Helix vs Sublime Text

Helix is a free, terminal-based text editor for Linux, macOS, and Windows. Its editing model centers on multiple selections, so commands can act on several selections at once; it also supports multi-cursor editing and macro recording. Tree-sitter integration provides syntax highlighting, indentation calculation, and code navigation. Built-in language server support offers completion, go to definition, documentation, and diagnostics, though users need to install language servers for their chosen programming languages. Helix can select and navigate functions, classes, comments, and syntax tree nodes. Other included tools are a fuzzy finder for files and symbols, project-wide search, themes, automatic bracket pairing, and surround integration. Written in Rust, it can run in a terminal, over SSH, or in tmux. Configuration can be global or project-specific, including themes, keybindings, and language-specific settings; language servers and formatters can be configured through languages.toml files. Helix has no plugin system currently, although one is intended for the future. A graphical frontend is described as a future possibility.

Sublime Text is a text editor for code, markup, and prose on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Editing includes multi-cursor and column work, macro recording, large-file handling, tab multi-select, split views, Goto Anything, Goto Definition, and context-aware auto-completion. GPU rendering is supported on all three platforms, including resolutions up to 8K. The maker lists native Apple Silicon support and Linux ARM64 builds. Extensions can add plugins, syntax definitions, menus, and snippets, and a documented Python API supports plugin development such as LSP. The download page identifies Sublime Text 4, Build 4215, as the current release. The software can be downloaded and evaluated without an enforced time limit, but continued use requires a license. A Personal license costs $99 as a one-time purchase and includes three years of updates. Business licensing costs $65 per seat per year for the first 10 seats, with lower rates for larger tiers. The maker is based in Woollahra, Sydney, Australia.