Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Vimium VS Firenvim

Compare Vimium VS Firenvim and see what are their differences

Vimium logo Vimium

The Hacker's Browser.

Firenvim logo Firenvim

Turn your browser into a Neovim client.
  • Vimium Landing page
    Landing page //
    2019-08-02
  • Firenvim Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-11-03

Vimium features and specs

  • Keyboard Efficiency
    Vimium enhances navigation efficiency by allowing users to browse using keyboard shortcuts similar to those in Vim, reducing reliance on a mouse.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize key bindings and shortcuts to suit their preferences, making it adaptable to individual workflows.
  • Productivity
    Increased productivity through reduced context switching between using a mouse and keyboard, as actions can be executed swiftly using shortcuts.
  • Free and Open Source
    Vimium is available at no cost and its source code can be reviewed and modified, promoting transparency and community-driven enhancements.
  • Cross-Browser Support
    Available as an extension for multiple browsers, allowing users to utilize Vim-like navigation across different environments.

Possible disadvantages of Vimium

  • Learning Curve
    Users unfamiliar with Vim may find the initial learning process challenging as they adjust to new shortcuts and navigation methods.
  • Limited Mouse Interaction
    Users who prefer or rely heavily on mouse interactions might find Vimium's keyboard-focused approach limiting.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Some websites or web applications may not fully support Vimium's features, leading to inconsistent performance or conflicts.
  • Overwhelming for Basic Users
    Casual users or those needing only basic browsing features may find Vimium's advanced options unnecessary and overly complex.

Firenvim features and specs

  • Seamless Integration
    Firenvim allows users to bring the power of NeoVim into web browsers, providing a seamless integration for those who prefer editing text in Vim-like environments. This is especially beneficial for users who spend a lot of time writing in text areas on the web, such as when composing emails or writing blog posts.
  • Increased Productivity
    For users familiar with Vim keybindings, Firenvim can significantly increase productivity by enabling efficient text editing capabilities directly in the browser. This eliminates the need to switch contexts between a browser and a text editor.
  • Customization
    Firenvim supports NeoVim's extensive configuration and plugin ecosystem, allowing users to customize their editing environment in web text areas to match their personal setup preferences.
  • Consistent Workflow
    It helps maintain a consistent workflow for users who frequently switch between local files and online text input fields, reducing the cognitive load of differing editing interfaces.

Possible disadvantages of Firenvim

  • Learning Curve
    For users not already familiar with Vim or NeoVim, there can be a steep learning curve associated with transitioning to this editing style, which might not be immediately intuitive.
  • Browser Compatibility
    Firenvim might have compatibility issues with certain websites or browser extensions, which could result in unexpected behavior when trying to edit content.
  • Resource Intensive
    Running NeoVim within a browser can be more resource-intensive compared to just using the native browser text editor. This could potentially affect the browser's performance, especially on lower-spec hardware.
  • Security Concerns
    Embedding a full-featured text editor within a web browser could raise security concerns, especially with sensitive data, as potential vulnerabilities in the Firenvim configuration or plugins could be exploited.

Vimium videos

Vimium : Intro to using keyboard in your browser

More videos:

  • Review - Quick Look at Vimium Chrome Chromium Firefox Extension
  • Tutorial - How to browse the web faster using your keyboard and Vimium extension (sous-titres FR)

Firenvim videos

Firenvim: Embed Neovim Into Every Textbox

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Vimium and Firenvim)
Web Browsers
57 57%
43% 43
Text Editors
53 53%
47% 47
Web Development Tools
68 68%
32% 32
Web Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Firenvim might be a bit more popular than Vimium. We know about 35 links to it since March 2021 and only 28 links to Vimium. 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.

Vimium mentions (28)

  • A Small Change to Improve Browsers for Keyboard Navigation
    I installed Vimium a few months ago and haven't looked back -> https://vimium.github.io/ Mouseless as well for navigating anywhere on the computer without a mouse -> https://mouseless.click/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Nyxt: The Emacs-like web browser
    To those that have tried the browser or investigated the project more, what is the utility of this browser over, say, Firefox with a vim plugin[1] that lets me also navigate with a keyboard? I am all for new browsers and believe that hobby projects don't need a reason, but I am curious what distinguishes this over something that can be achieved with plugins in a more stable browser. [1] https://vimium.github.io/. - Source: Hacker News / 11 months ago
  • Ewnium - The Emacs EWW version of Vimium plugin (Experimental!!!)
    It essentially tries to mimic Vimium, a vim navigation like extension in browsers. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • RSI-Friendly Programming Languages and Patterns
    Use VI key bindings as much as possible. You can find plugins for popular editors like VSCode and Emacs, use it in the terminal. I personally use vimium in my browser, which allows me to perform complex editing tasks with minimal keystrokes. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Vimium-like shortcuts for links?
    Iโ€™ve sifted through all the logseq plugins and canโ€™t find one that provides the ability to hit a hotkey to show keyboard shortcuts next to every visible link like in vimium, jump to link in Obsidian, or link-hint in emacs. Is there such a thing in logseq? Source: over 3 years ago
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Firenvim mentions (35)

  • Competitive Programming setup
    For leetcode specifically, I use firenvim to start a neovim session in the text area that would normally be leetcode's area and then have an autocmd that looks for "leetcode" in the filename and prompts me to select a filetype. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Feeling super slow...
    Yea worth it. As far as good for certain languages over others: text is text. Once youโ€™re more experienced with how (neo)vim works, you wonโ€™t want to type anywhere. Like in the browser or obsidian. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Vim Keybindings Everywhere โ€“ The Ultimate List
    In that case give firenvim[1] a try. It uses your existing config (keymaps, plugins, autocmds, etc). [1] https://github.com/glacambre/firenvim. - Source: Hacker News / about 3 years ago
  • Question: Neovim plugin for overleaf.
    You propably could use https://github.com/glacambre/firenvim inside of overleaf webpage. Althought I haven't tested it. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Vim in Twitter
    If by everywhere you mean everywhere, then take a look on this https://github.com/glacambre/firenvim. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Vimium and Firenvim, you can also consider the following products

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

Vieb - Browse the web with Vim-bindings

vim-anywhere - Sometimes, you edit text outside of Vim. These are sad times. Enter vim-anywhere!

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.

hunt-n-peck - Simple vimium/vimperator style navigation for Windows applications based on the UI Automation...

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.