Neovim is a Vim-fork focused on extensibility and usability. It’s designed for users who want the good parts of Vim. The project does not seek to rewrite Vim from scratch.
Neovim is an extension of Vim: feature-parity and backwards-compatibility are high priorities. It seeks to aggressively refactor Vim source code, and to improve upon Vim’s out-of-the-box experience.
Neovim is released under an open source license.
Features include:
- Modern GUIs. GUIs are implemented as plugins, decoupled from the Neovim core. There’s a wide range of GUIs that are available. We’ve covered the best GUIs in our separate Group Test here.
- Modern terminal features such as cursor styling, focus events, bracketed paste.
- API access from any language including C/C++, C#, Clojure, D, Elixir, Go, Haskell, Java, JavaScript/Node.js, Julia, Lisp, Lua, Perl, Python, Racket, Ruby, and Rust.
- Embedded, scriptable terminal emulator.
- Neovim’s plugin API is backwards-compatible with Vim, but it also allows asynchronous execution.
- Asynchronous job control.
- Shared data (shada) among multiple editor instances.
- XDG base directories support.
- Built-in terminal emulator that not only lets you run interactive programs inside Neovim, but also script and control those programs to create advanced workflows like integration with REPLs and debuggers.
- Complete job control API for managing multiple processes asynchronously.
- Compatible with most Vim plugins, including Ruby and Python plugins.
- Advanced Vimscript engine.
- Cross-platform support – runs in Linux, macOS/OS X, Windows. The project provides an AppImage, a format for distributing portable software on Linux without needing superuser permissions to install the application.
Website: neovim.io
Support: Documentation, Wiki, GitHub Code Repository, Gitter
Developer: Justin M. Keyes and contributors. Neovim was started by Thiago de Arruda. Most of Vim was written by Bram Moolenaar
License: Apache 2.0 license
Neovim is written in C. Learn C with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Return to Text Editors | Return to Vim-Like Text Editors | Return to Integrated Development Environments
| Popular series | |
|---|---|
 | The largest compilation of the best free and open source software in the universe. Each article is supplied with a legendary ratings chart helping you to make informed decisions. |
 | Hundreds of in-depth reviews offering our unbiased and expert opinion on software. We offer helpful and impartial information. |
 | Replace proprietary software with open source alternatives: Google, Microsoft, Apple, Adobe, IBM, Autodesk, Oracle, Atlassian, Corel, Cisco, Intuit, and SAS. |
 | Awesome Free Linux Games Tools showcases a series of tools that making gaming on Linux a more pleasurable experience. This is a new series. |
 | Machine Learning explores practical applications of machine learning and deep learning from a Linux perspective. We've written reviews of more than 40 self-hosted apps. All are free and open source. |
 | New to Linux? Read our Linux for Starters series. We start right at the basics and teach you everything you need to know to get started with Linux. |
 | Alternatives to popular CLI tools showcases essential tools that are modern replacements for core Linux utilities. |
 | Essential Linux system tools focuses on small, indispensable utilities, useful for system administrators as well as regular users. |
 | Linux utilities to maximise your productivity. Small, indispensable tools, useful for anyone running a Linux machine. |
 | Surveys popular streaming services from a Linux perspective: Amazon Music Unlimited, Myuzi, Spotify, Deezer, Tidal. |
 | Saving Money with Linux looks at how you can reduce your energy bills running Linux. |
 | Home computers became commonplace in the 1980s. Emulate home computers including the Commodore 64, Amiga, Atari ST, ZX81, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. |
 | Now and Then examines how promising open source software fared over the years. It can be a bumpy ride. |
 | Linux at Home looks at a range of home activities where Linux can play its part, making the most of our time at home, keeping active and engaged. |
 | Linux Candy reveals the lighter side of Linux. Have some fun and escape from the daily drudgery. |
 | Getting Started with Docker helps you master Docker, a set of platform as a service products that delivers software in packages called containers. |
 | Best Free Android Apps. We showcase free Android apps that are definitely worth downloading. There's a strict eligibility criteria for inclusion in this series. |
 | These best free books accelerate your learning of every programming language. Learn a new language today! |
 | These free tutorials offer the perfect tonic to our free programming books series. |
 | Linux Around The World showcases usergroups that are relevant to Linux enthusiasts. Great ways to meet up with fellow enthusiasts. |
 | Stars and Stripes is an occasional series looking at the impact of Linux in the USA. |