GNU Emacs vs Lapce
GNU Emacs
gnu.org
Lapce
lap.devSide by side
| Figure | GNU Emacs | Lapce |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 2 |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 9.0 (#4) | 8.8 (#8) |
| Spec score · Go IDEs | 8.8 (#2) | 8.6 (#3) |
| Spec score · Code editors | 8.9 (#4) | 8.2 (#23) |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.6 (#6) |
| Built-in documentation | It includes complete built-in documentation and a tutorial for new users. | Lapce documentation includes setup, command palette, settings, keybindings, modal editing, remote development, themes, terminal, multiple cursors, syntax highlighting, and plugin development. |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| License | GNU Emacs is free software distributed under conditions of the GNU General Public License. | The project is released under the permissive Apache License 2.0. |
| Multi-cursor editing | Yes | Yes |
| Supported platforms | GNU/Linux, BSDs, Haiku, Windows, macOS, and Android. | Windows,Linux,macOS |
Plans
In their own words
Lapce
Lapce is an open-source code editor written in Rust, available for Linux, macOS, and Windows. It uses a native graphical interface with GPU acceleration through Floem. For code intelligence, it combines Tree-sitter syntax highlighting with Language Server Protocol support for completion, diagnostics, and code actions. Developers can connect to a remote machine to work in an environment matching a production server, and the included terminal opens at the workspace path. The editor has built-in Vim-like modal editing and supports multiple cursors. Plugins can be written in any programming language that compiles to WASI, and the editor supports extensions. Downloads include Linux tar.gz builds for x86 and ARM, Windows system installer and portable x86 builds, and a universal macOS DMG. The product page displays version 0.4.2. Its documentation covers setup, settings, keybindings, modal editing, remote development, themes, terminal use, multiple cursors, syntax highlighting, and plugin development. The About page says Lapdev is maintained by the Lapce team and describes Lapce and Floem as open-source projects.