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Best Productivity ResourcesBy Shushant LakhyaniVerified creator

Desktop App

Helix

A modal terminal code editor that works well straight out of the box.

Visit Helix4.6

  • Rating

    4.6 / 5

  • Pricing

    Free

  • Difficulty

    Advanced

  • Works on

    macOS, Windows, Linux

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What is Helix?

Helix is a free, open-source code editor that runs in the terminal, inspired by Vim and Kakoune. It ships with language support, multiple cursors, fuzzy file search and built-in hints for every key, so you get a fast, keyboard-driven editor without spending weeks on plugins and config.

Third-party open-source projects. We are not affiliated with their authors; repositories are provided as-is by their maintainers. Review each project's license, code and security before installing. See our Disclaimer.

Pros: what Helix does well

  • Language features work with no setup
  • Multiple cursors built in
  • Free and open source

Cons: where it falls short

  • Modal editing has a learning curve
  • No plugin system yet

Who Helix is for

Developers who want a fast keyboard-driven editor without heavy setup.

Who can skip it

People who prefer a mouse-driven graphical editor.

Helix alternatives

Not sold on Helix? These do a similar job, and each card says what it has in common.

All Workflows resources

Lapce

Focus: rust and plugins. Shares code editor and terminal with Helix. Rated 4.4 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.4Visit

gpty

Focus: pty, rust and godot. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.2 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.2Visit

Atuin

Focus: shell history, command line and sync. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.7 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

btop

Focus: system monitor and processes. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.7 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

htop

Focus: process viewer, system monitor and command line. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.7 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

Starship

Focus: shell prompt and developer tool. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.7 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.7Visit

Free alternatives to Helix

Want to spend nothing? These free picks cover similar ground.

tmux

Focus: sessions, multiplexer and ssh. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.7 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

zoxide

Focus: navigation, command line and shell. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Rated 4.7 (Helix: 4.6).

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Linux
4.7Visit

delta

Focus: git, diff and code review. Shares terminal and open source with Helix. Same 4.6 rating.

Desktop AppFreemacOS, Windows
4.6Visit
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