiple Cursors
    15.  Graphical User Interface
    16.  Support for MarkDown
    17.  Auto Update
    18.  Plug-ins
    19.  Support for Node.js
    20.  Support for Javascript
    Visual Studio Code iconVim Icon

    Visual Studio Code VS Vim

    Is Visual Studio Code a good alternative to Vim?
     
    Comments about Visual Studio Code as an Alternative to Vim
     
       
    IndigoLily

    Can't be used from within terminal

    Negative comment •Sep 13, 2021
    6
    filiphanes

    Visual Studio Code is GUI only full IDE, not terminal based efficient text editor.

    Negative comment •Jul 15, 2022
    0
    Aleksandr Dikov

    VSC has very good Vi extension what helps to mix Vi experience with well-integrated Microsoft solution.

    Positive comment •Aug 10, 2018
    2
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Vim Icon
    Visual Studio Code icon

    • Most users think Visual Studio Code is a great Vim alternative.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based, Mac & Linux alternative to Vim.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryVim is Free and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableVim is not according to our users
  2. Neovim icon
    Neovim icon

    Neovim

     166 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Refactored version of Vim, simplifying maintenance, improving developer contributions, and enabling new user interfaces. Features extensible plugin architecture, lightweight resource usage, syntax highlighting, no registration, ad-free, and distraction-free mode.

    100 Neovim alternatives
    Neovim screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Neovim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Lua scripting
    3.  Terminal-based
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Asynchronous
    6.  Vim
    7.  Sane defaults
    8.  Distraction-free
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  No registration required
    11.  Autocompletion
    12.  Code Formatting
    Neovim iconVim Icon

    Neovim VS Vim

    Is Neovim a good alternative to Vim?
     
    Comments about Neovim as an Alternative to Vim
     
       
    benni347

    A better more modern alternative to vim.

    Top positive comment •Oct 27, 2023
    0
    daviwalle

    Neovim it's like Vim, but without packages that aren't needed

    Positive comment •May 13, 2020
    -1
    Guest

    Clean, faster than Vim but based on that.

    Positive comment •Mar 9, 2020
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 8 comments
    Vim Icon
    Neovim icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Neovim is a great Vim alternative.

    • Neovim is Free and Open SourceVim is also Free and Open Source
    • Neovim is LightweightVim is not according to our users
  4. VSCodium icon
    VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     319 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.

    199 VSCodium alternatives
    VSCodium screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Prevent telemetry
    3.  IDE
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  No registration required
    7.  MIT License
    8.  Autocompletion
    9.  Git integration
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Syntax Highlighting
    12.  Ad-free
    13.  Minimap
    14.  Color coding
    15.  Built-in terminal emulation
    16.  Support for MarkDown
    17.  Code navigation
    VSCodium iconVim Icon

    VSCodium VS Vim

    Is VSCodium a good alternative to Vim?
     
  5. Sublime Text icon
    Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

     1999 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Powerful editor blending code, markup, and prose editing with enhanced features like multi-tab selection, side-by-side definition viewing, and multiple selection tools for swift code navigation.

    198 Sublime Text alternatives
    Sublime Text screenshot 1

    License model

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Sublime Text screenshot 1
    Sublime Text screenshot 2
    +1
    Sublime Text screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Package Control
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  IDE
    5.  Multiple Cursors
    6.  Text editing
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Simple text editor
    10.  Tabbed interface
    11.  Plugin manager
    12.  Git integration
    13.  Support for MarkDown
    14.  Distraction-free
    15.  Works Offline
    16.  Git Support
    17.  Plugin API
    18.  Configuration Management
    19.  Fullscreen support
    Sublime Text iconVim Icon

    Sublime Text VS Vim

    Is Sublime Text a good alternative to Vim?
     

    • Most users think Sublime Text is a great Vim alternative.

    • Sublime Text is the most popular commercial alternative to Vim.

    • Sublime Text is Paid and ProprietaryVim is Free and Open Source
    • Sublime Text is Lightweight and CustomizableVim is not according to our users
  6. GNU Emacs icon
    GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     377 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:

    175 GNU Emacs alternatives
    The GNU Emacs Manual calls Emacs the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Homebrew
    • Snapcraft
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    GNU Emacs screenshot 1
    GNU Emacs screenshot 2
    +6
    Emacs integrates with GDB to provide an IDE

    Properties

    1.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Extensibility
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Org-mode
    4.  Self-documenting
    5.  IDE
    6.  Terminal-based
    7.  Multi OS
    8.  Syntax Highlighting
    9.  Support for scripting
    10.  Command line interface
    11.  No Tracking
    12.  IDE All Languages
    13.  Editable text color schemes
    14.  Code Completion
    15.  Package Control
    16.  Works Offline
    17.  Spell Checking
    18.  Ad-free
    19.  Support for MarkDown
    20.  No registration required
    GNU Emacs iconVim Icon

    GNU Emacs VS Vim

    Is GNU Emacs a good alternative to Vim?
     
    Comments about GNU Emacs as an Alternative to Vim
     
    Guest

    Maybe much better than Vi? ;)

    Positive comment •Mar 21, 2021
    0
    Vim Icon
    GNU Emacs icon

    • Most users think GNU Emacs is a great Vim alternative.

    • GNU Emacs is the most popular Android alternative to Vim.

    • GNU Emacs is Free and Open SourceVim is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU Emacs is CustomizableVim is not according to our users
  7. Kate icon
    Kate icon

    Kate

     288 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    The Kate project develops two main products: KatePart, the advanced editor component which is used in numerous KDE applications requiring a text editing component, and Kate, a MDI text editor application.

    142 Kate alternatives
    Kate screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1
    Kate with an ATOM color scheme using some RegEx to find and replace.

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Native application
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Themes
    4.  Editable text color schemes
    5.  Built-in terminal emulation
    6.  IDE
    7.  Tabbed interface
    8.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    9.  Git Support
    10.  Code Formatting
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Full-Text Search
    13.  Support for MarkDown
    14.  Support for regular expressions
    15.  Built-in themes
    Kate iconVim Icon

    Kate VS Vim

    Is Kate a good alternative to Vim?
     
  9. Geany icon
    Geany icon

    Geany

     558 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Geany is a powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow.

    147 Geany alternatives
    Geany screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Geany screenshot 1
    Geany screenshot 2
    +5
    Geany screenshot 3

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Minimalistic

    Features

    1.  Multiplatform
    2.  IDE
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Code navigation
    5.  Automatic Indentation
    6.  Shell integration
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    8.  Debian package compatible
    9.  Support for LaTeX
    10.  Shortcut keys
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Distraction-free
    13.  Autocompletion
    14.  Code Formatting
    15.  Batch Editing
    16.  Hierarchical Structure
    17.  Support for Large File
    18.  Built-in terminal emulation
    Geany iconVim Icon

    Geany VS Vim

    Is Geany a good alternative to Vim?
     
  10. Zed Editor icon
    Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     46 likes
    Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Zed is a blazing fast, multi-user, productivity-focused text editor. From the creators of Atom, Electron and Tree-sitter, the editor features built-in Vim mode with tooltips for key-bindings, language-aware...

    69 Zed Editor alternatives
    Zed Editor screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Zed Editor screenshot 1
    Zed Editor screenshot 2

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Optimal performance
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  IDE
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Real time collaboration
    8.  Rust
    9.  Works Offline
    10.  Multiple Cursors
    11.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    12.  No registration required
    13.  Distraction-free
    14.  Support for MarkDown
    15.  Git Support
    16.  Fuzzy Finder
    17.  Refactoring
    18.  Command palette
    Zed Editor iconVim Icon

    Zed Editor VS Vim

    Is Zed Editor a good alternative to Vim?
     
    Comments about Zed Editor as an Alternative to Vim
     
    Guest

    it's blazing fast, has Elm support, and is the only tool that's not frustrating for remote pairing.

    Positive comment •Feb 13, 2024
    0
    Vim Icon
    Zed Editor icon
    • Zed Editor is Free and Open SourceVim is also Free and Open Source
    • Zed Editor is LightweightVim is not according to our users
8 of 23 Vim alternatives