Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GNOME Builder VS Neovim

Compare GNOME Builder VS Neovim and see what are their differences

GNOME Builder logo GNOME Builder

Builder is an IDE for GNOME that is focused on bringing the power of the platform to more...

Neovim logo Neovim

Vim's rebirth for the 21st century
  • GNOME Builder Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-08-25
  • Neovim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-23

GNOME Builder features and specs

  • Integrated Development Environment
    GNOME Builder offers a comprehensive IDE that supports an integrated suite of tools for development, including text editing, project management, and debugging.
  • GNOME Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with the GNOME desktop environment, providing a consistent look and feel and utilizing GNOME technologies effectively.
  • Language Support
    Supports a variety of programming languages, including C, C++, Python, JavaScript, and Rust, making it versatile for different types of projects.
  • Code Suggestions and Auto-Completion
    Improves coding efficiency with smart code suggestions, auto-completion features, and real-time syntax checking.
  • Debugger Integration
    Features integrated debugging tools that help developers identify and fix issues within their applications.
  • Version Control
    Supports version control systems like Git, allowing users to manage code changes and collaborate with others effectively.
  • Plugin System
    Extendable through plugins, enabling users to add functionality according to their needs.

Possible disadvantages of GNOME Builder

  • Limited Cross-Platform Support
    Primarily designed for Linux, particularly the GNOME environment, which may limit its usability on other operating systems like Windows or macOS.
  • Resource Intensive
    May consume more system resources compared to lightweight editors, which can be a consideration for users on lower-end hardware.
  • Learning Curve
    Although designed to be user-friendly, the abundance of features can be overwhelming for new users or those who are used to simpler text editors.
  • Limited Non-GNOME Integration
    While excellent for GNOME, users of other desktop environments might find the integration less seamless, affecting workflow.
  • Smaller Community
    Compared to more established IDEs, has a smaller user base and community, which might affect the availability of tutorials and third-party plugins.

Neovim features and specs

  • Extensibility
    Neovim is designed to be highly extensible with a robust API that allows for the development of custom plugins, making it easy to tailor the editor to individual workflows.
  • Asynchronous Plugins
    Support for asynchronous plugins enables smoother and faster performance by allowing tasks like linting and autocomplete to run in the background without freezing the editor.
  • Modern Codebase
    The refactored codebase improves maintainability and introduces new features more efficiently compared to the original Vim.
  • Compatibility
    Neovim maintains compatibility with existing Vim plugins and configuration, making it easier for users to transition from Vim.
  • Improved User Interface
    Neovim provides better support for modern terminal features, GUI interfaces, and offers features like an embedded terminal emulator.

Possible disadvantages of Neovim

  • Lack of Official GUI
    Neovim does not come with an official graphical user interface (GUI), which means users who prefer a graphical experience may need to rely on third-party options.
  • Smaller Community
    Although growing, Neovimโ€™s community is smaller compared to Vim, which means fewer community-created resources and plugins.
  • Learning Curve
    New users might find Neovimโ€™s highly customizable nature and reliance on configuration files challenging, especially if they are not familiar with Vim-type editors.
  • Potential Instability
    Frequent updates and changes can sometimes introduce bugs or instability, which may affect users who rely on a stable environment for their work.
  • Plugin Compatibility
    While most Vim plugins work, some could have compatibility issues or require modification to work with Neovim, necessitating additional effort from the user.

Analysis of Neovim

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Neovim is considered good by many developers, especially those who appreciate Vim's modal editing capabilities but seek a more modern and extensible platform.

Why this product is good

  • Neovim is a highly configurable text editor built to be an improved version of Vim. It offers enhanced performance, extensibility through plugins, and better integration with modern development tools. Its user-friendly Lua configuration system makes customization easier.

Recommended for

  • Developers who like Vim but want more features and flexibility
  • Programmers seeking a lightweight and fast code editor
  • Individuals interested in customizing their development environment through plugins
  • Users who prefer using the command line
  • People looking for an editor with a strong and active community support

GNOME Builder videos

Messing around with: GNOME Builder - Part 1

Neovim videos

What is Neovim, and why should you care?

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNOME Builder and Neovim)
IDE
7 7%
93% 93
Text Editors
5 5%
95% 95
Software Development
8 8%
92% 92
Business Text Messaging
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GNOME Builder and Neovim

GNOME Builder Reviews

  1. Supervik
    ยท None at None ยท
    GNOME Builder is best IDE for Linux development

    GNOME Builder is fast, clean & simple IDE for GTK application development (on Linux), integrated support for Git and easy possibility to publish the application on FlatHub. This is probably the best IDE for developing applications on Linux

    ๐Ÿ Competitors: KDevelop
    ๐Ÿ‘ Pros:    Intuitive|Super simple|Clear|Fast|Integrated support for git|Easy publication of the application on flathub thanks to the automatically generated manifest|Super localization
    ๐Ÿ‘Ž Cons:    Nothing

Neovim Reviews

We have no reviews of Neovim yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Neovim seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 112 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNOME Builder mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of GNOME Builder yet. Tracking of GNOME Builder recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Neovim mentions (112)

  • Microsoft: An Open-Source Comedy
    Microsoft vscode's Marketplace is where you can find extensions, themes, etc. And basically it's what turns vscode from a simple text editor to a powerful IDE. A few weeks ago I noticed that marketplace has stopped working on vscodium, and as a result I can't install new extensions or update the ones I had already installed. I did some research, and I realised it's not a bug, it's a new evil move from Microsoft.... - Source: dev.to / 14 days ago
  • How to connect Shopify to Notion
    Now you can use your favorite editor to edit your Gadget app's code. Changes sync back to Gadget in real-time. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • Every Developer Should Try Vim
    Vim is a highly efficient, keyboard-driven text editor that prioritizes speed, precision, and control. Itโ€™s been around for decades, but itโ€™s far from outdated. In recent years, Vim has seen a resurgence, thanks largely to Neovim, a modern refactor of Vim that brings a faster core, better plugin support, and a vibrant, forward-looking community. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • 6 Reasons CLI Coding Agents Are the Future of Software Development
    A text-based shell interface is extremely lightweight compared to modern IDEs. Because it runs in the terminal, even a feature-rich agent has very low overhead. According to Forgecode โ€œLow Resource Usage: minimal impact on system performanceโ€. In contrast, a full IDE can consume hundreds of megabytes of RAM or more, even when idle. In one user benchmark, Neovim (a terminal editor) used only about 10 MB of RAM,... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • My Tech Stack in 2025
    PDE (Personalized Development Environment): Neovim. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNOME Builder and Neovim, you can also consider the following products

Code::Blocks - Code::Blocks is a free C++ IDE built to meet the most demanding needs of its users.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Geany - Lightweight IDE for Linux and Windows

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Zenity - Zenity is a tool that allows you to display GTK dialog boxes in commandline and shell scripts.

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.