Software Alternatives & Startups

pathogen.vim VS Vim-Plug

Compare pathogen.vim VS Vim-Plug and see what are their differences

pathogen.vim

pathogen.vim: manage your runtimepath. Contribute to tpope/vim-pathogen development by creating an account on GitHub.

Rating
0 reviews
Vim-Plug

:hibiscus: Minimalist Vim Plugin Manager. Contribute to junegunn/vim-plug development by creating an account on GitHub.

Rating
0 reviews

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Vim-Plug seems to be a lot more popular than pathogen.vim. While we know about 96 links to Vim-Plug, we've tracked only 6 mentions of pathogen.vim.

social mentions
6 vs 96
Software Development popularity
16% vs 84%
alternatives listed
12 vs 40

Base details

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

pathogen.vim
Vim-Plug
Website github.com github.com
Listed in

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

pathogen.vim 4 features
Vim-Plug 5 features
  • Ease of Use
    Pathogen.vim simplifies the management of Vim plugins by allowing users to easily install, update, and remove plugins without altering Vim's core files. It requires minimal configuration.
  • Directory Structure
    It promotes a cleaner directory structure where each plugin resides in its own directory under .vim/bundle, making it easier to locate and manage individual plugins.
  • Compatibility
    Being widely adopted and time-tested, pathogen.vim is compatible with a wide range of plugins. This ensures that users can confidently use popular Vim plugins alongside it.
  • No Impact on Startup Time
    Pathogen.vim is lightweight, which means it doesn't significantly affect Vim's startup time, preserving Vim's reputation for speed and efficiency.

Possible disadvantages

  • Limited Features
    Compared to modern plugin managers like vim-plug or Vundle, pathogen.vim offers limited features, lacking built-in update mechanisms for plugins or other advanced functionalities.
  • Manual Management of Dependencies
    Pathogen.vim requires users to manually manage plugin dependencies and updates, which can become cumbersome when dealing with a large number of plugins.
  • Exclusivity of Git for Installation
    Pathogen.vim relies heavily on Git for plugin installation, which might be a limitation for users who prefer or require alternative installation methods.
  • User-Friendly Syntax
    Vim-Plug uses a simple, concise syntax for plugin management which makes it easy to add, update, and remove plugins.
  • Parallel Installation
    Vim-Plug supports parallel installation of plugins, which significantly speeds up the process of setting up and updating plugins.
  • On-Demand Loading
    It provides the ability to defer loading of plugins until they are actually required, which can improve startup time and overall performance.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Vim-Plug is well-documented with a detailed guide and plenty of examples, making it easier for new users to get started.
  • Partial and Lazy Plugin Support
    Supports loading of plugins only when specific commands are invoked or files are opened, optimizing resource usage.

Possible disadvantages

  • Vim-Only
    Vim-Plug is designed specifically for Vim and Neovim, making it unsuitable for users of different text editors.
  • Manual Configuration
    While flexible, users need to manually configure their `vimrc` to manage plugins, which might be daunting for beginners.
  • Dependency Management
    Vim-Plug does not have built-in support for handling plugin dependencies, which means users must manually manage dependencies.
  • Conflict Resolution
    There are no advanced features for resolving conflicts between plugins, requiring users to manually troubleshoot issues.
  • Plugin Removal
    While Vim-Plug can remove plugins from the listing, residual files and configurations might still remain, requiring additional cleaning steps.

Analysis

An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.

pathogen.vim
Vim-Plug

No analysis of pathogen.vim yet.

Overall verdict

  • Vim-Plug is considered a good plugin manager for Vim due to its speed, ease of use, and active maintenance. It is widely used in the Vim community and is favored for its straightforward setup and efficient plugin management.

Why this product is good

  • Vim-Plug is a minimalist and highly efficient plugin manager for Vim, known for its speed and simplicity. It allows users to easily install, update, and remove plugins with concise commands. Its asynchronous installation feature makes managing plugins faster and does not block the usage of Vim. The minimal configuration and user-friendly syntax make it accessible for both new and experienced Vim users.

Recommended for

  • Developers using Vim who want a simple and fast way to manage plugins.
  • Users looking for asynchronous plugin management in Vim.
  • Vim enthusiasts who appreciate minimalistic configurations.

Videos

Walkthroughs and reviews on video.

pathogen.vim 0 videos + Add
Vim-Plug 1 video + Add

No pathogen.vim videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Why and How I Use Vim-Plug to Manage My Vim Plugins

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
pathogen.vim
Vim-Plug
16% 16%
84% 84%
15% 15%
85% 85%
31% 31%
69% 69%
12% 12%
IDE
88% 88%

User comments

Share your experience with using pathogen.vim and Vim-Plug. 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.

pathogen.vim 6 mentions
Vim-Plug 96 mentions
  • Any Suggestions Apart from vscode for Terraform ?
    The person who mentored me the most when I was getting started with Terraform used VIM with pathogen but honestly this isn't a great idea unless you're really invested in a VIM workflow. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Vim or Emacs?
    I am a bit confused. What has this anything to do with your original question? vim-pathogen is for Vim editor itself, not for PyCharm. I don't know much about MacOS, so not sure how to help. Did you try the installation steps at... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Usage of 'after/ftplugin' directory for filetype-specific configuration
    Back in the old(ish) days of Vim, usage of tpope/vim-pathogen to manipulate runtimepath was a popular way to install plugins. As it got update 9 days ago, it might be still used by some. Source: about 4 years ago

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Alternatives to pathogen.vim and Vim-Plug

When comparing pathogen.vim and Vim-Plug, you can also consider the following products.