New editor 'Axiom' uses 3.7x less memory than Cursor by dropping Electron
A developer with a background in high- systems and low-level built a new called Axiom, aiming to fix the memory bloat common in today's AI-powered editors. It's built on VSCode OSS but strips out Electron entirely, running instead on a lightweight framework called LaVista instead of a bundled Chromium browser engine.
With three idle windows open, Axiom uses 759MB of memory, compared to 2,802MB for Cursor (3.7x less) and 33% less than plain VSCode. On top of that base, it adds AxiomAI, a bring-your-own-key AI and router; built-in token tracking that lets you monitor usage and set hard ; and FlowViz, a native engine for rendering charts, flowcharts, and interactive 3D scenes directly in the editor.
Key points
- Uses 759MB idle with 3 windows open — 3.7x less than Cursor, 33% less than VSCode
- Built on VSCode OSS with Electron completely removed, replaced by LaVista
- Includes AxiomAI, a bring-your-own-key AI and router
- Built-in tracking with hard
- FlowViz engine renders plots, flowcharts, and 3D scenes natively