[OS] Neon Vision Editor 0.8.8 — a native, privacy-first code & text editor for macOS and iPadOS

Hi r/macapps — I’m the developer of Neon Vision Editor, a lightweight native editor for macOS (also available on iPhone and iPad). It is built with Swift/SwiftUI for people who want a focused editor for code, Markdown, notes, and large text files—without Electron, accounts, telemetry, subscriptions, or IDE-scale complexity. Problem The challenge my app addresses is the need for a truly native, lightweight text and code editor for macOS that handles large files reliably without the bloat, telemetry, or battery drain of typical IDEs and web-based wrappers. Comparison Compared to Visual Studio Code and Cursor, Neon Vision Editor uses native Swift/SwiftUI instead of Electron, which provides a significantly smaller memory footprint, faster file access, and zero telemetry. Compared to Nova, Neon Vision Editor is completely free and open-source. It focuses specifically on local-first editing and fast, responsive typing without IDE-scale complexity. Features Syntax highlighting for a broad set of programming and markup languages Quick Open with Cmd+P, project sidebar, recursive folder trees, and Find in Files Regex Find & Replace, optional Vim mode, multi-window support, and session restoration Markdown preview and PDF export Native diff tools to compare an open file with disk or compare two tabs Large-file loading modes designed to keep editing responsive More reliable macOS editor rendering, cursor placement, mouse selection, and sidebar/document transitions Faster highlighting and improved responsiveness on large documents through shared syntax-regex caching and reduced full-document work Better unsaved-draft recovery, including selectable recovery options after relaunch File opening from Finder/system dialogs is now more robust, and empty startup tabs are cleanly reused Ongoing stability, regression-coverage, and cross-platform polish improvements Redesigned Project Sidebar: Files, Search, Git, and Terminal now live in a clearer single glass-style navigation rail. Git changes show a visible count, status icons, state chips, path context, and focused actions per file. Better Markdown editing: Added contextual inline-formatting controls, heading selection, lists, quote and code tools, structural actions, improved Markdown styling, and platform-appropriate compact controls for iPhone. Improved previews: Markdown, HTML, and SVG workflows now have explicit visibility controls, more reliable local-image support, better preview refresh behavior, and improved iPhone preview settings. Pinch-to-zoom font size: Change the editor font size with a pinch gesture on touch devices and the macOS trackpad, alongside the existing font-size controls. More reliable minimap: Improved minimap activation, viewport synchronization, and draggable-marker behavior after switching tabs and when working with large documents. Safe large-file handling: Files 100 MB or larger now open as a clearly labeled, read-only partial preview of the first 4 MB. This prevents full-file memory allocation and protects the original file from accidental overwrite; split or reduce the file before editing it in Neon Vision Editor. 24.07.26 Edit: Update 0.9.7 has been released on GitHub with performance bugfixes and adds cross-device shared-file synchronization Neon Vision Editor v0.9.4 introduces a lightweight synchronization workflow for files stored in iCloud Drive, network folders, or other shared locations. When another device or application modifies an open file: Clean tabs refresh automatically without reopening the document. Cursor, selection, scroll position, minimap, and preview state are preserved. Unsaved local changes are never overwritten. Conflicts offer Keep Local, Reload from Disk, and Compare. The status bar shows synchronization progress, completed refreshes, and files requiring review. Multiple open tabs can be refreshed and tracked together. Neon Vision Editor does not upload documents to its own cloud. iCloud Drive or your network folder transports the file; the editor provides change detection, automatic refresh, and conflict protection. This makes it possible to keep the same document open across a Mac, iPad, or iPhone and see externally delivered changes appear naturally. Download latest version: https://github.com/h3pdesign/Neon-Vision-Editor/releases Pricing $0 (Free and Open Source, no premium tier). AppStore but older version of 0.8.6: https://apps.apple.com/app/neon-vision-editor/id6758950965 GitHub releases: https://github.com/h3pdesign/Neon-Vision-Editor TestFlight mostly for iOS: https://testflight.apple.com/join/YWB2fGAP Changelog View the full release notes here: https://github.com/h3pdesign/Neon-Vision-Editor/releases AI Disclaimer The app includes optional AI-assisted code completion, but all editing remains local-first with absolutely no telemetry data collected. I’d especially appreciate feedback from Mac users on editor performance with large files, navigation/project workflows, and what you would want from a deliberately focused native editor. I’m happy to answer questions.