Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

HKeys.app VS Vim

Compare HKeys.app VS Vim and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

HKeys.app logo HKeys.app

HKeys is a keyboard shortcut reference for the apps and operating systems you use every day. View hotkeys online organized by platform, or download a free printable PDF cheat sheet for any app.

Vim logo Vim

Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing
  • HKeys.app Homepage โ€” Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheets
    Homepage โ€” Keyboard Shortcut Cheat Sheets //
    2026-06-14
  • HKeys.app App Catalog โ€” Apps and OS Shortcut Collections
    App Catalog โ€” Apps and OS Shortcut Collections //
    2026-06-14
  • HKeys.app VS Code Shortcuts for macOS โ€” Full Table View
    VS Code Shortcuts for macOS โ€” Full Table View //
    2026-06-14

HKeys is a keyboard shortcut reference for the apps and operating systems you use every day. It covers design, browsers, office, developer, communication, and productivity tools โ€” organized by platform so you always see the exact key combinations for your OS.

Every app page includes a platform switcher (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, web) and multiple view modes (Full, Short, Icon). Browse the full catalog for free without creating an account. Create a free account to save favorites and download printable PDF cheat sheets for any app and platform.

  • Vim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-23

HKeys.app

Website
hkeys.app
$ Details
free
Platforms
Web MacOS Windows Linux iOS Android Chrome OS
Release Date
2026 January
Startup details
Country
Georgia
State
Ajara
City
Batumi
Employees
1 - 9

Vim

Website
vim.org
$ Details
Platforms
-
Release Date
-

HKeys.app features and specs

  • Shortcut Catalog
    Apps and operating systems covered
  • Platforms Covered
    macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, iPadOS, Android, ChromeOS, Web
  • PDF Cheat Sheets
    Printable PDF for every app and platform page
  • Platform Switcher
    Switch between macOS / Windows / Linux / iOS / Web per app
  • View Modes
    Full, Short, or Icon view for shortcut tables
  • Save Favorites
    Mark shortcuts for quick reference

Vim features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Once learned, Vim can significantly speed up text editing with its modal editing, keyboard shortcuts, and commands that allow for quick navigation and manipulation of text.
  • Lightweight
    Vim is a very lightweight editor, consuming minimal system resources, making it highly performant even on systems with lower specifications.
  • Customizability
    Vim is highly configurable and extensible through plugins and user-defined settings, allowing users to tailor the editor to their specific needs.
  • Ubiquity
    Vim is available on almost every Unix-like system and even on Windows, making it a ubiquitous tool that you can rely on being available in most environments.
  • Support for Multiple Programming Languages
    Vim supports a wide range of programming languages out of the box and offers syntax highlighting, which can be enhanced through plugins.
  • Powerful Search and Replace
    Vim offers robust searching and replacing functionalities, including support for regular expressions, which can be a powerful tool for developers.

Possible disadvantages of Vim

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Vim's modal editing and extensive set of commands can be daunting for new users, requiring significant time and effort to master.
  • Minimal Default Config
    The default configuration of Vim is quite minimalistic, which may necessitate additional setup and customization to meet modern development needs.
  • Limited GUI
    Vim primarily operates in a terminal, and while there are graphical variants like GVim, they are not as feature-rich or user-friendly as modern GUI editors.
  • Plugin Management
    While Vim is highly extensible, managing and configuring plugins can be cumbersome compared to more modern editors that offer integrated plugin management.
  • Inconsistent Behavior Across Platforms
    There may be inconsistencies in behavior or available features of Vim across different operating systems, which can complicate its use in certain environments.
  • Lack of Integrated Modern Features
    Vim lacks some modern IDE features like integrated debugging, advanced code introspection, and refined autocompletion, which often require third-party plugins to achieve.

Analysis of Vim

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Vim is a good text editor, especially for users who invest the time to learn its powerful commands and features. Its steep learning curve may be challenging initially, but once mastered, it significantly enhances productivity.

Why this product is good

  • Vim is considered a powerful text editor because of its efficiency and versatility. It offers extensive features, such as syntax highlighting, a robust plugin system, and support for numerous programming languages. Vim is highly configurable, enabling users to customize its environment to fit their needs. It is particularly appreciated for its speed and the ability to perform complex text manipulations using simple commands.

Recommended for

    Vim is recommended for programmers, developers, and system administrators who require a highly efficient and customizable text editing experience. It is especially useful for those who work extensively in terminal environments or need a quick, resource-light text editor for remote systems.

HKeys.app videos

No HKeys.app videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Vim videos

What Vim Is and Why You Should Learn It

More videos:

  • Review - JAC Vapour VIM Review - JAC does a side by side mod...
  • Review - Jac Vapour VIM - Quick Look

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to HKeys.app and Vim)
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0
Text Editors
0 0%
100% 100
Education & Reference
100 100%
0% 0
IDE
0 0%
100% 100

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing HKeys.app and Vim.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

HKeys.app's answer

Professionals and power users who work across multiple apps and want to build faster, more efficient workflows. Designers, developers, students, writers, and anyone switching between tools or platforms who needs an accurate, quick shortcut reference โ€” without digging through documentation or app menus.

What's the story behind your product?

HKeys.app's answer

HKeys started as a personal frustration: shortcut references were scattered, platform-specific differences were ignored, and most cheat sheets were static PDFs that went out of date. HKeys was built to be the reference that actually works โ€” organized by app and platform, kept current, and free to access.

What makes your product unique?

HKeys.app's answer

HKeys organizes shortcuts by platform, not just by app. Most shortcut references give you one flat list โ€” HKeys gives you a separate, accurate page for each platform an app runs on (macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, web), because the key combinations are actually different. Every page also includes a platform switcher, multiple view modes (Full, Short, Icon), and a downloadable free PDF cheat sheet.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

HKeys.app's answer

HKeys covers a wide range of apps across every major platform in one place โ€” design tools, browsers, office apps, developer tools, communication and productivity apps, and operating systems. The catalog is free to browse without an account, shortcuts are organized per platform so you always see the right key combinations for your OS, and every page has a printable PDF cheat sheet available to free account holders.

User comments

Share your experience with using HKeys.app and Vim. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare HKeys.app and Vim

HKeys.app Reviews

We have no reviews of HKeys.app yet.
Be the first one to post

Vim Reviews

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
Vim offers a variety of features like split windows, macros, and extensive customization options. It has a steep learning curve, but once you master it, youโ€™ll be amazed at the speed and productivity it brings to your coding workflow. Vim is a favorite among experienced developers who value speed and efficiency above all else.
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
Itโ€™s tough to say which developers would enjoy Vim as a text editor. Itโ€™s an old system with an outdated interface. Yet, it still has the charm and powerful feature-set that the average developer needs. I would recommend it to more advanced developers who enjoy using open source software and being a part of a communityโ€“like the one you can find behind Vim.
Source: kinsta.com
12 Best LaTeX Editors You Should Use
The entire installation process is perfectly documented on their Sourceforge page, which you must definitely pay a visit. There is another standalone Vim software, known as the gVim that brings a GUI-based interface to the Vim document editor. Vim-LaTeX has been developed specifically for the programmers and it is so highly configurable that it can function anyway, ranging...
Source: beebom.com
The Top 7 Notepad++ Alternatives for You
Vim is a totally free Notepad++ alternative. It is available to use on Windows, Mac and Linux computers and it is very powerful. I was able to customize Vim to get it to look and function just how I want it. There is really good help support with Vim so if you are new to programming it will get you through most issues.
10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
Vim is an advanced text editor open source tool which is also considered to be an IDE in its way. This tool allows managing your text editing activities with vim editors and UNIX System which can be used on-premise or online.
Source: www.guru99.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Vim seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 10 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.

HKeys.app mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of HKeys.app yet. Tracking of HKeys.app recommendations started around Jun 2026.

Vim mentions (10)

  • regular Vim has lua?!
    Lua is quite small, encouraging distros to include it. The ubuntu gvim has, and the gvim AppImage linked from vim.org does. The default Makefile from github is set up to not include it, but you can uncomment one line there to get it. Source: over 3 years ago
  • is there a way to make highlighted text persistent after quit when using something like [match Search /\%'.line('.').'l/] ?
    I've not used vimwiki locally (tho I'm old enough to remember the Vim wiki on vim.org :), but I think what you are wanting to do is extend vimwiki's syntax file. I presume it installs one at $VIMRUNTIM/syntax or or ~/.vim/syntax. If this sounds right, then create a ~/.vim/after/syntax/vimwiki.vim file and place your match command in there. Then everytime you open a vimwiki file it should apply your... Source: over 3 years ago
  • vim.org - Is there a reason for this 1800s-esque design?
    Vim.org has 242k total visitors, tailwindcss.com has 4.4m, planetscale.com has 412k, jpl.nasa.gov has 2.6m, all built with Tailwind, all several years younger than Vim's website. Unnecessary comparison, unnecessary defence. It's a valuable tool, fine, but a complete disregard for anyone who doesn't love a crappy website and would like to navigate a website like a normal human is not something to be defended. Maybe... Source: over 3 years ago
  • What is YOUR process of writing ?
    I write in Vim with some customizations in my vimrc to gear it more towards prose writing than code editing. It's not pretty, but Normal Mode and Ex commands are the most powerful text editing tools out there, so that means I spend less time on making corrections and other edits. Source: over 4 years ago
  • Why developers need to know about Vim
    If you are open minded and would like to try it out, click me for more information! Cheers. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing HKeys.app and Vim, you can also consider the following products

KeyCombiner - Organize, learn and instantly look up keyboard shortcuts

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.

ShortcutFoo - shortcutFoo is a fun and easy way to learn shortcuts and become a more productive programmer.

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

Shortcuts.design - Every shortcut for designers in one place!

GNU Emacs - GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editorโ€”and more.