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Developer Tools · head to head

Helix vs Huly

Helix logo

Helix

Developer Tools

Post-modern modal text editor for the terminal, written in Rust

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Huly logo

Huly

Project Management

Open-source all-in-one project management and collaboration platform

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Helix no official GUI application yet, so it requires comfort with terminal workflows.; Huly cloud pricing charges separately for storage and video/audio bandwidth, which can be unpredictable.
  • They diverge on capability: Helix covers Multiple Selections, Huly covers Team Planner.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 29 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Helix and Huly actually diverge.

Attributes where Helix and Huly differ
AttributeHelixHuly
Pricing modelopen-sourcefreemium
Platformslinux, mac, windowsweb, windows, mac, linux
CategoryDeveloper ToolsProject Management

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Helix

  • Multiple Selections
  • Tree-sitter Syntax Trees
  • Built-in LSP Support
  • Fuzzy File Finder
  • Project-wide Search

Only in Huly

  • Team Planner
  • Project management
  • Virtual Office
  • Real-time chat
  • Document collaboration
  • GitHub sync

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Helix

  • Editing code over SSH or in tmux sessionsnot Huly
  • Working with syntax-aware selection and navigationnot Huly
  • Getting IDE-like completion and diagnostics without plugin setupnot Huly
  • Lightweight, low-resource code editing on laptopsnot Huly

Huly

  • Replacing multiple SaaS tools with one self-hostable platformnot Helix
  • Remote team collaboration with persistent virtual officesnot Helix
  • Issue tracking synced with GitHubnot Helix
  • Combined docs and project management for small teamsnot Helix

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Helix

  • No official GUI application yet, so it requires comfort with terminal workflows.
  • Plugin ecosystem is far smaller than Vim's or Neovim's, limiting customization.
  • Keybindings differ from both Vim and Kakoune, adding a learning curve for users of either.
  • Configuration is more limited than Neovim's Lua-based extensibility.

Huly

  • Cloud pricing charges separately for storage and video/audio bandwidth, which can be unpredictable.
  • AI features are listed as 'TBD' rather than fully available.
  • Being a broad all-in-one tool, individual modules are less deep than dedicated best-of-breed products.
  • Self-hosting requires operational effort compared to fully managed competitors.

Pricing, plan by plan

Helix

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Full editor, no paid tiers

Huly

Free
  • CommonFree
    • Unlimited users
    • Unlimited Huly objects
    • 10GB storage
  • Rare$19.99/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 100GB storage
    • 100GB video/audio traffic
  • Epic$99.99/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 1TB storage
    • 500GB video/audio traffic
  • Legendary$399.99/month
    • Unlimited users
    • 10TB storage
    • 2TB video/audio traffic

Which should you pick?

Choose Helix if

  • You need multiple selections.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on linux, mac, windows.
  • You also want tree-sitter syntax trees.
Helix review

Choose Huly if

  • You need team planner.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on web, windows, mac, linux.
  • You also want project management.
Huly review

Questions people ask

Is Helix or Huly better?
Neither clearly leads. Helix starts at Free and Huly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Helix or Huly?
Helix starts at Free and Huly at Free.
Does Helix or Huly run on more platforms?
Helix runs on linux, mac, windows. Huly runs on web, windows, mac, linux.
Can I use Helix for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Helix best used for?
Helix is most often used for editing code over ssh or in tmux sessions, working with syntax-aware selection and navigation, getting ide-like completion and diagnostics without plugin setup, lightweight, low-resource code editing on laptops. Of those, editing code over ssh or in tmux sessions and working with syntax-aware selection and navigation are not what Huly is typically brought in for.
What can Helix do that Huly cannot?
Helix covers Multiple Selections, Tree-sitter Syntax Trees, Built-in LSP Support, Fuzzy File Finder. Huly covers Team Planner, Project management, Virtual Office, Real-time chat.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Helix: Is Helix free to use?

Yes, Helix is free and open source, licensed under the Mozilla Public License 2.0 (MPL-2.0), with no paid tiers or subscriptions.

Source
Huly: What does Huly cost?

Huly's cloud offering has a free Common plan plus paid Rare ($19.99/mo), Epic ($99.99/mo) and Legendary ($399.99/mo) tiers based on storage and video/audio traffic, plus a custom plan.

Source
Helix: How do I install Helix?

Install via your operating system's package manager, or download pre-built binaries from GitHub Releases; the nightly version requires building from source.

Source
Huly: Is there a free plan, and what are its limits?

The free Common plan includes unlimited users and Huly objects but caps storage at 10GB and video/audio traffic at 10GB.

Source
Helix: Does Helix support plugins?

Not yet. Helix currently has no plugin system, though the project intends to add one eventually; it instead ships with built-in LSP and tree-sitter support out of the box.

Source
Huly: How is usage metered?

Huly charges cloud users based on consumed storage (for attachments and documents) and network usage for audio/video calls, while Huly objects themselves stay unlimited on every plan.

Source
Helix: How do I configure Helix?

Helix ships with sane modern defaults requiring much less config-file fiddling than Vim, though settings can still be customized in a config.toml file.

Source
Helix: Where can I get help or support?

Support is community-driven via GitHub for code and issues, the Matrix chat for discussion, and OpenCollective for funding ongoing development.

Source
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