I use Karabiner Elements to bind backtick (grave accent) to Esc, Command-backtick to Command-backtick as normal (so you can switch between windows of the same a

I use Karabiner Elements to bind backtick (grave accent) to Esc, Command-backtick to Command-backtick as normal (so you can switch between windows of the same app), and Option-backtick to backtick. It's not optimal, but I do it because backtick is about the same position as a hardware Escape key. It makes using vim feel ok again. This option is available from the KE Complex Modifications tab.