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CLI Open source 2,319 installs/mo

emacs for Mac

GNU Emacs text editor

Quick answer: emacs is a developer tool for macOS. Install it with brew install emacs. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence. It has 2,319 Homebrew installs in the last 30 days.

What emacs is

emacs is a developer tool for macOS: GNU Emacs text editor.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.

How to install emacs

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install emacs.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Developer Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

nanoFree (GNU) replacement for the Pico text editorCLIOpen source2,425/mofresh-editorText editor for your terminal: easy, powerful and fastCLIOpen source2,205/mogdbGNU debuggerCLIOpen source2,481/moCotEditorPlain-text editor for web pages, program source codes and moreAppOpen source1,531/mohelixPost-modern modal text editorCLIOpen source1,329/momicroModern and intuitive terminal-based text editorCLIOpen source1,185/mo

Frequently asked questions

How do I install emacs on Mac?

Run brew install emacs in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is emacs open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the GPL-3.0-or-later licence.

Does emacs run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is emacs?

It was installed 2,319 times in the last 30 days according to Homebrew analytics, ranking #611 in this catalogue.

What version of emacs is current?

The latest packaged version is 31.1.