Editor Comparison · Updated: Sep 26, 2026 · View as Markdown

Koi vs. Nova

Performance ⋅ Privacy ⋅ Language support ⋅ Extensibility ⋅ Local AI ⋅ Pricing

	Koi	Nova
Cross-platform	Mac-only.	Mac-only.
Telemetry or tracking	None.	Yes
Local AI	Yes	No
Typing latency	Very fast: 16.6 ms.	Unable to complete test.
Large file editing	Usable through 20M lines.	Unable to complete test.
Extensibility	Python scripting.	Extension Library.
Open source	Proprietary software.	Proprietary software.
One-time purchase	One-time purchase with lifetime updates.	No

Performance

TL;DR

Koi measured about 16.6 ms typing latency on the 753,821-line C file.

Nova was unable to open the larger typing latency test file, but measured 23.5 ms on the smaller file.

Koi has substantially lower measured typing latency than Nova. On a 753,821-line C file:

	Koi	Nova
Typing latency, p95	16.6 ms	-
Dual-pane latency, p95	16.4 ms	-

Nova did not open and finish parsing the 753,821-line C file within the 30-second benchmark limit. On a smaller 151,639-line C file:

	Koi	Nova
Typing latency, p95	17.9 ms	23.5 ms
Dual-pane latency, p95	17.7 ms	24.2 ms

These measurements were run separately from the main Benchmarks using Koi 0.1.0-b210 and Nova 14.1.

Privacy

Neither editor requires an account for normal editing.

Koi does not make network requests during normal use. There is no telemetry, automatic update check, or background download of language servers or other tooling.

Nova can send anonymous usage statistics to Panic. It also supports automatic updates, background downloads, extension updates, and managed language servers.

These features can be disabled or configured individually.

	Koi	Nova
Account required	No accounts.	No
Telemetry	No telemetry.	Yes
Automatic updates	None.	Yes
Background downloads	No background downloads.	Yes
Managed language servers	No	Yes
Privacy policy document	Koi's Privacy Policy	Panic's Privacy Policy

Language support

Both editors include broad language support out of the box.

Koi currently ships with 30+ built-in lexers. They are handwritten, maintained as part of Koi, and included with the application.

Nova includes built-in syntax support for C, C++, C#, Python, PHP, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby, Lua, HTML, CSS, SQL, and other common languages. Additional languages can be added through Nova extensions.

	Koi	Nova
Built-in languages	30+	20+
Built-in syntax system	Handwritten lexers	Parsers
Community language extensions	No	Yes
LSP client	No	Yes

Nova can also install and manage language servers. These can provide completions, diagnostics, formatting, code actions, documentation, and navigation.

Koi does not use language servers. It provides lightweight completion from the current document and optional local AI completion instead.

See Lexer design in Koi for why Koi uses handwritten lexers.

Extensibility

Koi exposes its editor directly to Python. A custom command can be as simple as:

@command("Word count")
def word_count():
    import re

    text = selected_text()
    count = len(re.findall(r"\b[\w'-]+\b", text))

    message(f"Word count: {count:,} words")

Save the script and run it. There is no extension package or compilation step.

Nova has a dedicated extension API and Extension Library. Extensions can add commands, syntax definitions, language servers, completion providers, sidebars, tasks, themes, validators, and integrations with external tools.

Koi uses scripting for small changes to the editor itself.

Nova uses extensions and language servers for a broader range of development tooling.

Local AI

Koi includes local AI as part of the editor.

Code completion can run continuously against a small Ollama model, with no account or API key. Inline editing and document-based AI use the same local model infrastructure.

Nova does not currently include equivalent built-in AI features. AI functionality can be added through extensions or external development tools, but it is not part of Nova's core editor.

Pricing

Both editors use one-time purchases rather than requiring a subscription.

Koi is free for non-commercial use. A personal license is a one-time purchase and includes future updates for the lifetime of the product.

Nova can be evaluated free for 30 days. A license is a one-time purchase and includes one year of major updates. After that year, the installed version continues working indefinitely. Receiving newer major versions requires renewing the license.

	Koi	Nova
Free editor	Free for non-commercial use.	30-day trial
Lifetime license	Yes	No
Subscription required	No	No
Paid updates	No	Yes
Open source	No	No
Pricing page	Koi's Pricing	Nova's Store