Best Open Source Alternatives to Nova

Compare the best free and open-source alternatives to Nova — self-hosted and desktop replacements you fully control, ranked by GitHub stars, license and platform support.

Curated by open-source.store · Updated November 2026 · 3 alternatives

Nova

Proprietary SaaS

PricingPaid

Platformsmacos

WebsiteVisit site

Nova alternatives compared

Open-source alternatives to Nova, compared by stars, license and platform
Tool		License	Platforms	Self-hosted
VS Code	194,530	MIT	macOSWindowsLinux	No	Nov 2026	Visit
Helix	46,777	MPL-2.0	macOSWindowsLinux	No	Sep 2026	Visit
VSCodium	33,919	MIT	macOSWindowsLinux	No	Oct 2026	Visit

Top open-source Nova alternatives

VS Code194,530MIT

VS Code is an open-source code editor replacing heavy IDEs with a fast multi-process design, decoupled language servers, and deep remote development.

macOSWindowsLinux

vs Nova: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed MIT.

Visit Details

Helix46,777MPL-2.0

Helix is a terminal modal code editor alternative to Sublime Text that bundles built-in LSP support, tree-sitter parsing, and zero-config multi-cursors.

macOSWindowsLinux

vs Nova: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed MPL-2.0.

Visit Details

VSCodium33,919MIT

VSCodium replaces Visual Studio Code with a telemetry-free binary build from source, giving developers full privacy and open-source extension freedom.

macOSWindowsLinux

vs Nova: a free, open-source option you fully control, licensed MIT.

Visit Details

Best Open Source Alternatives to Nova

Nova

Nova alternatives compared

Top open-source Nova alternatives

The modern standard for Protobuf workflows

Mentoring for backend developers. Consulting for startups.