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Source-backed analysis13

Review basis

Research-based review: the AppDuo Editorial Team compiled it from official pages, documentation, app stores, press and user feedback, without hands-on testing. Every claim links to a source with the date it was checked.

13 reference sources

Information updated Nov 11, 2026

How we review
Neovim logo

Neovim Review

Open-source, Vim-based editor configured in Lua

Editorial Team7.4/10Write the first review

By Official AppDuo editorial team · Updated

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux
Open source · Free
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Decide at a glance

Our verdict

A good fit for people comfortable with Vim-style editing who want a light, terminal-based setup they assemble themselves. The trade-off is a steep learning curve, plenty of manual configuration and English-only official documentation.

Best for: Developers used to Vim-style editing who work in the terminal or over SSH

Skip it if: Beginners who want a ready-to-use graphical environment with built-in debugging

Pros

  • Free, open source, no account needed
  • Lua, LSP and Tree-sitter built in
  • Runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and BSD, with pre-built x86_64 and arm64 binaries

Cons

  • Needs manual setup to approach an IDE experience; support is mainly docs and community
  • Official documentation is English-only
All pros and cons · Who is it for?

More pros

  • Shares Vim's editing model and runs Vimscript v1; many GUI front ends embed it

More cons

  • Two flaws allowed code execution via crafted files (2019, 2023); both are patched, but staying on current releases matters

Best for

  • People who like to customise their editor with Lua and plugins

Experience & key features

Neovim is a text editor that carries on from Vim. According to Wikipedia, Thiago de Arruda started the project in 2014 after a multi-threading patch for Vim was rejected. The project charter calls Neovim a continuation and extension of Vim, not a rewrite.

The website lists the main features: built-in Lua for plugins and configuration (init.lua), built-in LSP for code inspection and refactoring, Tree-sitter for syntax highlighting, :terminal, multicursor editing and an RPC API for extensions written in other languages. Wikipedia dates LSP and Tree-sitter support to version 0.5 (July 2021).

Neovim is free. New code is licensed Apache 2.0, while code copied from Vim keeps the Vim license. Funding goes through OpenCollective (GitHub Sponsors routes there too); the sponsors page says 100% of funds go to development and lists Meta, Rizin and Route4Me as current sponsors. The home page also shows CodeRabbit, Greptile and SerpApi.

Compared with Visual Studio Code or IntelliJ IDEA, Neovim is lighter and runs in a terminal, but debugging, project management and a graphical interface come from plugins you assemble. The charter lists turning Vim into an IDE as a non-goal. That suits people who want control over their setup, less so those who need ready-made tooling.

Screenshots

Neovim branding image from the official website
Neovim branding image from the official website
Neovim logo from the official website repository
Neovim logo from the official website repository

Plans & pricing

Prices last verified Nov 11, 2026

Neovim

Personal

Free

Free and open source under Apache 2.0 (code carried over from Vim keeps the Vim license). No seat or device limits.

Free plan limits
Every feature is free; there is no paid tier.
Free trial
No free trial
Cancellation & refunds

Not applicable: Neovim is free and funded by voluntary sponsorship.

Privacy

Neovim runs locally and needs no account. The pages we read publish no separate user-data policy. The source code is open for anyone to inspect. Third-party plugins can send data on their own, so each one needs its own review.

Official pricing page

Neovim alternatives

Visual Studio Code logo8.0/10

Visual Studio Code

Microsoft's free code editor, extended by add-ons, with built-in AI agents

Free
IntelliJ IDEA logo7.4/10

IntelliJ IDEA

JetBrains' Java and Kotlin IDE, now a single product for Community and Ultimate

Freemium
All alternatives

Controversies & incidents

Issues documented by the press, regulators, courts or the vendor itself. Every item is sourced; unproven claims are labelled as allegations. Last researched: Nov 11, 2026

  • Low impactResolvedSecurity ·

    Tree-sitter injection flaw allowed arbitrary code execution

    Neovim's own security advisory says versions 0.5 to 0.8.2 could load a malicious library when opening a crafted markdown file. It was fixed in 0.8.3.

    Read the full account

    Advisory GHSA-6f9m-hj8h-xjgj, published on February 10, 2023, says that when Tree-sitter processed injections, Neovim used the language name from the file to load a parser without sanitising path elements. A name containing "../" could point to a shared library outside the parser directory and run its code. An attacker needed to get both a malicious library and a crafted markdown file onto the victim's machine. It is rated Moderate (CVSS 6.6); the advisory lists no workaround other than upgrading to 0.8.3.

    Vendor response

    The Neovim maintainers disclosed the flaw themselves and shipped the fix in 0.8.3.

    Sources:Neovim security advisory GHSA-6f9m-hj8h-xjgj

  • Low impactResolvedSecurity ·

    CVE-2019-12735 modeline flaw allowed command execution via a crafted file

    According to The Register, opening a crafted text file in Vim before 8.1.1365 or Neovim before 0.3.6 could run system commands. It has been patched.

    Read the full account

    The Register reports that researcher Armin Razmjou reported the bug to both projects on May 22, 2019 and later published details with a proof of concept. The flaw lay in modeline handling: adding ! to a source command with % ran it outside the sandbox. Vim had a patch on May 23 and Neovim released its fix on May 29. Setting nomodeline mitigates it; per the article, Debian and some other distributions disable modelines by default.

    Vendor response

    Per The Register, both projects patched quickly after the report; updating to a current build addresses the flaw.

    Sources:The Register (2019-06-12)

Frequently asked questions

Is Neovim free?

Yes. Neovim is free, open-source software, with new code under Apache 2.0. The project relies on voluntary sponsorship.

Which operating systems does Neovim run on?

Pre-built binaries cover Windows 8+, macOS 10.15+ and Linux on both x86_64 and arm64. FreeBSD and OpenBSD install it through their package managers. On Android, Termux offers a Neovim package.

How does Neovim differ from Vim?

Neovim keeps Vim's editing model and Vimscript v1, and adds first-class Lua, LSP, Tree-sitter and an RPC API. Its charter lists supporting Vim9script as a non-goal.

Does Neovim have a Vietnamese interface?

Partly. Neovim's source ships a Vietnamese translation of editor messages (vi.po), alongside 25+ other languages. The official documentation (:help) is English-only.

Review evidence & sources13

Scores

Ease of use
5.0
Why this score

Vim's modal editing takes time to learn and the official docs are English-only, though editor messages are translated into 25+ languages (Vietnamese, Japanese, Chinese, …). The charter aims for a good out-of-the-box experience, but most users still write their own init.lua.

Features
8.0
Why this score

Built-in Lua, LSP, Tree-sitter, :terminal, an RPC API and many GUI front ends. Debugging and IDE-style features come from plugins.

Value for money
9.0
Why this score

Completely free under Apache 2.0, with no paid tier or usage limits.

Performance
8.0
Why this score

The website says Neovim has 30% less source code than Vim, and it runs in a terminal. We found no independent benchmarks, so the score reflects design rather than measurements.

Support
6.0
Why this score

Official docs and a GitHub community exist, but there is no official email or chat support.

Privacy & security
8.5
Why this score

Runs locally, no account, open source. Two disclosed code-execution flaws (CVE-2019-12735, fixed in 0.3.6; a Tree-sitter injection flaw, fixed in 0.8.3) have been patched. Third-party plugins are outside this assessment.

Sources

Specs & compatibility
Developer
Cộng đồng Neovim
Headquarters
United States
Launched
2014
Category
Development

Capabilities

  • Open source
  • Works offline
  • Integrations

Platforms

  • Windows
  • macOS
  • Linux

Interface languages

  • English
  • Vietnamese
  • Japanese
  • Chinese
  • Spanish
  • French
  • Korean
  • German
  • Portuguese
  • Russian

Integrations

  • Language Server Protocol
  • Tree-sitter
  • Lua
  • Vimscript
  • RPC API

Support

  • Help center
  • Community forum

Change history

  1. Feature.Version 0.12.6 was the latest stable release on GitHub Releases at the time of checking.
  2. Feature.Neovim announced version 0.11 on its official news page. Per Wikipedia, it improved completion and made LSP server configuration easier.
  3. Update.Neovim disclosed a code-execution flaw in Tree-sitter injections (versions 0.5 to 0.8.2) and shipped the fix in 0.8.3.
Full change history (7)
  1. Feature.Version 0.5 added built-in LSP, Tree-sitter and fuller Lua support.
  2. Update.Neovim released the fix (0.3.6) for the CVE-2019-12735 modeline flaw.
  3. Launch.First release, per the date listed on Wikipedia.
  4. Launch.Thiago de Arruda started Neovim after a multi-threading patch for Vim was rejected (per Wikipedia). A March 2014 Bountysource fundraiser covered at least one full-time developer.
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