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Lately at IDR Solutions I have found myself spending a lot of time coding as I’m currently busy with web development tasks such as designing new features for our website and our blog. To complete this task quickly and efficiently, I found that a good code editor with which I could modify HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP could greatly simplify my work. Previously I looked at ‘The 10 Best Android Apps for Designers and Web Developers‘ and The 10 Best Windows Phone 8 & Windows RT Apps for Designers and Web Developers to try and find a suitable editor. They did not exactly cover what I was looking for, so I thought it would be great to test and compile a list of Open Source and Freeware Code Editors that can be used by Coders, Web Developers and Programmers.
1. Notepad ++
Notepad++ is a free source code editor released under a GPL License, and it supports several languages. It presently supports the Microsoft Windows platform and is written in C++ and uses pure Win32 API and STL which ensures a higher execution speed and smaller program size.
NotePad ++ is fully featured and comes with a Tabbed Document Interface so you can work on multiple files at once and has useful little features such as: drag and drop functionality, split screen, spell checking, auto completion, syntax highlighting, folding bookmarks, customization of shortcut key mapping and more.
Notepad++ as of version 6.6 has support for 56 different languages (Ada, asp, Assembly, AutoIt, Batch, C, C++, C#, Caml, Cmake, COBOL, CoffeeScript, CSS, D, Diff, Flash ActionScript, Fortran, Gui4CLI, Haskell, HTML, INNO, Java, Javascript, JSP, KiXtart, LISP, Lua, Makefile, Matlab, MS-DOS, INI file, NSIS, Normal Text File, Objective-C, Pascal, Perl, PHP, PostScript, PowerShell, Properties, Python, R, Resource file, Ruby, Shell, Scheme, Smalltalk, SQL, TCL, TeX, Visual Basic, VHDL, Verilog, XML, YAML).
2. jEdit
jEdit is a free open source text editor available under the GNU General Public License version 2.0. It supports BSD, Linux, Mac OS X and Windows and is written in Java thus allowing it to run on all the previously mention systems because of Java being multi-platform.
jEdit supports syntax highlighting that provides native support for over 200 file formats.
It is relatively modular in design and can be customized to suit the individual user. There are over 150 available jEdit plug-ins that can be used to enhance your coding experience. A few examples include a XML/HTML editor or an integrated development environment (IDE). Plugins can be downloaded and installed via the “plugin manager” feature.
3. Crimson Editor
The Crimson Editor is available as Freeware made by Ingyu Kang and is a professional source code editor designed for Windows, and has been designed for speedy loading. It also offers many powerful features for programming languages such as HTML, C/C++, Perl and Java. Crimson Editor features Windows shell integration, a tabbed document interface, syntax highlighting, multiple undo/redo, column mode editing, bracket matching, auto-indentation, spell checking, direct editing of text files in FTP and can be integrated with different compilers. Crimson Editor also supports the use of macros.
Crimson Editor however has not been updated since 2008 and as been superseded by Emerald Editor but it can still be downloaded and used.
4. Emerald Editor
The Emerald Editor was designed to be a fast, extensible text editor, heavily inspired by Crimson Editor, a freeware text editor created by Ingyu Kang.
It offers similar functionality and is Open Source unlike Crimson Editor and is available under a LGPLv2 license. It supports all of the features of Crimson Editor but is in a position to further maintain, bug-fix, and otherwise develop the software further in the future.
5. Brackets
Brackets is a free open-source editor developed and released under a MIT License. It was created by Adobe Systems and maintained on GitHub. Brackets is available for cross-platform download on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
Brackets has a variety of features including quick Edit, quick Docs, Live Preview, JSLint, LESS support, Theseus integration, and enables inline editing of CSS, Color Property, and JavaScript elements for developers. There is also a really cool feature that allows you to edit color properties, with an inline color picker with previewing and color adjustment functionality.
6. Komodo Edit
Komodo Edit is a free text editor for programming languages. It was introduced in January 2007 as a complimentary product to the commercial Komodo IDE. Komodo Edit is built atop the Open Komodo project which utalises the Mozilla and Scintilla code base and supports the same languages (including Python, Perl, PHP, Ruby, Tcl, SQL, Smarty, CSS, HTML, and XML) and operating systems (Linux, OS X, and Windows).
Komodo Edit is extendable via plug-ins (which are based on Mozilla Add-ons) and extensions including: a functions list, pipe features, additional language support and user interface enhancements. They also have a GITHUB page. Komodo Edit is licensed under the Mozilla Public License.
7. KompoZer
KompoZer is an open source WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) HTML editor based on the now defunct Nvu editor. It is available under the MPL/GPL/LGPL License.
KompoZer is maintained as a community-driven fork and the project is available on sourceforge. However there have been no new updates in the last few years. KompoZer’s WYSIWYG editing capabilities are excellent and it allows direct code editing as well as a split code-graphic view.
There is a built-in FTP site manager, a new color picker, tabs functionality, CSS editor, customizable toolbars, forms, cleaner markup, table/cell resizing rulers, automated spellchecker and more.
8. Atom
Atom is a free and open-source text and source code editor for the OS X, Linux, and Windows platforms with a modular design. Atom is available under a MIT License and is written in CoffeeScript and Less. There is support for plug-ins written in Node.js, and embedded Git Control, developed by GitHub. It can also be used as an IDE and often described as ‘A hackable text editor for the 21st Century’.
Atom comes with a Built-in package manager, Smart auto completion, File system browser, Multiple panes support, Themes, Customization and more.
9. Bluefish
Bluefish is a powerful open sourced editor released under the GPL licence and is targeted towards programmers and web developers.
The editor supports many programming and markup languages and is a multi-platform application that runs on most desktop operating systems including Linux, FreeBSD, MacOS-X, Windows, OpenBSD and Solaris.
It is relatively lightweight, fast (works well on a windows tablet or netbook), comes with a multiple document interface, multi-threaded support for remote files using gvfs, supporting FTP, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV, CIFS and more.
You can integrate external programs such as make, lint, weblint, xmllint, tidy, javac, or your own programs or scripts to handle advanced text processing or error detection and includes language definition files for 32 different languages.
10. ATPad
ATPad is a simple Notepad replacement that is written in pure C and uses the Windows API. It is available in twelve languages (including English) and is available under a GPLv2 License.
In terms of functionality you can get customization options, tabbed editing, word wrapping, line numbering, customizable snippets, bookmarks, sending through e-mail and more. ATPad is so lightweight it does not require any installation. You can just run it from your hard-drive or USB and it leaves no traces on the host computer after it finishes.
11. Notepad2 & Notepad2-mod
Notepad2 is a free and open-source text editor for Microsoft Windows, released under a BSD software license. It was written by Florian Balmer.
It features syntax highlighting and support for the following programming languages: ASP, assembly language, C, C++, C#, Common Gateway Interface (CGI), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), HTML, Java, JavaScript, NSIS, Pascal, Perl, PHP, Python, SQL, Visual Basic (VB), VBScript, XHTML, and XML.
Kai Lui forked Notepad2 and added additional functionality to create Notepad2-mod. Additional functionality on top of Notepad2 is code folding, support for bookmarks, option to mark all occurrences of a word, word auto-completion, syntax highlighting support for AutoHotkey, AutoIt3, AviSynth, Bash, CMake, Inno Setup, LaTeX, Lua, Markdown, NSIS, Ruby, Tcl and YAML scripts, Improved support for NFO ANSI art and other various minor changes and tweaks.
There is a original version and a fork available on Github.
Hopefully you’ve found this guide on the best Code editors useful.
What Code editor do you use? let us know!
If your interested in IDE articles take a look at:
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As a developer, your main tool is definitely the one that allows you to turn your ideas into code: a code editor. To edit HTML and CSS code, you only need a simple text editor and the rest depends on your skills and your creativity.
However, to make your life a little bit easier, you can use code editors with advanced editing features. These features can effectively support you during coding, debugging, and testing.
What is a code editor?
A code editor is nothing but a text editor that is specialized for writing software. It may be a stand-alone program or part of an integrated development environment (IDE). They make writing and reading the source code easier by differentiating the elements, so the programmers can view their code.
With the variety of coding languages & techniques, it’s impossible to narrow down just one specific code editor as the best overall. We have compiled a list of the best 11 code-editors available today.
We will explain what each offers, and let you pick the one that suits you best.
So read on, and you may just find a tool that makes a big and positive difference to the way you work, day-to-day!
List of best code editors for software developers and enthusiasts:
1. Brackets
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
One of the best ways to move forward in web development is to unify and create links between design and implementation. Brackets is an editor developed by Adobe for CSS, JavaScript & HTML that aims to do just that. It is a powerful yet lightweight and modern text editor.
The best function that separates Brackets from the rest of the code editors is its remarkable “Extract” feature. This feature allows you to pick colors, measurements, fonts, gradients, etc. from a photoshop file into a ready-for-web CSS.
Key Features:
- Real-time visualization with connection to your browser.
- Lightweight (only 40 MB).
- Clean and minimal user interface, making it easier to write and organize code.
- Code syntax is automatically highlighted.
- Easily customizable being an open-source platform.
- Uses Inline editors for faster access to a particular part of the code.
- Pleasant looking user-interface.
2. Netbeans
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Whether it is for writing PHP, CSS, HTML, or other languages, we all want to have to use only one, a simple-to-use editor which looks great and has good features to boot. If this is what you are looking for, you may find it in Netbeans.
It is an open-source code editor tool for developing applications using many languages. If your applications were developed in the recent past, NetBeans allows you to upgrade all your applications to benefit from the new and improved Java 8 language constructs.
Key Features:
- Powerful debugging options.
- Offers fast and smart code editing.
- Cross-Platform support.
- Static analysis tools.
- Easy & efficient project management.
- Multiple language support.
- Provides expert assistance for optimizing your application’s speed and memory usage.
Read more:Software Requirements Document: Definition, Steps, and Template Included!
3. Notepad++
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Linux, and UNIX.
One of the most well-known code editors that developers all over the world have been using for quite a while is Notepad++. It’s far simpler, without too many bells and whistles. Once on your hard drive, the editor only takes up about 4MB. However, it packs a heavy punch in that little space! This code editor has an amazing execution speed, which is great for modern machines.
Notepad++ is jam–packed with standard features and supports more than 50 programmings, scripting, and markup languages, including syntax highlighting and code folding. Users can even define their own, a first among these code editors. It is an easy-to-learn tool for your most basic text editing needs if you’re willing to overlook its outdated look and feel.
Key features:
- Auto-completion: Word completion, Function completion
- Multi-language environment support
- Syntax highlighting
- A lightweight application that launches quickly.
- Supports tabbed editing.
- Collaborative editing
- Auto-saving
4. Vim
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Another software that is reportedly comprehensive and can be considered an IDE within itself is called: Vim. Vim is a favorite for many old-school programmers, as well as the keyboard enthusiasts. This code editor has a rich history; it originated from the Vi editor (1976), and it’s still being developed today.
The program is navigated entirely via the keyboard, making it much faster and more efficient – but only if you make the effort to learn how to operate it. If you have the time to learn it, Vim can really increase your coding productivity!
Key features:
- Rock-solid and very fast.
- Extensive plug-in support.
- Supports hundreds of programming languages and file formats.
- Exceptionally low memory footprint.
- Powerful search and replace
- Supports multiple tabs, allowing you to work on multiple files.
- Performs complex tasks with a few commands
5. Sublime text
Price: $80 (free indefinite preview) | Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Much like Vim, Sublime text is known for its top-notch performance. It comes with all the features you would expect from a powerful code editor and a lot more too. It is lightweight, open, and ready to edit your file almost as soon as you’ve managed to click the button. This responsiveness is one of the things that makes it the best code editor in its class.
If you want to get the most out of Sublime Text, you need to install some extra plugins. Sublime Text is free to download and start using but for extended use, you’ll need to shell out $80 to get a license.
Key features:
- Lightweight and speedy
- Lets you edit multiple lines simultaneously.
- Extremely extendable.
- Fast customization of the editor to suit your likes
- Supports split editing
- Powerful API and Package Ecosystem
- Auto indentation
Read more:11 Best Text Editors For Windows, Mac, Linux & More
6. Atom
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
It is a cross-platform code editor created by developers for developers. Atom is a ‘hackable’ text editor, and what it means is that it allows new and intermediate programmers the chance to create their own text editor without years of programming experience. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it?
One of the most important things for all developers is collaboration while working to share ideas. Atom allows you to do this right from your editor. Very much like WordPress, Atom users can submit packages and themes for the software. Earlier, Atom had performance and stability problems, but those have diminished significantly as it has matured.
Key features:
- Provides smart options for auto-completion.
- Supports cross-platform editing.
- Quick & reliable
- Integrated with Git & Github
- Built-in package manager
- Thousands of plugins available
- Easy access to projects and files
Read more:Software Design Document: What, Why, and How? (Template Included)
7. Visual studio code (VS Code)
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Mac OS, Linux
Belonging from the family of software developed by the tech giant Microsoft, Visual Studio Code is known to be one of the most fully-featured, well-rounded code editor. It is an extensible, open-source code editor that supports a wide selection of programming languages and frameworks, from the familiar C, C++, and C# to modern languages like Go, Rust, and Node.js.
Visual Studio Code has many awesome features that can greatly improve your development workflow. One of the most effective and time-saving features of this application is its infusion with A.I. This means that all of the code that the developer writes in the application is read by the software. As a result, it generates auto-responses for code writing, based on variable types, function definitions, and essential modules.
Key features:
- Code refactoring & debugging.
- Easily extensible and customizable.
- Easy working with Git and other SCM providers.
- Split Views, Zen Mode.
- Built-in debugger.
- Can detect if any snippet of code is left incomplete.
- Comes with built-in support for web applications.
8. Espresso
Price: $99 | Platform: Mac
Espresso is a web editor for Mac that makes building, improving, and publishing websites a treat. It comes with a beautiful interface and a really powerful code editor. The software is beginner-friendly and provides lots of great features for advanced users as well.
With Espresso, you can finally stop spending so many hours trying to configure an unstable server. The latest version has a Clodette menu, that allows you to edit and sync servers automatically, as well as publish your content quickly.
Key features:
- The sleek and modern interface makes the app easier to use
- Allows you to drag and drop code snippets
- See a live preview of your design as you code
- XRay preview to quickly make changes with ease
- Many plugins and themes.
- Effortlessly navigates your code structure with groups, style previews, and Quick Filter
- Comes with an extensive plug-in API for syntaxes, formatting, and more.
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Best Code Editor 2018
9. BBEdit (Earlier known as Text Wrangler)
Price: Free | Platform: Mac
Of all the code editors for Mac, BBEdit is definitely one of the oldest. This powerful and feature-rich text editor comes with a very intuitive user interface that makes it super easy to browse files and work on projects. It supports 44 programming languages including HTML, JavaScript, Perl, Python, VBScript, and SQL. It is designed and crafted for the purpose of editing, searching transformation, and manipulation of text.
Key features:
- Supports auto indentations.
- Offers syntax highlighting for many programming languages
- Allows you to convert character encoding of text documents.
- Has advanced search and replace tools.
- Supports the comparison of text files.
- Store and insert frequently used text items and custom tags
- Integrates smoothly into existing workflows.
10. Textmate
Price: Free | Platform: Mac
TextMate is a high-end source code editor for Mac OS which looks super cool. It is a versatile text editor with a unique and innovative feature set. It includes ready-made libraries of macros and snippets of source code or text (snippets), suitable for reuse for many programming languages. Without any doubt, if you are looking for a free text editor for Mac, you should consider TextMate.
Key features:
- Easy clipboard management
- Sophisticated find and replace tool
- Auto-Indent for Common Actions
- Foldable code blocks
- Visual Bookmarks to Jump Between Places in a File
- It features Marcos that eliminates repetitive work.
- Highlights syntax
11. BlueFish
Price: Free | Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, FreeBSD.
Bluefish is a powerful editor that is mainly for experienced web designers and programmers. It supports many programming and markup languages, but it focuses on editing dynamic and interactive websites.
If you are a fan of working on dozens of different software at once and not wasting time for the code editor to take its sweet time to run your code, then Bluefish is the code editor that was designed with you in mind. BlueFish is an ultra-fast code editor that supports a variety of markup languages. The tool is so efficient that it loads a complete website within a second!
Key features:
- User-customizable toolbar for quick access to often-used functions.
- Auto-recovery of changes in modified documents after a crash or shutdown.
- Loads hundreds of files within seconds.
- Multithreaded support for remote files.
- Supports nearly every programming language.
- Anti-aliased text window.
- Multiple document interface (Easily open 500+ documents).
Over to you!
There you have it! These are the 11 best code editors available right now. Programming and development is a hectic job, and our goal is to enhance the overall coding productivity by giving you this list.
Every year, new code editors are released, and developers find it challenging to choose one. You can choose to have one go-to editor that you use for everything, but many developers use different code editors to perform different tasks.
Best Code Editor 2019
There are many other code editors out there. Whether they’re focused on a particular niche or mass-appeal, they’re all fighting for attention and usage. How long will these code editors maintain their lead? Will we see a newcomer rise through the rankings in years to come?
One thing we know about the code editor wars—developers are the ones to benefit the most out of it!
If you have a favorite software that wasn’t on this list, feel free to share your input by tweeting us @bit_docs.
Further reads: