GNU Emacs vs Micro
GNU Emacs
gnu.orgMicro
micro-editor.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | GNU Emacs | Micro |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 9.0 (#4) | 8.5 (#18) |
| Spec score · Go IDEs | 8.8 (#2) | 8.4 (#8) |
| Spec score · Code editors | 8.9 (#4) | 8.4 (#14) |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.4 (#8) |
| Customization options | Users can customize it with Emacs Lisp code or a graphical interface. | Users can configure options and rebind keys with JSON, and extend configuration with Lua. |
| Editor type | It is a customizable text editor with an Emacs Lisp interpreter at its core. | terminal |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| License | GNU Emacs is free software distributed under conditions of the GNU General Public License. | The Micro repository is MIT licensed. |
Plans
In their own words
Micro
Micro is a free terminal-based text editor for Windows, macOS and Linux, intended for people who prefer terminal work or regularly edit files over SSH. It is distributed as a single static binary without dependencies. The editor provides syntax highlighting for over 130 languages and includes splits, tabs, a diff gutter, simple autocompletion, persistent undo, linting notifications, macros, soft wrapping, line numbers and Unicode support. It also offers multiple cursors, mouse selection and an interactive shell inside the editor. Options and keybindings can be changed with JSON, with further configuration through Lua. Its Lua plugin system includes a manager for installing, removing and updating plugins. Micro supports language servers and remote development, and themes can use 16, 256 or truecolor; seven colorschemes are included by default. On Linux desktops, external clipboard access requires xclip or xsel for X11, or wl-clipboard for Wayland. Vim emulation and Vi keybindings are not provided.