Try with caution
- Pick it if you are:
- Atom users who want to keep their setup; Hobbyists and tinkerers who like customizing their editor
- Top complaint:
- Some Atom packages no longer work on Pulsar
- Price:
- Free plan
Score Comparison
AtomareaPulsar
25
Overall62▶
◀100
Pricing98
50
Usability68▶
40
Performance50▶
0
Support45▶
10
Reliability58▶
45
Onboarding75▶
10
Security65▶
30
Integrations48▶
Signals Comparison
Reliability
Atom
- DISCONTINUED - No longer maintained(10/10)
- Packages break the editor frequently(7/10)
- Thousands of unresolved issues(7/10)
- Dependencies and ecosystem abandoned(8/10)
- Not compatible with future OS updates(8/10)
Pulsar
- Pulsar crashes or blank screen on Linux(7/10)
- Linux .rpm upgrade removed pulsar and ppm from PATH(6/10)
- Wayland support needs flags until Electron 37(5/10)
Security
Atom
- Contains unpatched security vulnerabilities(10/10)
Pulsar
No signals
Performance
Atom
- Frequent freezing and performance issues(9/10)
- High resource consumption for a text editor(7/10)
Pulsar
- Pulsar slows down on large files(6/10)
- Why is Pulsar slow to start?(5/10)
Support
Atom
- No support available(9/10)
- GitHub recommends migrating away(9/10)
Pulsar
- Small volunteer team means slow releases(6/10)
- Dropped OS support with each Electron upgrade(5/10)
Integrations
Atom
- Extension documentation was poor(5/10)
Pulsar
- Some Atom packages no longer work on Pulsar(7/10)
- Pulsar package ecosystem is a fraction of VS Code's(7/10)
- Terminal packages were broken for years(5/10)
Usability
Atom
- Slow startup compared to alternatives(5/10)
Pulsar
- No built-in AI assistant or modern Git UI(6/10)
Pricing
Atom
No signals
Pulsar
- Is Pulsar really free? Yes, with no paid tier(3/10)
Pricing Comparison
Atom
Free (Discontinued)
Users: Unlimited
Limits: DISCONTINUED - No updates, no support, security vulnerabilities
Security risks from unpatched vulnerabilities, migration cost to new editor
Pulsar
Free (open source)
PopularUsers: Unlimited
Limits: No paid support, no built-in AI, no remote development
None; funded by donations. Your time for replacing broken packages.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Atom | Pulsar |
|---|---|---|
| Tools | ||
| Cross-platform Was available | ||
| Core terminal | ||
| Built-in Git panel | ||
| Remote development | ||
| Extensions | ||
| Package manager Now abandoned | ||
| Version Control | ||
| GitHub integration Built-in | ||
| Editing | ||
| Tree-sitter highlighting | ||
| Editor | ||
| Customizable themes Extensive | ||
| Multiple panes Split editing | ||
| Find and replace Project-wide | ||
| AI | ||
| Built-in AI assistant | ||
| Extensibility | ||
| VS Code extensions | ||
| Support | ||
| Active development DISCONTINUED | ||
| Community support Minimal | ||
| Security | ||
| Security updates NONE - Vulnerable | ||
| Platform | ||
| Native Wayland | ||
| Reliability | ||
| Future compatibility Will break | ||
| Pricing | ||
| Free tier Always free | ||
| Open source MIT License | ||
Have an app idea? Our small team builds any software: web and mobile apps, games, desktop, AI tools. Price agreed together.
Talk to us