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Code editors: star history compared

Most starred

193k

microsoft/vscode

VS Code is the biggest open-source editor project ever measured by stars, but the more interesting lines are underneath it: Neovim decisively outgrowing the Vim it forked from, Helix proving a modal editor can be born modern, and Zed converting years of anticipation into one of the sharpest launch spikes in the category's history.

Ranked by current GitHub stars · growth = stars gained in the trailing 90 days · data updated Sep 2026

Code editors — star history
207k STARS12 YR 7 MOmicrosoft/vscode207kneovim/neovim109kzed-industries/zed70khelix-editor/helix43kvim/vim46k

microsoft/vscode: 206,626 stars on September 16, 2026. neovim/neovim: 108,639 stars on September 15, 2026. zed-industries/zed: 70,469 stars on September 16, 2026. helix-editor/helix: 42,756 stars on September 16, 2026. vim/vim: 45,516 stars on September 15, 2026.

Star history for microsoft/vscode
DateStars
November 18, 20152383
January 6, 20169844
February 24, 201611449
April 13, 201613155
June 1, 201615783
July 19, 201617247
September 6, 201618574
October 25, 201620356
December 13, 201622180
January 31, 201724678
March 30, 201728582
May 18, 201731557
July 6, 201733893
August 23, 201736590
October 11, 201739547
November 29, 201744285
January 17, 201847509
March 7, 201850953
April 25, 201854186
June 13, 201858557
August 1, 201861975
September 19, 201865435
November 7, 201869316
December 25, 201872163
February 12, 201975137
April 2, 201979355
May 21, 201983669
July 8, 201987051
August 26, 201990007
October 14, 201992887
December 12, 201997465
January 29, 2020100332
March 18, 2020103094
May 6, 2020106485
June 24, 2020109963
August 11, 2020113224
September 30, 2020116336
November 18, 2020119286
January 6, 2021122377
February 24, 2021125650
April 13, 2021128953
June 4, 2021131517
July 23, 2021134490
September 12, 2021137042
November 3, 2021138768
December 21, 2021141403
February 8, 2022143933
March 29, 2022146424
May 17, 2022149201
July 4, 2022151403
September 1, 2022154338
October 20, 2022156779
December 8, 2022158906
January 25, 2023160996
March 15, 2023163388
May 3, 2023165782
June 21, 2023167939
August 8, 2023169896
September 26, 2023172752
November 14, 2023174635
January 2, 2024176550
February 20, 2024178829
April 8, 2024180716
May 27, 2024182732
July 15, 2024184858
September 2, 2024186785
October 21, 2024188917
December 8, 2024190831
January 26, 2025192844
March 16, 2025195459
May 13, 2025197984
July 1, 2025200564
August 19, 2025201964
October 7, 2025203019
November 30, 2025203892
January 17, 2026204771
March 7, 2026205428
April 25, 2026205935
June 14, 2026206159
September 16, 2026206626
Star history for neovim/neovim
DateStars
February 21, 2014834
April 18, 20147563
June 13, 20149116
August 9, 20149925
October 4, 201410877
November 30, 201411817
January 25, 201512638
March 23, 201513593
May 18, 201514618
July 13, 201515499
September 19, 201516559
November 15, 201517761
January 11, 201618596
March 8, 201619518
May 3, 201620610
June 28, 201621362
August 24, 201622055
October 19, 201622836
December 15, 201623585
February 9, 201724316
April 7, 201725135
June 2, 201726093
July 28, 201726741
September 23, 201727550
November 18, 201728525
January 14, 201829284
March 11, 201830111
May 8, 201830926
July 3, 201831734
August 29, 201832446
November 4, 201833227
December 31, 201833869
February 25, 201934594
April 23, 201935637
June 18, 201936551
August 14, 201937496
October 9, 201938600
December 4, 201939532
January 30, 202040441
March 26, 202041447
May 22, 202042610
July 17, 202043639
September 13, 202044705
November 8, 202045894
January 3, 202147325
March 1, 202148643
April 26, 202150337
June 25, 202151978
August 20, 202153868
October 19, 202155013
December 29, 202157075
February 24, 202258772
April 21, 202260624
June 17, 202262568
August 12, 202264913
October 8, 202266871
December 3, 202268754
January 29, 202370734
March 26, 202373093
May 21, 202375378
July 17, 202377091
September 11, 202379184
November 7, 202381143
January 2, 202483096
February 28, 202485587
April 24, 202488025
June 19, 202491152
August 15, 202493205
October 10, 202495241
December 6, 202497019
February 12, 202599662
April 9, 2025102263
June 4, 2025103905
July 31, 2025105050
September 25, 2025106062
November 26, 2025106829
January 21, 2026107504
March 19, 2026108032
May 16, 2026108472
September 15, 2026108639
Star history for zed-industries/zed
DateStars
January 24, 20242246
February 4, 202418272
February 15, 202421240
February 27, 202425187
March 9, 202427170
March 21, 202428170
April 1, 202428824
April 12, 202429525
April 24, 202431374
May 5, 202432178
May 19, 202433585
May 30, 202434337
June 11, 202435123
June 22, 202437851
July 4, 202438732
July 15, 202440910
July 26, 202441960
August 7, 202442932
August 18, 202443565
August 30, 202445516
September 10, 202446363
September 22, 202447091
October 3, 202447695
October 14, 202448230
October 26, 202448842
November 6, 202449530
November 18, 202450326
November 29, 202450915
December 10, 202451463
December 22, 202451909
January 5, 202552808
January 16, 202553394
January 27, 202553925
February 8, 202554475
February 19, 202555059
March 3, 202555597
March 14, 202556164
March 25, 202556782
April 6, 202557328
April 17, 202557839
April 29, 202558329
May 10, 202559786
May 22, 202560944
June 2, 202561378
June 13, 202561701
June 25, 202562082
July 6, 202562327
July 18, 202562663
July 29, 202562981
August 9, 202563357
August 23, 202563823
September 4, 202564303
September 15, 202564663
September 26, 202565090
October 8, 202565400
October 23, 202565877
November 4, 202566271
November 15, 202566574
November 26, 202566830
December 8, 202567088
December 19, 202567388
December 31, 202567687
January 11, 202668003
January 23, 202668335
February 3, 202668575
February 14, 202668815
February 26, 202669046
March 9, 202669218
March 21, 202669395
April 1, 202669488
April 15, 202669685
April 26, 202669805
May 8, 202670061
May 19, 202670182
May 30, 202670259
June 12, 202670288
June 25, 202670308
July 28, 202670331
September 4, 202670365
September 16, 202670469
Star history for helix-editor/helix
DateStars
May 30, 20216
June 22, 20212691
July 15, 20212918
August 8, 20213103
September 2, 20213442
September 25, 20213556
October 30, 20213631
November 22, 20214117
December 15, 20214671
January 7, 20225029
February 3, 20225526
February 27, 20225696
March 22, 20225910
April 15, 20227928
May 8, 20228754
May 31, 20229386
June 23, 202210069
July 16, 202210602
August 8, 202211045
August 31, 202211498
September 23, 202212848
October 16, 202214965
November 8, 202216073
December 1, 202216687
December 24, 202217414
January 16, 202318276
February 8, 202318891
March 3, 202319584
March 26, 202320226
April 18, 202321371
May 16, 202322043
June 8, 202322710
July 1, 202323482
July 24, 202323941
August 16, 202324452
September 8, 202324928
October 1, 202325420
October 24, 202325819
November 16, 202326687
December 9, 202327223
January 1, 202427716
January 24, 202428254
February 16, 202428910
March 10, 202429494
April 2, 202430328
April 25, 202430930
May 18, 202431300
June 10, 202431818
July 3, 202432230
July 26, 202432990
August 23, 202433588
September 15, 202434128
October 8, 202434596
October 31, 202434993
November 23, 202435420
December 16, 202435792
January 8, 202536367
January 31, 202537070
February 23, 202537664
March 18, 202538113
April 10, 202538545
May 3, 202538898
May 26, 202539436
June 18, 202539660
July 11, 202539965
August 3, 202540424
August 26, 202540735
September 19, 202540964
October 16, 202541142
November 8, 202541478
December 5, 202541736
December 28, 202541946
January 20, 202642108
February 12, 202642257
March 7, 202642416
March 31, 202642521
April 23, 202642604
May 21, 202642664
June 28, 202642707
September 16, 202642756
Star history for vim/vim
DateStars
August 18, 20155
October 5, 20152090
November 23, 20152544
January 12, 20162966
March 1, 20163457
April 19, 20164738
June 7, 20165160
July 26, 20165573
September 13, 20166962
October 31, 20168018
December 29, 20168608
February 16, 20179033
April 6, 20179527
May 25, 20179973
July 13, 201710413
August 31, 201710904
October 18, 201711436
December 6, 201712102
January 24, 201812669
March 14, 201813265
May 3, 201813843
June 21, 201814472
August 9, 201815018
September 27, 201815616
November 15, 201816090
January 2, 201916647
February 20, 201917221
April 10, 201917905
May 29, 201918605
July 17, 201919295
September 14, 201919963
November 1, 201920420
December 20, 201921011
February 7, 202021568
March 27, 202022091
May 15, 202022745
July 3, 202023333
August 21, 202023894
October 10, 202024492
November 28, 202025070
January 15, 202125624
March 5, 202126285
April 24, 202126848
June 15, 202127430
August 3, 202127939
September 23, 202128402
November 18, 202128814
January 6, 202229481
February 24, 202230077
April 13, 202230645
June 11, 202231242
July 30, 202232130
September 17, 202232607
November 5, 202233068
December 24, 202233508
February 10, 202333954
March 31, 202334406
May 19, 202334852
July 7, 202335232
August 25, 202337019
October 13, 202337909
December 1, 202338444
January 19, 202438972
March 8, 202439556
April 25, 202440095
June 13, 202440626
August 1, 202441137
September 19, 202441639
November 7, 202442217
December 26, 202442736
February 23, 202543391
April 12, 202543887
May 31, 202544263
July 20, 202544508
September 7, 202544763
November 2, 202544950
December 26, 202545139
February 15, 202645313
April 9, 202645430
September 15, 202645516

How each series was read

  • microsoft/vscode

    Historical star data · Covers through September 16, 2026

  • neovim/neovim

    Historical star data · Covers through September 15, 2026

  • zed-industries/zed

    Historical star data · Covers through September 16, 2026

  • helix-editor/helix

    Historical star data · Covers through September 16, 2026

  • vim/vim

    Historical star data · Covers through September 15, 2026

Ranking

5 repositories

Code editors ranked by current total GitHub stars
#RepositoryStars+90dFirst starHealth
1microsoft/vscode192,562~4672015debt charts
2neovim/neovim102,353~1112014debt charts
3zed-industries/zed90,280~1722024debt charts
4helix-editor/helix46,244~542021debt charts
5vim/vim40,892~312015debt charts

Repository health compared

Live analysis · unavailable data stays labelled

Popularity is only one axis. Compare technical scale, maintenance cadence, ownership resilience and change pressure against the same completed analysis that sits behind each report.

Reach

Popularity and real-world adoption

Signalmicrosoft/vscodeneovim/neovimzed-industries/zedhelix-editor/helixvim/vim
GitHub starsCurrent public GitHub metadata total.Best result in this row: 192,562102,35390,28046,24440,892
Stars gained · trailing 90dChange in the newest 90 days covered by each cached series.Best result in this row: +467+111+172+54+31
ForksCurrent public GitHub metadata total.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available
Largest package audienceLargest resolved registry total; sources are shown explicitly.No resolved packageNo resolved packageNo resolved packageNo resolved packageNo resolved package
Repository ageElapsed years since the GitHub creation timestamp.11 years13 years5.6 years6.3 years11 years

Codebase

Size and technical center of gravity

Signalmicrosoft/vscodeneovim/neovimzed-industries/zedhelix-editor/helixvim/vim
Dominant languageLargest share of analyzed code lines at current HEAD.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available
Code linesAnalyzed source lines at current HEAD, excluding blanks and comments.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available
Languages representedLanguages with non-zero files or line counts.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available

Maintenance

Commit volume and recent operating cadence

Signalmicrosoft/vscodeneovim/neovimzed-industries/zedhelix-editor/helixvim/vim
Repository commitsFull repository commit total reported by the analysis.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available
Commits · trailing 90dCommit count in the newest 90 days covered by the repository analysis.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available

Ownership

How broadly maintenance responsibility is distributed

Signalmicrosoft/vscodeneovim/neovimzed-industries/zedhelix-editor/helixvim/vim
Bus factorFewest analyzed contributors carrying at least half the commits.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available
Top contributor concentrationShare of attributed commits carried by the most active contributor.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available

Change signals

Debt markers and fix pressure in frequently changed files

Signalmicrosoft/vscodeneovim/neovimzed-industries/zedhelix-editor/helixvim/vim
Fix-labelled share · frequently changed filesFix-labelled commits divided by commits across the analyzed high-frequency file set.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available
Recent TODO/FIXME movementLatest cumulative marker count and its change over the trailing 90 days.Not availableNot availableNot availableNot availableNot available

Head to head

open in the builder

Frequently asked

Which of these code editors has the most GitHub stars?

microsoft/vscode is the most-starred of the code editors gitdebt compares, with 192,562 GitHub stars as of Sep 2026. It earned its first star in 2015.

Which of these code editors is growing the fastest?

microsoft/vscode added the most stars over the last 90 days of its cached history — about 467 new stars. 90-day figures are approximate for older repos, whose history is downsampled.

How is this comparison computed?

The table ranks public repository metadata by current total stars. Each curve is that repository's stored star series — read either from GitHub's stargazer list or rebuilt from historical star data — drawn on shared axes, with trailing 90-day growth estimated from it. The legend under the chart names each series' own source and coverage date. Repo-health charts come independently from each repository's commit history.

Related categories

all categories

Fastest-growing repos across all of gitdebt