The creator of Helix calls it a "post-modern text editor." What does that even mean? Who knows. But here's what really matters: multiple cursor support, imports, Tree-sitter, LSP, tons of beautiful themes with great support for popular programming languages — all of it available right after installation. You just download it, open the language config, tweak a couple of LSP settings for your Deno or Node.js projects, and you're good to go. No complicated setup rituals, no digging through obscure manuals, no configuring dozens of plugins (half of which probably won't even work). Even VSCode doesn't offer this kind of flexibility out of the box — but Helix just works.
When a vim-like editor immediately supports your favorite programming language, you don't have to get sidetracked by configuration — you can focus on what matters most: editing text. It sounds trivial, but with Vim, Neovim, or Emacs, I often didn't even make it to that point — I'd burn out during the setup phase. Helix is different. Sure, you won't memorize all the hotkeys for every mode right away, but the built-in hints and clear documentation help you ease into it quickly. It took me just a couple of days.
At first, the process feels like a game: you're exploring the editor's capabilities, learning key combinations, diving into the docs. It's fun because there are so many modes and tools. After a week, things start to click automatically. I’ve even caught myself trying to select text in Telegram like I would in Helix — habits form quickly. Yes, the system is complex, but it's intuitive. Once you master it, it becomes incredibly efficient.
So what’s the catch? Helix stands out because it has nothing extraneous, yet everything you need to just start coding. It doesn't waste your time with plugin setups or deciphering convoluted guides. It's simply an editor, with functionality focused purely on text editing.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind. Helix adheres to the Unix-way philosophy:
There are no plugins (yet), though they’re planned for the near future.
There’s no traditional file tree or tabs. Instead, Helix offers an alternative approach to managing files, which can quickly feel intuitive if you give it a chance.
It’s a fresh perspective on text editing and project structure. It's worth your attention. I’d strongly recommend Helix to anyone curious about vim-like editors but intimidated by the steep learning curve. Helix provides a smooth, intuitive introduction, making it easy to grasp the basics. Plus, it rekindles that spark of excitement you get when discovering something new. With Helix, editing text becomes genuinely enjoyable.
How do I use Helix?
Right now, it lets me keep dozens of personal and work projects readily accessible. That’s something I couldn't achieve with any IDE or editors like VSCode.
But remember: Helix is just a text editor. It's designed purely for editing text — nothing more. If you don't expect the impossible, it can be an outstanding tool for your daily workflow.
If you're looking for a fast, easy-to-learn, and powerful text editor, give Helix a try. It might just be exactly what you need.
Top comments (21)
I have been using Helix for around a year now. Like you stated, Vim's setup takes a lot of your time. That of Helix, on the other hand, comes with excellent defaults.
I switched over from WebStorm and have never looked back. Yes, WebStorm is a great IDE but I wasn't using most of its features, such as its git features. So, for writing code and navigating it, editors like Vim and Helix are much faster and fun.
Hi,
thanks for the introduction.
You missed the most important feature: Does Helix support vi-keystrokes or offers it emacs type commands?
Hi, closer to vi, but makes its own adjustments
I installed the editor in a container to substitute vim.
At the first glance – a fresh and fast experience, workfow is comparable to vi.
I really enjoy the fzf-inspired file- and symbol-selection. Anything is there – out of the box. And anything works in a tmux-environment.
When you have to use other editors, it is nice to have a goto set of keybindings. I use VIM keybindings in VS Code, Visual Studio, Obsidian, ... in addition to VIM. If Helix code bindings are only available in Helix without the ecosystem in other tools, that would be a significant issue in adopting Helix.
Vim key bindings had like 2 decades to establish that adoption. This is not really a fair comparison.
I like Helix: it is almost ready to use IDE.
But I've tried recently Kakoune, which Helix borrowed some ideas from, and... Yes, Helix is better integrated. But Kakoune's keybinding and navigations are much more natural and easy to use.
It is pitty Helix's author decided to change keybindings/movements. He'd better stick on Kakoune's and then focus on integration part.
Wish there were hybrid with best things from both.
I'm married to Vim since my brain is so wired to it at this point, but lately I've found Zed and fell instantly in love. I'll check out Helix. Sounds interesting.
On the home page of the helix editor, they've addressed the question:
You mean it got out of the box experience like pycharme or webstrom IDE?
If not then it's not worth trying.
there are IDEs and there are editors. They provide different functionality and serve slightly different purposes
Then it's just a waste of time
What's a good use of time for one person isn't necessarily that for someone else.
If you don't like something, if you consider it "not worth trying", then that's fine, but please remember that it won't always be someone else's experience.
i cant live without plugin and extension. sorry
a lot of things don't have plugins. They're not needed everywhere)
I have a project I wanted something exactly like this for and you saved me some research. I will check it out. Thanks!
I'm so glad this helped you <3
Why not using VS Code +vim extension? For software developers, text editing is not enough.
Some people simply use a terminal. Others don't like to work with programs from microsoft.
I've used VSCodium with the vim extension and while it does a pretty good job, it doesn't feel the same. For me, (neo)vi(m) has been such a comfort place for so long that even a vim emulation mode as good as the ones with VSC (and they are pretty good!) isn't right.
"Software developers" encompasses a lot of people, and a lot of different languages. If I was using Java I might want an IDE. When I'm using GDScript, I use Godot's in-built IDE because it's so tightly integrated with the visual controls. When I'm writing PHP or Python or JavaScript or Rust or shell scripts or Markdown or... well, lots of things, I guess, I don't want or need any of that extra stuff. I want to be able to fire something up from a terminal and start writing without anything else trying so hard to be helpful it gets in my way.
That's a ridiculously naive statement.
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