I need a text editor that is fast and does not use Electron.

• Micro: A terminal-based text editor that looks and feels like a modern GUI editor, supporting full mouse support, common keybindings (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V), and plugins without touching Electron.
• Neovim: An aggressively optimized, highly extensible evolution of Vim that is lightning-fast, highly customizable, and runs natively in your terminal (or via GUI clients like Neovide).
• Kakoune: A modal editor inspired by Vim that champions a "selection-object" primary design, making multi-selection and editing insanely fast and lightweight.
• Helix: A modern modal text editor inspired by Kakoune and Neovim, written in Rust, featuring built-in Language Server Protocol (LSP) support out of the box with zero configuration required.
• Kate: A feature-rich, high-performance native GUI text editor by KDE (built with Qt/C++) that offers split views, a terminal integration, and syntax highlighting without the bloat of web technologies.
• Notepad++: A classic, blazing-fast native Windows GUI text editor powered by Scintilla, consuming minimal system resources.
• Zed: A high-performance, multiplayer code editor written from scratch in Rust, using a custom GPU-accelerated rendering engine (note: while it uses GPUI, it is a native application and does not use Electron).

If you want to narrow this down, let me know:

• Are you looking for a terminal-based or native GUI editor?
• Do you prefer modal editing (like Vim/Helix) or standard keybindings (like Notepad/VS Code)?
• What is your operating system (Linux, macOS, Windows)?

Absolutely. If fast startup + no Electron are the priorities, these are the ones I'd look at:

• Zed — My top pick if you want a modern, full-featured editor. It's written in Rust, uses the GPU, and supports Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Helix — Extremely fast and lightweight if you're comfortable in a terminal. Written in Rust, with tree-sitter, LSP support, fuzzy finding, etc. No Electron whatsoever.
• ZITEXT — A very simple Notepad++-style GUI editor. Built with Rust/Tauri, claims <300 ms startup, multi-cursor editing, syntax highlighting for 60+ languages, and Windows/macOS/Linux support.
• ZPad — Another lightweight Tauri/Rust GUI editor, particularly nice if you want Markdown, tabs, splits, and live preview without a huge IDE. It claims sub-second startup and roughly 5–7 MB installers.
• Notepad Studio — Interesting newer option if you want a Notepad++-like experience but cross-platform. It's written in Rust, open source, and supports native plugins.

What I'd choose

For coding: Zed For maximum speed/minimalism: Helix For a traditional GUI text editor: ZITEXT For simple Markdown/notes: ZPad For a Notepad++ replacement: Notepad Studio

If you tell me Windows, macOS, or Linux, I can narrow this down to the 2–3 fastest options for your platform and compare RAM usage, startup time, plugins, and large-file performance.

If your priorities are fast + no Electron, these are the ones I'd look at:

• Zed — My top GUI recommendation. It's written in Rust, uses GPU acceleration, and is available on macOS, Linux, and Windows. It has LSP, Git, debugging, extensions, and Vim/Helix-style editing.
• Sublime Text — Excellent if you want something extremely polished and lightweight. It runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux and is renowned for low overhead.
• Neovim — Best choice if you're comfortable with a terminal. Very fast, highly customizable, and excellent for programming.
• Helix — A particularly nice alternative to Neovim if you want modal editing without spending ages configuring plugins. It's written in Rust and includes LSP, multiple selections, and Tree-sitter syntax support.
• Kate — A good conventional GUI editor on Linux, especially if you want something more traditional than Vim/Helix.

My pick

GUI: Zed Maximum simplicity: Sublime Text Terminal: Neovim Terminal + modern defaults: Helix

If you tell me Windows, macOS, or Linux and whether this is mainly for coding or plain-text editing, I can narrow it down to 2–3 options.

If you want something fast, lightweight, and built on native code rather than Electron/Chromium, you have some fantastic options depending on whether you prefer a Graphical User Interface (GUI) or a terminal-based workflow.

Fast GUI Editors (Native Apps)

• • Sublime Text: Written in C++ and Python, Sublime is legendary for its blazing-fast startup times, instant search, and minimal resource footprint. It is proprietary (with an indefinite evaluation period), but it remains the gold standard for speed in a modern GUI. Download it from the Sublime Text Website.
• • CudaText: A cross-platform text editor written in Object Pascal and compiled to native machine code. It supports syntax highlighting for dozens of languages, plugins (via Python), tabs, and a surprisingly rich feature set without the massive RAM overhead of web-tech editors. Available on the CudaText Homepage.
• • Kate / KWrite: If you are on Linux (though available cross-platform), KDE's Kate is an extraordinarily fast, feature-rich advanced text editor with support for split views, project sessions, and great terminal integration. Get it via the Kate Editor Site.
• • Geany: A lightweight, GTK-based IDE/text editor that loads instantly, uses almost no memory, and works smoothly across Windows, Linux, and macOS. Check it out on the Geany Website.
• • Notepad++: The classic choice for Windows users. Built in C++ using native Win32 API, it opens massive files in milliseconds. Available on the Notepad++ Downloads page.

Terminal/Keyboard-Centric Editors (The Ultimate in Speed)

• • Neovim / Vim: Runs directly in your terminal, starts instantly, consumes negligible resources, and can be hyper-customized. With modern Lua configurations, it matches or beats any IDE for editing speed. Learn more at the Neovim Website.
• • Helix: A modern, modal text editor inspired by Vim but built from scratch in Rust with built-in Language Server Protocol (LSP) support out of the box (no complex configuration plugins required). Check out the Helix Editor Site.
• • Micro: A modern terminal-based text editor that supports standard, intuitive system shortcuts like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V, and full mouse support (clicking, dragging, and scrolling). Grab it from the Micro Editor Site.

To help narrow down the best choice for you, tell me:

• Are you looking for a GUI (windowed desktop app) or a terminal-based editor?
• What operating system (Windows, macOS, Linux) are you using?
• What programming languages or writing formats will you be working with?

If you are tired of bloated, memory-heavy Electron apps, you have some fantastic, lightning-fast native alternatives. Here are the best non-Electron text editors available right now, categorized by their workflow:

• Micro - A modern, intuitive terminal-based text editor. It fully supports standard mouse controls (clicking, dragging, selecting) and standard keyboard shortcuts like Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V , and Ctrl+Z . It's written in Go, starts instantly, and has zero dependencies.
• Neovim - An evolution of Vim that is hyper-extensible, blazing fast, and consumes negligible system resources. It runs entirely in your terminal (though it has rich GUI wrappers like Neovide). With modern Lua configurations, it's remarkably fast and powerful.
• Helix - A modern modal text editor inspired by Neovim, but with built-in Language Server Protocol (LSP) support out of the box. It offers a curated, zero-config experience for code intelligence with a multi-selection primary workflow.
• Kate - KDE's advanced text editor. It is a full-featured, lightning-fast native GUI application (Qt-based) that handles massive files with ease, offering split views, a built-in terminal, and extensive syntax highlighting without the Electron tax.
• Lapce - A blazing-fast native GUI code editor written in Rust using the Druid/Floem GPU-accelerated rendering engine. It feels as snappy as a terminal editor while providing a smooth, modern interface with built-in LSP support.

If you'd like, I can:

Recommend one based on whether you prefer a terminal or graphical (GUI) interface Walk you through the installation and basic shortcuts for Micro or Lapce Show you how to set up LSP code completion for one of these options

Absolutely. If fast + no Electron is the priority, these are the ones I’d consider:

• zed.dev — My top pick for a modern GUI editor. Written in Rust, uses GPU acceleration, and is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It has LSP, Git, debugging, extensions, and AI features without Electron.
• sublimetext.com — The safe choice if you want something extremely polished and mature. Very fast startup, excellent large-file performance, and a huge plugin ecosystem.
• helix-editor.com — If terminal-based is okay, this is exceptionally lightweight. Written in Rust, explicitly no Electron, with Tree-sitter and LSP built in.
• neovim.io — Extremely fast and customizable, especially if you're comfortable with Vim-style editing.
• lapce.dev — Rust-based GUI editor aimed specifically at the lightweight/native-editor niche. It's cross-platform and has LSP support.
• ZITEXT — A newer minimalist Rust/Tauri editor that explicitly advertises no Electron, sub-300 ms startup, and Windows/macOS/Linux support. I'd regard it as more experimental than Zed or Sublime.

My recommendation

If you want a VS Code-like experience without Electron, start with Zed.

If you want maximum maturity and minimal fuss, choose Sublime Text.

If you want absolute minimal overhead and don't mind the terminal, choose Helix or Neovim.

If you tell me Windows, macOS, or Linux and whether you need coding features (LSP/Git/debugging) or just plain text editing, I can narrow it down to 2–3 excellent choices.

Absolutely. If your priority is fast + non-Electron, these are the ones I'd look at:

• zed.dev — My top pick if you want a modern editor. It's written in Rust, uses GPU-accelerated rendering, and is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It's more of a code editor than a basic text editor, with LSP, Git, debugging, and Vim bindings.
• sublimetext.com — Probably the safest choice if speed and polish are the priorities. Extremely responsive, excellent multi-cursor editing, mature package ecosystem, and cross-platform.
• zitext.com — Interesting newer option specifically aimed at replacing Notepad++. Built with Rust/Tauri, claims sub-300ms startup, and runs on Windows/macOS/Linux. It has syntax highlighting, multi-cursor, JSON/XML tools, etc.
• Notepad++ — If you're on Windows and don't need cross-platform support, it's still extremely hard to beat for raw lightweight editing. It's native Win32/C++ rather than Electron.
• Helix — Excellent if you're comfortable with modal/keyboard-driven editing. Very lightweight and terminal-based.
• Neovim — The choice if you want maximum speed and customization and don't mind living in the terminal.
• Kate — A particularly good choice on Linux/KDE; lightweight while still being a capable full-featured editor.
• Lite XL — Very small, fast, and extensible with Lua; a good choice if you want something closer to a traditional lightweight editor.

What I'd choose

One caveat: Tauri is not Electron, but editors such as ZITEXT still use a webview for their UI. If by "does not use Electron" you specifically mean no Chromium/webview-based UI whatsoever, I'd narrow the list to things like Sublime Text, Notepad++, Neovim, Helix, or native GTK/Qt editors.

If you tell me Windows, macOS, or Linux and whether this is primarily plain text or programming, I can narrow it down to the 2–3 best choices.

Here are some of the fastest, non-Electron text and code editors available, broken down by whether you prefer a traditional graphical interface or a terminal-based tool:

Graphical (GUI) Editors

• Sublime Text : Written in C++, Sublime is legendary for its instantaneous startup time, minuscule memory footprint, and blazing-fast search/replace capabilities. It is proprietary (with a generous un-registered evaluation period), cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux), and highly extensible.
• Kate (KDE Advanced Text Editor) : A powerful, feature-rich native GUI editor for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It supports multi-document splitting, a built-in terminal, session management, and robust syntax highlighting while remaining remarkably snappy.
• Geany : A lightweight, fast GTK-based text editor that acts almost like a mini-IDE. It supports dozens of languages, loads instantly, and uses very few system resources, making it great for older or resource-constrained hardware.
• Notepad++ : The quintessential fast, native C++ text editor for Windows. (Note: Not natively cross-platform for Mac/Linux without Wine).

Terminal-Based Editors

If you want absolute maximum speed and zero bloat, terminal editors run entirely inside your command line and open files instantly:

• Neovim / Vim : Highly optimized, modal keyboard-driven editors that consume virtually no memory and can be scaled from a basic config-file tweak tool into a full-blown IDE via Lua plugins.
• Micro : A modern terminal-based text editor that looks and feels like a normal GUI app—it supports standard mouse selection, copy/paste shortcuts (Ctrl+C/Ctrl+V ), and multiple tabs, all while running in your terminal.
• Helix / Fresh : Next-generation terminal editors written in Rust with primary focus on low input latency, built-in Language Server Protocol (LSP) support, and modal editing out of the box.

To help narrow down the best choice, tell me:

• Are you looking for a GUI (windowed) application or a terminal-based editor?
• What operating system are you using (Windows, macOS, Linux)?

If you want a text editor that launches instantly, consumes minimal RAM, and completely avoids the bloat of Electron, you have some fantastic native options.

Here are the best fast, non-Electron text editors available, broken down by workflow:

Graphical (GUI) Editors

• Sublime Text – Written in C++, it is legendary for its blazing-fast startup time and instant responsiveness, even with massive files. It's proprietary (with a generous free evaluation period), highly extensible, and cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux).
• Kate – The KDE Advanced Text Editor is a powerful, feature-rich GUI editor for Linux, Windows, and macOS. It starts up rapidly, supports multi-document splitting, has a built-in terminal, and handles massive codebases surprisingly well without feeling heavy. [1]
• Geany – A lightweight, GTK-based text editor that acts almost like a fast IDE. It supports tons of languages, has a plugin system, and loads in a fraction of a second on almost any hardware. [1]
• Notepad++ – The quintessential fast, native text editor for Windows. Written in C++ using native Win32 API, it uses virtually no resources. (Windows only, though it can run via Wine on Linux/macOS). [1]

Terminal (TUI) Editors

If you want maximum speed and the ability to stay entirely in the command line:

• Micro – A modern terminal-based text editor that behaves like a normal GUI application. It supports standard system shortcuts (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V), full mouse support (clicking and scrolling), and split panes, making it vastly easier to use than Vim or Nano if you want a zero-latency experience. [1]
• Neovim – An aggressively optimized, highly extensible evolution of Vim. Once you learn basic modal keybindings, nothing touches it for raw editing speed, and its resource footprint is practically zero. [1]

To help narrow it down:

• Are you looking for a GUI application or a terminal-based tool?
• What operating system are you on (Windows, macOS, Linux)?
• Is this mostly for plain text/notes or coding/development?

If your priorities are fast + no Electron, I’d shortlist these:

• Zed — best modern GUI choice. Zed is written in Rust, uses its own GPU-oriented UI framework (GPUI), and explicitly does not use Electron. It has LSP, Git, extensions, Vim mode, collaboration, and AI features. The current stable release is 1.17.2.
• Sublime Text — best if you want maximum responsiveness and simplicity. It has a very mature plugin ecosystem and is renowned for low resource usage and fast startup. It’s my pick if you primarily want a traditional text editor rather than an IDE.
• Neovim — fastest/lightest if you're comfortable with the terminal. It's asynchronous, highly configurable, and particularly good for SSH/remote work.
• Helix — excellent terminal alternative. Rust-based and designed around modal editing, with LSP functionality built in. It's worth considering if you're starting fresh rather than already invested in Vim.

My recommendation

Want a GUI? → Zed. Want a minimalist, ridiculously responsive editor? → Sublime Text. Want maximum speed/minimal overhead and don't mind the terminal? → Neovim or Helix.

If you tell me Windows, macOS, or Linux and whether you need code/IDE features or just plain text editing, I can narrow it down to 2–3 excellent choices.