Software Alternatives & Startups

MacVim VS slap

Compare MacVim VS slap and see what are their differences

MacVim

MacVim is a port of the text editor Vim to Mac OS X.

Rating
0 reviews
slap

Sublime-like terminal-based text editor

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Open source

Which is more popular?

slap might be a bit more popular than MacVim. We know about 3 links to it since March 2021 and only 3 links to MacVim.

social mentions
3 vs 3
Text Editors popularity
55% vs 45%
alternatives listed
47 vs 66

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

MacVim
slap
Website github.com github.com
Pricing
Open source
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

MacVim 5 features
slap 5 features
  • Familiar Vim Interface
    MacVim provides the same powerful and familiar editing interface as Vim, making it a great choice for users who are already accustomed to Vim's keybindings and commands.
  • Native macOS Integration
    MacVim is specifically designed for macOS, offering better system integration, including support for native macOS features like full-screen mode, a menu bar, and better keyboard shortcut customization.
  • GUI Enhancements
    While retaining Vim's command-line capabilities, MacVim offers a graphical user interface (GUI) which makes it more accessible to users who prefer a more visual interaction with their text editor.
  • Plugin Support
    MacVim supports Vim's extensive plugin system, allowing users to customize and extend its functionality with thousands of available plugins.
  • Active Development
    Being open-source and maintained by a community of developers means MacVim benefits from regular updates, bug fixes, and new features.

Possible disadvantages

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Like Vim, MacVim can be challenging for beginners due to its unique mode-based editing paradigm and the need to remember extensive keybindings.
  • Resource Intensive
    Though optimized for macOS, MacVim with a GUI can be more resource-intensive compared to traditional Vim, which may be a concern for those with older or less powerful machines.
  • Not for Non-Vim Users
    For users unfamiliar with Vim, MacVim can be intimidating and less intuitive compared to other modern text editors or IDEs.
  • Occasional macOS-Specific Bugs
    Being a macOS-specific application, some users encounter macOS-related bugs or compatibility issues that might not be present in the original Vim.
  • Requires Additional Configuration
    To fully leverage MacVim's capabilities, users often need to spend time configuring their environment, including installing and setting up plugins.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    Slap provides a mouse-driven interface in addition to keyboard shortcuts, making it approachable for both novice and experienced users.
  • Syntax Highlighting
    It offers syntax highlighting for many programming languages, which helps in writing and understanding code by visually distinguishing elements.
  • Plugin Support
    Slap supports plugins that can extend its functionality, allowing users to customize their editing environment to better suit their needs.
  • Low Resource Usage
    Designed to be a lightweight alternative to GUI editors, it consumes fewer system resources, which is beneficial for performance on older or less powerful machines.
  • Terminal-Based
    As a terminal-based editor, it integrates well into a command-line workflow, making it a good choice for users who prefer working within a terminal environment.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features Compared to Full IDEs
    While slap offers many basic features, it lacks advanced functionalities that can be found in full Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) such as code refactoring tools and advanced debugging capabilities.
  • Learning Curve for Terminal Users
    Users unfamiliar with terminal-based text editors might face an initial learning curve when adjusting to its interface and keyboard shortcuts.
  • Active Maintenance
    As of the latest updates, the project may not see active maintenance or support, which could pose issues with updating or fixing bugs in the future.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Being a terminal-based editor, it might have compatibility issues with certain terminal environments or configurations.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

MacVim 2 videos + Add
slap 3 videos + Add

Why is MacVim much faster than Vim in the Terminal?

More videos

  • - MacVim | Astros a Star | Ep. 5

Everyone is Talking About This Slap

More videos

  • - Slap Fighting is the Dumbest 'Sport' Ever - Doctor Reacts to Dana White’s New League
  • - The Slap Heard Around The World

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
MacVim
slap
55% 55%
45% 45%
57% 57%
IDE
43% 43%
31% 31%
69% 69%
52% 52%
48% 48%

User comments

Share your experience with using MacVim and slap. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

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Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

MacVim 3 mentions
slap 3 mentions
  • Notepad Next
    gVim (only on windows/linux) with a minimal config is my preferred. Fast but a few powerful built-in vim features like search, replace, syntax highlighting, spellchecking, auto-indent etc. It loads in about 1.5s on my machine and renders... - Source: Hacker News / over 4 years ago
  • Vim: The Best Way to Write Code?
    Vim (aka Vi IMproved) is a highly efficient text editor that has inspired other editors like it, most notably MacVim (which I will refer to as vim from here on) and gVim. - Source: dev.to / about 5 years ago
  • Vim 9 - Update
    If you want to try out Vim9, you can download the latest Win32 binaries from: https://github.com/vim/vim-win32-installer/releases. For MacOS, you can use https://github.com/macvim-dev/macvim/. Source: over 5 years ago
  • Command line applications
    Yes, you can create whatever you want - from simple CLI utils , through moderately complex interactive tools (example by me), to complex, full-fledged command line applications (example, another example). Source: about 4 years ago
  • Admit it, you only edit .CONF files with it anyway...
    In that spirit: I just found Slap (https://github.com/slap-editor/slap). Looks cool, but haven't installed it yet. Clearly best editor ever!!! Obviously better than vim. Source: over 5 years ago
  • Micro - Text Editor
    There is also the slap editor which tries to mimic Sublime in the terminal, but it's very bloated and seems to have been abandoned. Source: over 5 years ago

Alternatives to MacVim and slap

When comparing MacVim and slap, you can also consider the following products.