Looking to replace Cursor? These open source alternatives give you the same core workflow without the lock-in - free to use, often self-hostable, and auditable on GitHub. Compare licenses, languages and project activity, then switch on your own terms.
Neovim is a Vim-based text editor that refactors Vim for easier maintenance, multi-developer work, and stronger extensibility. It is built for users who want a programmable editor with advanced UI support and compatibility with most Vim plugins.
Zed is a code editor for writing and editing code with low latency and multiplayer collaboration. It is built for macOS, Linux, and Windows, and can be installed directly or through local package managers on those platforms.
code-server lets you run VS Code on a machine you own and access it in the browser. It is aimed at developers who want the same editor anywhere, while keeping heavy work on a server instead of the local device.
Helix is a terminal-based text editor inspired by Kakoune and Neovim. It is designed for modal editing and code work, with a focus on keyboard-driven editing rather than a mouse-first interface.
Lapce is an open-source code editor written in pure Rust, with its UI built in Floem. It targets software development workspaces on Windows, Linux, and macOS, combining editing, language intelligence, terminal access, and remote development in one desktop application.
VSCodium provides freely licensed binaries of Microsoft Visual Studio Code. It is for people who want the editor without Microsoft branding, telemetry, or the default Microsoft-specific configuration, and without building the code themselves.
Eclipse Theia is an extensible framework for building full-fledged, multi-language IDEs and developer tools. It targets browser-based and desktop environments, giving teams a base for their own cloud or local development experience without starting from scratch.
Pulsar is a hyper-hackable text editor forked from Atom and built on Electron. It continues the Atom project after its sunset, keeping the editor open and deeply customizable while staying approachable with its default configuration.
