Kakoune vs Micro
Kakoune
kakoune.orgMicro
micro-editor.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | Kakoune | Micro |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 8.1 (#16) | 8.4 (#8) |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 8.0 (#43) | 8.5 (#18) |
| Spec score · Code editors | 7.7 (#37) | 8.4 (#14) |
| Customization | Users can extend or customize Kakoune with macros and hooks. | Users can configure options and rebind keys with JSON, and extend configuration with Lua. |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Installation | The project documents installation from source and packages for several operating systems and package managers, including Homebrew, MacPorts, apt, and dnf. | Distributed as a static binary with no dependencies |
| License | The project repository identifies the Unlicense as its license. | The Micro repository is MIT licensed. |
| Platforms | The project says Kakoune can be built on Linux, macOS, and Cygwin; it says no native Windows version is planned. | Windows,macOS,Linux |
| Syntax highlighting | Syntax highlighting supports multiple languages in the same buffer and different highlighting for the same buffer in different windows. | Micro provides syntax highlighting for over 130 languages. |
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.