Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Master Vim VS MacVim

Compare Master Vim VS MacVim and see what are their differences

Master Vim logo Master Vim

Learn Vim with interactive exercises

MacVim logo MacVim

MacVim is a port of the text editor Vim to Mac OS X.
  • Master Vim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-11-05
  • MacVim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-08

Master Vim features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Vim allows users to perform text editing using keyboard shortcuts, which can significantly speed up the editing process once the shortcuts are mastered.
  • Lightweight
    Vim is a highly efficient text editor that requires minimal system resources, making it suitable for use on older hardware and in low-resource environments.
  • Customizability
    Vim offers extensive customization options through its scripting language and plugins, allowing users to tailor the editor to fit their specific needs.
  • Versatility
    Vim can be used for a wide range of tasks beyond simple text editing, such as coding and prose writing, due to its powerful features and plugins.
  • System Integration
    Vim is available on most Unix-based systems, including macOS and Linux, and can be accessed and used in terminal environments, which integrates well with command-line workflows.

Possible disadvantages of Master Vim

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Vim's extensive set of commands and mode-based editing requires time and practice to master, which can be challenging for new users.
  • Minimal User Interface
    Vim's interface is minimal and non-intuitive by modern standards, potentially making it difficult for users accustomed to graphical user interfaces.
  • Limited New User Documentation
    While there is ample documentation available for Vim, the initial introduction for new users can be overwhelming, and they may find it difficult to locate beginner-friendly resources.
  • Dependency on Keyboard
    Vim relies heavily on keyboard shortcuts, which can be difficult for users who prefer or need to use a mouse or other input methods.
  • Customization Overhead
    While Vim is highly customizable, setting it up with the desired configuration and plugins can be time-consuming and may require ongoing maintenance.

MacVim features and specs

  • 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 of MacVim

  • 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.

Master Vim videos

MASTER VIM with this interactive course (vim.so review)

MacVim videos

Why is MacVim much faster than Vim in the Terminal?

More videos:

  • Review - MacVim | Astros a Star | Ep. 5

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Master Vim and MacVim)
Productivity
84 84%
16% 16
Text Editors
44 44%
56% 56
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
IDE
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using Master Vim and MacVim. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Master Vim seems to be a lot more popular than MacVim. While we know about 31 links to Master Vim, we've tracked only 3 mentions of MacVim. 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.

Master Vim mentions (31)

  • Hacking: Local File Inclusion
    But, just because you use Linux on your server and are good at the shell commands, does not mean your web app is secure. Sure you may know how to use vim, but neither that will stop a hacker. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
  • Linux Tips For Beginners
    But, vim can be quite difficult to learn because the keybindings are unusual. You can use vimtutor or vim.is to learn quickly. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
  • Vim like tools
    It is keyboard driven and has quite a hard learning curve (learn vim). Because it's been designed decades ago, some things makes less sense today. To give you an example, you can use both the keys h,j,k,l and the arrow keys to move the cursor. That's because in those times, there were no arrow keys. - Source: dev.to / over 4 years ago
  • My favorite Linux command line apps
    Vim is one of my favorite terminal apps. It's a command line editor (has GUI version too) that let's you edit files very quickly. The whole app is using keyboard shortcuts that can be challenging to learn. - Source: dev.to / almost 5 years ago
  • Vim Tips and Tricks for Beginners
    So what to do? If you want to learn vim quickly, you can use vim.is. - Source: dev.to / almost 5 years ago
View more

MacVim mentions (3)

  • 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 the text nicely. Maybe take a look at https://github.com/macvim-dev/macvim on mac, perhaps someone can comment about the state of macvim? - 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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Master Vim and MacVim, you can also consider the following products

vim.so - Learn vim fast with interactive exercises in the browser

Kakoune - Vim inspired — Faster as in less keystrokes — Multiple selections — Orthogonal design

Vim Awesome - Awesome Vim plugins from across the universe

Kate - The Kate Editor Homepage

qutebrowser - An actively developped, keyboard-focused browser with a minimal GUI, inspired by other...

Light Table - Light Table is a new interactive IDE that lets you modify running programs and embed anything from...