head to head · open source
helix vs vim-config
helix has 46,608 GitHub stars, 3,840 forks, 1,671 open issues and last shipped 18 days ago. vim-config has 1,977 stars, 448 forks, 0 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. helix leads on adoption by 2,258% (46,608 vs 1,977 stars). helix is written in Rust under MPL-2.0; vim-config is written in Lua under Apache-2.0. helix has attracted 8% as many forks as stars, vim-config 23%. vim-config was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| helix | vim-config | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 47K | ★ 2.0K |
| License | MPL-2.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Written in | Rust | Lua |
| Last push | 2026-09-29 | 2026-10-14 |
| Forks | ⑂ 3.8K | ⑂ 448 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick helix if
- You weight community size — 47K stars and counting
- You want the MPL-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Rust
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick vim-config if
- You want the vim-config feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the Apache-2.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Lua
- You evaluated both and vim-config fits your workflow better
About helix
Helix is a post modern modal text editor written in Rust that brings the selection first Kakoune editing model to the terminal, aimed at developers who want Vim style modal editing with language tooling built into the editor rather than assembled from a plugin stack.
read the full helix overview →
About vim-config
vim config is Rafael Bodill's personal Neovim configuration, a Lua based setup for developers who want a fast, language server driven editing environment and are willing to fork it and adapt it to their own habits.
read the full vim-config overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is helix or vim-config more popular?
helix has 46,608 GitHub stars and vim-config has 1,977. helix has the larger community by that measure.
Are helix and vim-config free?
Both are open source. helix is licensed under MPL-2.0 and vim-config under Apache-2.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between helix and vim-config?
helix is written in Rust and vim-config in Lua. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, helix or vim-config?
Choose helix if you want the larger community (46,608 stars) or its MPL-2.0 licence terms. Choose vim-config if its feature set, stack or Apache-2.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.