vim-startify VS goyo.vim

Compare vim-startify vs goyo.vim and see what are their differences.

goyo.vim

:tulip: Distraction-free writing in Vim (by junegunn)
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vim-startify goyo.vim
38 44
5,393 4,679
0.0% 0.2%
3.9 1.7
over 2 years ago 6 months ago
Vim Script Vim Script
MIT License MIT License
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For example, an activity of 9.0 indicates that a project is amongst the top 10% of the most actively developed projects that we are tracking.

vim-startify

Posts with mentions or reviews of vim-startify. We have used some of these posts to build our list of alternatives and similar projects. The last one was on 2024-10-18.
  • Lite 🚀 ApolloNvim Distro 2024
    47 projects | dev.to | 18 Oct 2024
    👉 Startify an alternative welcome screen with a different IT theme each time. May not work with some terminals or NERDTree set to start after boot.
  • Suggest me some startup screen plugins
    5 projects | /r/neovim | 5 May 2023
    I'm currently using alpha.nvim (https://github.com/goolord/alpha-nvim). It tries to be more generic than the others, to the point it can recreate most of the other popular ones. It even has template for for example the dashboard layout. startup-nvim (https://github.com/startup-nvim/startup.nvim) seems to do a similar thing, although I dont' have experience with that one. The only other one I've tried before is the classic vim-startify (https://github.com/mhinz/vim-startify), which is a little older I think and locks you into its layout.
  • Is it worthwhile to learn to use vi?
    1 project | /r/sysadmin | 8 Apr 2023
    Tbh, startify made me more curious about all the vim possibilities. https://github.com/mhinz/vim-startify
  • is there is a session manager plugin ?
    18 projects | /r/neovim | 17 Mar 2023
    Just for posterity since every other session plugin has been posted, vim-startify has autosave and autoload support
  • Do you use vim-startify, or used to? Send me your configs
    4 projects | /r/neovim | 15 Feb 2023
    I am working on a, from scratch, rebuild of the ever classic vim-startify for neovim with a focus on extreme extensibility. I also want it to be as much of a drop in replacement as possible, and don't want to write myself into a corner with some design choices I'm taking
  • Remember open buffers per project?
    2 projects | /r/neovim | 20 Sep 2022
    https://github.com/mhinz/vim-startify has also means to store sessions with command 'SSave'.
  • What is the coolest, unknown(-ish) plugin that you're using that other people could benefit from?
    33 projects | /r/neovim | 16 Sep 2022
    might be well known but i like https://github.com/mhinz/vim-startify easy to use start screen with most recently used lists of files, etc.
  • what vimL plugins are you still using?
    26 projects | /r/neovim | 1 Jul 2022
    Startify
  • What are your must-have vim/nvim extensions?
    53 projects | /r/vim | 9 May 2022
    mhinz/vim-startify - Start page
  • Finally found a good replacement for Startify (mini.starter)
    2 projects | /r/neovim | 1 May 2022
    I was trying to center the startup screen for vim-startify and went down the rabbit hole of looking for a different startup plugin. My main use is that I want to start my already existing startify sessions as everything else I do with Telescope. I found mini.starter and it is working exactly as I want it to so I thought I would share for others that look for something similar. Don't get put off by the many components of the plugin. They are not loaded if you don't need them. Here is my a screenshot and my config for a minimal, centered, startup:

goyo.vim

Posts with mentions or reviews of goyo.vim. We have used some of these posts to build our list of alternatives and similar projects. The last one was on 2026-02-12.
  • Vim-pencil: Rethinking Vim as a tool for writing
    6 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 12 Feb 2026
    I've used vim as a prose editor in addition to a code editor for a long time.

    For me, Goyo was the plugin that always matched what I wanted vim to become when I was in "prose writing mode."

    https://github.com/junegunn/goyo.vim

    I combine with limelight.vim:

    https://github.com/junegunn/limelight.vim

    This partially simulates the experience/UX of the product iA Writer on macOS or iPad, which is my favorite prose editor, but is proprietary software and doesn't work on Linux.

    As others mentioned, when in prose writing mode you can also flip on a handful of vim options, I save these as hotkeys in my vimrc. For example, spell checking and line wrapping.

    Im case you're curious:

    https://github.com/amontalenti/home/blob/master/.vimrc

  • Ensƍ – Design Constraints
    3 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 20 Nov 2024
  • Brsloan/warewoolf: A minimalist novel-writing system/rich text editor
    4 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 14 Sep 2024
  • Ensƍ: write now, edit later
    6 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 27 Oct 2023
  • Ask HN: Did anyone write a book in Nano?
    3 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 1 Aug 2023
    I wrote a manuscript in vim a couple Novembers ago, for NaNoWrimo. I used a couple plugins, primarily Goyo [1] to add some margins, but otherwise, yeah, plain vim.

    I don't think it was really any more productive than my current workflow in Obsidian. Vim keybindings are more useful for editing than for writing (and for editing code in particular, where the changes you're making are much more structured). Also, while the extra features afforded by Obsidian don't really make a difference during the writing process, I find they're really useful for outlines and other preliminary work, which is something of a point against a vim-only workflow unless you want to use vimwiki [2] or something.

    Granted, Obsidian is still a markdown-based tool, so there's still some level of minimalism going on there, but by that point we're really discussing markup vs word processors, which is its own conversation—and to my mind, a much more important one. I much prefer working in markup than in a rich text editor, because plain text is easy to edit and process through the terminal, and because it lets me separate style choices from content.

    I find that the markdown live preview that editors like Obsidian and Typora provide (and which vim doesn't) is a really nice compromise between a slick composing experience and the technical affordances of markup. Between that and Obsidian's hypertext features, I think I'll stick with Obsidian for the foreseeable future.

    [1]: https://github.com/junegunn/goyo.vim

    [2]: https://vimwiki.github.io/

  • is it possible to read books in vim?
    5 projects | /r/vim | 12 Jun 2023
    Maybe https://github.com/junegunn/goyo.vim could be useful then.
  • Help with plugin: Goyo
    1 project | /r/neovim | 21 May 2023
    Goyo is a distraction free plugin for vim/NeoVim. https://github.com/junegunn/goyo.vim. Typically used for people wanting to write inside of NeoVim. There isn’t a real purpose for me to use it other than I like the aesthetic looks. Thanks for replying!
  • [Vim] Vous cherchez un moyen d'ajouter un rembourrage de tout le cĂŽtĂ© de la fenĂȘtre.
    2 projects | /r/enfrancais | 5 May 2023
  • An application that serves as a notepad that overlays the screen?
    1 project | /r/linuxquestions | 20 Apr 2023
    Maybe not of use, but what about just one of your editors + the terminal? Using vim with the goyo extension similarly without the overlay. I write my notes with markdown.
  • SQLite WASM in the Browser Backed by the Origin Private File System
    17 projects | news.ycombinator.com | 12 Jan 2023
    I haven't maintained a Vim config in a few years now (more of an Emacs man now), but I do remember using Goyo in college. Looking back at it, I think it might scratch your itch as far as Vim plugins go, it even allows you to resize the area on the fly.

    https://github.com/junegunn/goyo.vim

What are some alternatives?

When comparing vim-startify and goyo.vim you can also consider the following projects:

alpha-nvim - a lua powered greeter like vim-startify / dashboard-nvim

zen-mode.nvim - 🧘 Distraction-free coding for Neovim

nvim-web-devicons - Provides Nerd Font icons (glyphs) for use by neovim plugins

no-neck-pain.nvim - ☕ Dead simple yet super extensible zen mode plugin to protect your neck.

vim-session - Extended session management for Vim (:mksession on steroids)

vim-pencil - Rethinking Vim as a tool for writing

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SaaSHub helps you find the best software and product alternatives
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the 41st most popular programming language
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