Vim vs Vimlike
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Vim
A highly configurable text editor with a long history, designed for efficient editing from both command lines and graphical interfaces. It offers extensive customization options for programmers and writers alike.
- Text editing
- Command-line interface support
- Graphical user interface support
- Highly configurable
- Free and open source
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Vim is a text editor first released publicly in 1991. Based on the vi editor common to Unix-like systems, Vim is designed for use both from a command line interface and as a standalone application in a graphical user interface. Vim is free and open source software and is released under a license which includes some charityware clauses, encouraging users who enjoy the software to consider donating to children in Uganda. https://vim.sourceforge.io/about.php
Vimlike
Enhance web browsing with keyboard shortcuts, mimicking a Vim-like editor experience. Navigate pages, manage tabs, and interact with links using customizable key bindings. Offers features like dark mode and reader view for a streamlined workflow.
- Keyboard shortcuts for navigation
- Customizable key mappings
- Link interaction (open, new tab)
- Tab management (new, close, switch)
- Insert and normal modes
- Reader view and dark mode
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Vimlike is a Safari extension to browse the web by keyboard shortcuts like a vim-editor. See the default key binding below and you can customize every key mapping. Page Navigation: j Scroll down k Scroll up h Scroll left l Scroll right ctrl+f Page down ctrl+b Page up d Half page down u Half page up g g Go to bottom of the page g Go to top of the page i Go to the first edit box a Open the link below the cursor s Open the link below the cursor in a new window Mode: Esc/`/§ Normal mode ctrl+i Insert mode ctrl+d Dark mode shift+r Reader view ? Help History: shift+h Go back shift+l Go forward Link: f Toggle links shift+f Toggle links (open a link in a new tab) n Move to next link shift+n Move to previous link Tab: t New tab q Previous tab w Next tab x Close tab shift+x Undo close tab r Reload tab Search Bar o Open Search Bar / Search links Video: ctrl+u Play video in a fullscreen ctrl+p Play video in a PIP cmd+. Exit fullscreen video Privacy Policy: • Vimlike requires access to the websites to override the keyboard shortcuts • Vimlike never collects any data from your browser. None of the data will leave your device.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Vimlike at 4.7 against Vim's 2.9. Vimlike also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 46%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). Vim's advantage is iOS requirement (9.0 vs 16.6). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Vimlike holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 21 and 30 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 46% of Vim's written reviews are positive against 85% of Vimlike's.
Vim ships an update every 9 months, Vimlike every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Vim | Vimlike |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.9 (21 ratings) | 4.7 (30 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 46.2% of reviews | 84.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 21 | 30 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 9.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 37 MB | 34 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Applidium | Jasmine Studios |
Customer experience
Vim
Vimlike
User reviews
Vim
From 21 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- ✅ True Vim implementation with authentic commands and features
- ⌨️ Works well with external Bluetooth keyboards
- 🆓 Free application with no cost barrier
- 🔒 Includes encryption functionality for secure editing
- 📝 Supports .vimrc configuration files
Room to improve
- 🐛 Escape key mapping to backslash is cumbersome and unintuitive
- 🐛 Space bar and other keys don't work with external keyboards
- 🐛 Font rendering is illegible on Retina displays and newer devices
- 🐛 Severe input lag and keystroke delay issues
- 🐛 Window focus problems in multitasking environments
Vimlike
From 30 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great for Vim addicts
- ✨ Genius author
- 🚀 Fantastic extension for keyboard users
- 💯 Best Vim key implementation
- 🚀 Functionally perfect and polished
Room to improve
- 🐛 Does not support Colemak layout
- 🐛 Default mode setting does not work
- 🐛 Lacking bookmark/favorite support
- 🐛 Scrolling bug on iPadOS
- 🐛 Link hints inefficient
Bugs and requests
Vim
Reported bugs
13 issues- Escape key not recognized on external keyboards
- Space bar non-functional with external keyboards
- Font illegible on Retina and newer displays
- Significant input lag between keystrokes and display
- Window focus not maintained in multitasking
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Keyboard recognition delays
- Graphics scrambled on iPhone 6 and newer
- Character rendering issues (missing 'f' character)
- Command line errors with certain commands (:ls, :echo)
- Syntax highlighting broken
- App crashes on older iOS versions
- 32-bit app incompatibility with iOS 11+
- Slow response to Bluetooth keyboard input
Requested features
15 requests- Custom keyboard row with Esc, Tab, Ctrl, and common symbols
- Dropbox and cloud service integration
- iOS copy/paste and clipboard integration
- File browser and file management system
- Better font rendering and scaling options
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Swipe gestures for common operations (Esc, Tab)
- Plugin support
- SSH/FTP connectivity
- Customizable color schemes and themes
- Better Bluetooth keyboard support and detection
- MacVim-style tabs
- iCloud synchronization
- Open source project status
- Support for external shell integration
- Email attachment opening support
Vimlike
Reported bugs
14 issues- Default mode setting does not work
- Scrolling bug on iPadOS
- Cannot use 'f' to press buttons on webpage
- Hitting F again does not cancel navigation
- Extension not working after a while, requires reinstallation
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Scrolling no longer works on iPadOS
- Memory leak after Ventura update
- Issues with custom bindings in Gmail
- Scrolling animation feels choppy
- Scrolling stuttery on iPad Pro with ProMotion
- Cannot get out of YouTube fullscreen with control+u
- Reconfigs don't work
- Safari no longer inserts username/passwords
- Extension not working on Google Domains
Requested features
15 requests- Open search result in current tab
- Customized new tab URL
- Support for opening bookmarks/favorites
- Visual mode for highlighting text
- Custom search URL support
Show 10 moreShow fewer
- Ability to move tabs left/right
- Option to disable scrolling animation
- More subtle color scheme for link selection
- Website specific settings to exclude key bindings
- Simulate 'o' and 'O' from other Vim plugins
- Command focus the URL of the page
- Specify keys for ACTIVATE_LINK command with 'Ignore keyboard layout'
- Command for changing tab order
- Easy in-app config for exclusion list
- Dark mode option
In-app purchases
Vim
No in-app purchases
Vimlike
No in-app purchases
