击键执行::: Vi编辑将保留键入键的每个排列。这将在决策树中创建一个路径，该路径明确地标识任何命令，而Emacs命令是立即执行的键入键的组合，使用户可以选择是否使用命令。

内存使用和可定制性::: vi是一个更小更快的程序，自定义能力更有限，而Emacs启动时间更长，需要更多内存。然而，它是高度可定制的，并且包含大量的特性，因为它本质上是为文本编辑而设计的Lisp程序的执行环境。

Emacs的好处

Emacs has both non-modal interface (by default) and modal one (e.g. it can emulate vim and vi through Evil, Viper, or Vimpulse). One of the most ported computer programs. It runs in text mode and under graphical user interfaces on a wide variety of operating systems, including most Unix-like systems (Linux, the various BSDs, Solaris, AIX, IRIX, macOSetc.), MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, AmigaOS, and OpenVMS. Unix systems, both free and proprietary, frequently provide Emacs bundled with the operating system. Emacs server architecture allows multiple clients to attach to the same Emacs instance and share the buffer list, kill ring, undo history and other state. Pervasive online help system with keybindings, functions and commands documented on the fly. Extensible and customizable Lisp programming language variant (Emacs Lisp), with features that include: A powerful and extensible file manager (dired), integrated debugger, and a large set of development and other tools. Having every command be an Emacs Lisp function enables commands to DWIM (Do What I Mean) by programmatically responding to past actions and document state. For example, a switch-or-split-window command could switch to another window if one exists, or create one if needed. This cuts down on the number of keystrokes and commands a user must remember. "An OS inside an OS". Emacs Lisp enables Emacs to be programmed far beyond editing features. Even a base install contains several dozen applications, including two web browsers, news readers, several mail agents, four IRC clients, a version of ELIZA, and a variety of games. All of these applications are available anywhere Emacs runs, with the same user interface and functionality. Starting with version 24, Emacs includes a package manager, making it easy to install additional applications including alternate web browsers, EMMS (Emacs Multimedia System), and more. Also available are numerous packages for programming, including some targeted at specific language/library combinations or coding styles.

vi类编辑器的好处

Edit commands are composable Vi has a modal interface (which Emacs can emulate) Historically, vi loads faster than Emacs. While deeply associated with UNIX tradition, it runs on all systems that can implement the standard C library, including UNIX, Linux, AmigaOS, DOS, Windows, Mac, BeOS, OpenVMS, IRIX, AIX, HP-UX, BSD and POSIX-compliant systems. Extensible and customizable through Vim script or APIs for interpreted languages such as Python, Ruby, Perl, and Lua Ubiquitous. Essentially all Unix and Unix-like systems come with vi (or a variant) built-in. Vi (and ex, but not vim) is specified in the POSIX standard. System rescue environments, embedded systems (notably those with busybox) and other constrained environments often include vi, but not emacs.

来源:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Editor_war

在日常层面上有巨大的区别——Vim(或任何vi变体)本质上是模态的(你进入命令模式，但你不能编辑)，而Emacs(以及大多数其他编辑器)不是。

当然，使用菜单之类的东西，你不需要在Vim中实际进入命令模式——首先。但即使使用Vim的一小部分力量，你也会。这是Vim/Emacs争论的核心。

就我个人而言，我还认为Emacs的可扩展性要强得多。你可以找到很多东西的Elisp包。

不过，我很好奇，为什么您考虑学习其中一种而不是更传统的IDE。你为什么要学这个?

我是Emacs的粉丝，但我鼓励其他开发人员学习VI，因为:

你可以使用VI编辑emacs的makefile文件。 VI包含ed命令，每个UNIX用户都应该知道ed和sed。

我注意到一些关于VIM启动速度比emacs快的评论。如果您真的关心这个问题，请在服务器模式下运行emacs，并将“emacs”别名为“emacsclient”。客户端速度非常快，因为它所做的一切都是轻拍服务器的肩膀，告诉它你想编辑哪个文件。在MacOSX上，emacsclient只有33K，而emacs是287M。

我不确定这些在现代硬件上是否有必要。在我的MacBook Pro (2013 Retina)上，当我从shell运行emacs时，它几乎是立即加载的。我丝毫没有察觉到停顿。当我运行Emacs时。app (GUI版本)可能需要3秒。

我听到的大多数关于emacs的抱怨似乎都来自那些对emacs不了解的人。我从1982年就开始使用vi和emacs了，我清楚地记得，在我早期的UNIX机器中，emacs加载速度比vi慢得多，并且占用了大部分物理内存，但现在已经不再是这样了，至少15-20年都没有了。

我承认的一个抱怨是“emacs小指”。在我年轻的时候，这从来没有困扰过我。现在我已经58岁了，我的小手指确实因为反复使用Control键进行emacs和弦而有点酸痛。在MacBook Pro的键盘上尤其如此，“控制”键向右移动了一个位置，为“fn”键腾出空间。当Control是左下角的键时，它几乎没有那么烦人。

现在你甚至不需要考虑这两者之间的区别，因为Spacemacs。它是一个社区驱动的Emacs发行版。

正如它所说，

最好的编辑器既不是Emacs也不是vim，而是Emacs和vim。

Spacemacs结合了Emacs和Vim的优点，使您的生活和工作更加轻松。

请看下面的截图，

(来源:spacemacs.org)

Seems an answer has been selected already, but the big difference to me has always been the modal vs. non-modal. Vim is modal, which means that it makes optimizations based on a specific set of usage modes. At least that's how I've always looked at it. This makes using Vim a different experience because instead of having a work area that you type code in, you really are telling an environment to act on the text. This is why people say things like with Vim you really are learning a language. The :wq and :s/foo/bar is all part of a shell like environment that edits and reads text.

Emacs on the other hand is much closer to most editors/word processors/etc. you see today. You have a workspace that has a highly programmable interface. That is why you see things like email, irc, shells, etc. As a programmer it is easy to think in terms of saying "take the line number I'm on and do something with the information". The desire to leave the editor becomes less because instead of having to quit, open some other app/language and do things on some text, you have Emacs where you can do these things within the scope of your editor.

这两种观点并不一定是对立的，只是它们揭示了两个不同的焦点。就我个人而言，我使用Emacs，但我见过非常了解Vim的人，他们可以诚实地说，选择哪种并不重要。我首先尝试了Vim，但Emacs最终支持了我。的确，无论您选择什么，您都应该至少在一定程度上精通Vim，因为它总是可用的。