Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

SynWrite VS MacVim

Compare SynWrite VS MacVim and see what are their differences

SynWrite logo SynWrite

SynWrite Free Source Code And Text Editor

MacVim logo MacVim

MacVim is a port of the text editor Vim to Mac OS X.
  • SynWrite Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-13
  • MacVim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-08

SynWrite features and specs

  • Syntax Highlighting
    SynWrite supports syntax highlighting for a wide range of programming languages, helping developers to read and understand code more efficiently.
  • Customizable Interface
    The editor offers a customizable interface with various themes and layouts, allowing users to personalize their coding environment.
  • Plugin Support
    SynWrite allows the installation of plugins, enabling users to extend its functionality and tailor the editor to their specific needs.
  • Code Folding
    This feature allows users to collapse or expand sections of code, making it easier to navigate large files and focus on particular areas.
  • Free and Open Source
    SynWrite is available for free and is open-source, which means users can contribute to its development and benefit from community-driven enhancements.

Possible disadvantages of SynWrite

  • Windows Only
    SynWrite is only available for Windows, which limits its accessibility for developers who use other operating systems such as macOS or Linux.
  • Complex Setup
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex for beginners, as it may require users to manually adjust settings and install plugins to achieve desired functionalities.
  • Limited Active Development
    There may be limited active development and support compared to more popular editors, potentially leading to slower updates and fewer new features.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users might experience performance issues or slowdowns when working with very large files or projects, impacting productivity.
  • Steeper Learning Curve
    New users might encounter a steeper learning curve due to the wide range of features and customization options available, which can be overwhelming at first.

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.

SynWrite videos

1 Click Ready Secured SynWrite on Windows 2016 Deploy on Azure , AWS and Google Cloud Platform.

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 SynWrite and MacVim)
Text Editors
56 56%
44% 44
IDE
54 54%
46% 46
Software Development
58 58%
42% 42
IDEs And Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using SynWrite 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, MacVim seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 3 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.

SynWrite mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of SynWrite yet. Tracking of SynWrite recommendations started around Mar 2021.

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 / about 3 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 / almost 4 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: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

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

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

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

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

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

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.

Neovim - Vim's rebirth for the 21st century