GNU Emacs vs Spacemacs

Struggling to choose between GNU Emacs and Spacemacs? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

GNU Emacs is a Development solution with tags like text-editor, emacs-lisp, extensible, open-source.

It boasts features such as Text editing, Customizable and extensible, Built-in programming language (Emacs Lisp), Supports many programming languages, Cross-platform - runs on Linux, Windows, macOS, Plugin ecosystem (packages), Keyboard-focused interaction, Code browsing, Version control integration, Email, IRC, news clients and pros including Powerful and customizable, Great for programmers, Open source and free, Active community, Supports many languages, Extensible with Lisp plugins.

On the other hand, Spacemacs is a Development product tagged with vim, emacs, spacemacs, text-editor, keyboard-shortcuts, autocompletion, syntax-highlighting.

Its standout features include Vim-style key bindings, Evil mode for Vim emulation, Support for many languages and frameworks, Preconfigured with many plugins, Easy customization and extension, Great documentation and community support, and it shines with pros like Very customizable and extensible, Combines the power of Emacs with Vim key bindings, Out of the box configuration for many use cases, Active community and ecosystem, Well documented.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is a popular, open source text editor and computing environment. It runs on most operating systems and provides extensibility through an Emacs Lisp interpreter.

Categories:
text-editor emacs-lisp extensible open-source

GNU Emacs Features

  1. Text editing
  2. Customizable and extensible
  3. Built-in programming language (Emacs Lisp)
  4. Supports many programming languages
  5. Cross-platform - runs on Linux, Windows, macOS
  6. Plugin ecosystem (packages)
  7. Keyboard-focused interaction
  8. Code browsing
  9. Version control integration
  10. Email, IRC, news clients

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Powerful and customizable

Great for programmers

Open source and free

Active community

Supports many languages

Extensible with Lisp plugins

Cons

Steep learning curve

Complex interface

Not beginner friendly

Heavy resource usage

Limited WYSIWYG capabilities


Spacemacs

Spacemacs

Spacemacs is a popular configuration layer and distribution based on Emacs. It aims to provide an ergonomic and consistent experience by adopting vim-style key bindings and integrating extensions like auto-completion and syntax checking.

Categories:
vim emacs spacemacs text-editor keyboard-shortcuts autocompletion syntax-highlighting

Spacemacs Features

  1. Vim-style key bindings
  2. Evil mode for Vim emulation
  3. Support for many languages and frameworks
  4. Preconfigured with many plugins
  5. Easy customization and extension
  6. Great documentation and community support

Pricing

  • Open Source

Pros

Very customizable and extensible

Combines the power of Emacs with Vim key bindings

Out of the box configuration for many use cases

Active community and ecosystem

Well documented

Cons

Steep learning curve for new users

Complex configuration system can be overwhelming initially

Performance not as fast as vanilla Emacs

Breaking changes between versions