Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Shortcat VS Vimium-C

Compare Shortcat VS Vimium-C and see what are their differences

Shortcat logo Shortcat

Keep your hands on the keyboard and boost your productivity! Shortcat is a keyboard tool for Mac OS X that lets you 'click' buttons and control your apps with a few keystrokes. Think of it as Spotlight for the user interface.

Vimium-C logo Vimium-C

A Customized Vimium (to click web page content and manipulate browser windows using only keyboard) having Chinese support, global Commands and injection functionality, in C-style code for quicker action and less resource cost.
  • Shortcat Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-09-28
  • Vimium-C Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-18

Shortcat features and specs

  • Efficiency
    Shortcat allows users to quickly find and execute commands using keyboard shortcuts, minimizing the need for mouse usage and speeding up workflow.
  • Accessibility
    By reducing reliance on the mouse, Shortcat makes it easier for individuals with mobility impairments to navigate macOS applications.
  • Customization
    Users have the ability to customize shortcuts and create their own workflows, tailoring the tool to their specific needs and preferences.
  • Integration
    Shortcat integrates seamlessly with most macOS applications, allowing for a consistent user experience across different software environments.
  • Learning Curve
    The tool is relatively easy to learn for those familiar with keyboard shortcuts, providing intuitive guidance and help features.

Possible disadvantages of Shortcat

  • Limited Platform
    Shortcat is only available for macOS, leaving out Windows and Linux users who might benefit from similar functionality.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some users may experience compatibility issues with certain applications, reducing the effectiveness of the tool in specific contexts.
  • Learning Curve
    For users who are not accustomed to using keyboard shortcuts, there might be a steeper learning curve that could initially slow down productivity.
  • Reliability
    In some cases, users may encounter bugs or glitches, which can interrupt workflows and undermine confidence in the tool's reliability.
  • Cost
    As a premium software, Shortcat requires a purchase, which might be a barrier for users looking for a free alternative.

Vimium-C features and specs

  • Keyboard Navigation
    Vimium-C allows users to navigate the web using Vim-style keyboard shortcuts, which can boost productivity and reduce the need for a mouse.
  • Customizability
    The extension offers a high degree of customization, allowing users to modify key bindings and settings to better suit their workflow and preferences.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Vimium-C allows users to review and contribute to its codebase, fostering community engagement and transparency.
  • Lightweight
    Vimium-C is generally lightweight and does not significantly affect browser performance, making it suitable for use even on lower-end systems.

Possible disadvantages of Vimium-C

  • Learning Curve
    New users, especially those unfamiliar with Vim, may find the learning curve steep as they adapt to the keyboard-driven interface.
  • Compatibility Issues
    There may be occasional compatibility issues with certain websites or web applications where the usual shortcuts may not work as expected.
  • Limited Functionality on Some Pages
    On certain pages, especially those using heavy custom JavaScript, Vimium-C might have limitations in controlling interactive elements.
  • Extension Conflicts
    Vimium-C may conflict with other browser extensions that also use or modify keyboard shortcuts, potentially leading to a disrupted workflow.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Shortcat and Vimium-C)
Text Editors
63 63%
37% 37
Web Browsers
61 61%
39% 39
Web Development Tools
54 54%
46% 46
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Shortcat should be more popular than Vimium-C. It has been mentiond 34 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.

Shortcat mentions (34)

  • I tried Servo, the undercover web browser engine made with Rust
    I'm no UX expert, but I regularly try out new (and old) toolkits to understand the problem space. It really sounds like you want an immediate mode toolkit. Retained mode will never be "super-snappy", there's an entire sandwich between your code and the pixels. Look at Blender or Reaper, this is the kind of "feel" you'd be getting. If you want retained mode + "true" native widgets on all platforms, investigate:... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Selfish reasons for building accessible UIs
    Shortcat in Mac and Tridactyl in Firefox uses accessibility annotations to pick up clickable elements and help navigate using only keyboard. In future, we could have local AI agents that could use the same and solve "why is my printer not available"? https://shortcat.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • Show HN: My LLM CLI tool can run tools now, from Python code or plugins
    Do local multimodal llms have low latency? If it can plug into monitor video stream and the accessibility representation of UI (like Shortcat), it could answer if a printer is connected to the computer and preview a full page print and wait for us to hit print. https://shortcat.app/. - Source: Hacker News / 4 months ago
  • macOS Tips and Tricks
    Shortcat basically does this. It indexes a lot of native AX APIs and also menu items https://shortcat.app. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
  • macOS Tips and Tricks
    I love Shortcat (https://shortcat.app/). It lets you do almost anything on your screen without having to leave your keyboard. - Source: Hacker News / 7 months ago
View more

Vimium-C mentions (7)

  • Explore Wikipedia's New Look
    It does not only break your bookmarklet, but even vimium [1] is unable to focus the language selection. This is awful. [1] https://github.com/gdh1995/vimium-c. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Thumb to finger trackball, thoughts.
    I also don't think that finger operated trackballs necessarily rest the thumb more, given many default to a scroll wheel on the side, but I appreciate ambidextrous models. The Kensington Orbit is a very affordable and well-built trackball, although its buttons are annoyingly clicky, apparently don't last long for many people, and it only has two buttons with the possibility of pressing them together (chording) to... Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Leap.nvim: Neovimโ€™s Answer to the Mouse
    Vimium C (https://github.com/gdh1995/vimium-c) supports link hinting by simply typing a few characters of the link you want to press. It also searches the actual url and alt-text for links without text (such as buttons and icons). I found it by accident looking through its settings and it has by far been the best improvement to my browsing experience since discovering tabs. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • I made a bash script to open videos with mpv
    The purpose is to be used in conjunction with browser addons such as vimium-c, where you can copy a url with just yy, and then launch this script and have it open mpv. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Vieb โ€“ Vim Inspired Electron Browser
    I found Vimium C [0] works better for Firefox (some features were broken on Vimium), and it's on Chrome too. [0]: https://github.com/gdh1995/vimium-c. - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Shortcat and Vimium-C, you can also consider the following products

Vimium - The Hacker's Browser.

Vieb - Browse the web with Vim-bindings

Vimac - Like Vimium but for macOS.

Surfingkeys - Rich shortcuts to click links/switch tabs/scroll pages or capture full page, use Chrome like vim for productivity.

cVim - An extension adding Vim-like bindings to Google Chrome.

Tridactyl - Replace Firefox's default control mechanism with one modelled on the one true editor, Vim.