Best Lightweight Text Editor For Mac

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With Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, there has been an introduction of many new programming languages to match up with the new technology. This has led to serious shortage of good and qualified developers who are also upskilled with the new programming languages. To write error-free code to avoid the hassle, developers need a good code editor up their sleeves.

A code editor helps a developer to be efficient and faster. Moreover, a code editing software helps you to avoid error and work as a professional. If you are a developer, you can understand, how significant it is to take care of a semicolon in a code. The code editors notify developer if there are any syntax errors and missing colons which helps to avoid failed program execution.

We have compiled a list of best code editors for Windows which will help you become efficient and grow as a developer.

Best Code Editors For Windows 10, 8, 7

1. Notepad++

Notepad ++ is a free source text editor for Windows and could prove to be of great help to developers. It is written in C++ and uses pure Win32 API and STL which gives a smaller program size with higher execution speed. Let’s look at the features of Notepad++:
  • It is a lightweight application. Though it is for Windows, it works on Linux, Unix, and Mac OS x as well.
  • The app supports tabbed editing and enables you to add bookmarks so that you can use them some other time.
  • When you write syntax of the language, it shows up in colored lines and if there is a mistake in the code, it quickly highlights it.

2. Sublime Text

One of the best code editors for Windows, Sublime Text is compact and powerful. Besides IDE-like features, it has Python Scripting with an ability to customize the editor. Let’s take a look at the features of Sublime Text:

  • It offers a cross-platform support and has a friendly interface.
  • It can detect syntax and highlight the error.
  • It lets you select and edit multiple lines and has an option for instant file switching.

3. Atom

Atom is a text editor for Windows which works across various operating systems such as Windows, OSX, and Linux. The tool can be customized to work productively without even making changes in a config file. Let’s take a look at the features of Atom:
  • It finds, previews, and replaces text as you type in a file or across all your projects.
  • You can split the interface into multiple panes so that you can compare and edit code easily among the windows.
  • It also has autocomplete feature which helps to write codes faster.

4. Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is one of the best code editors for PC as it is the free and open source. It is a cross-platform software which works on Mac, Windows, and Linux. Let’s take a look at the features of Visual Studio Code:

  • With Intellisense feature, you not only get autocomplete and syntax highlighting, but also smart completion based on variable types, function definitions and more.
  • It has inbuilt commands for Git.
  • It is customizable with extensions to install languages, debuggers, themes and more.
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5. UltraEdit

Yet another software which is powerful, fast and secure, UltraEdit is one of the best free text editor which is highly customizable and works great for highlighting codes. Let’s take a look at the features of UltraEdit:
  • It loads and handle files with power and is easily configurable.
  • The OS integration makes it easier to open any applications, utilities through command line
  • The inbuilt hex edit mode and column editing mode helps you to edit your file data.

6. Araneae

Araneae is one of the best code editors for Windows as it is simple and free text editor to edit codes and highlight syntax. Let’s look at the features of Araneae:

  • It supports HTML, XHTML, JavaScript, CSS, Ruby, PHP, and more.
  • You can add customizable quick clips and can get instant browser preview.
  • You can simply drag and drop files and images to start the work.
Mac

7. Vim

Vim is one of the robust text editors integrated with a lot of tools. Let’s look at the features of Vim:

  • It is persistent software and has an extensive plugin system.
  • It supports many programming languages and file formats.
  • It has an ability to replace and search codes easily and vastly.

8. jEdit

jEdit is an excellent java based program so it works on Windows, Mac, Linux and more. It is highly customizable and configurable. Let’s take a look at the features of jEdit:

  • It has inbuilt macro language, extensible plugin architecture.
  • It provides syntax highlighting and auto indent for more than 200 languages.
  • It supports a great number of character encodings such as Unicode, UTF8.

9. Brackets

Brackets is an open source, lightweight, and powerful code editor for Windows. Let’s look at the features of Brackets:

Free Text Editor For Mac Os X

  • With inline editor feature, Brackets will show you all the CSS selectors with the ID in the inline window, to make it easier to work on code side by side easily.
  • You can see the results of changes that you have made to CSS and HTML with the live preview feature.
  • The software can help you to highlight and quick edit your LESS and SCSS files.

So, this is the list of best code editors for Windows which will make coding easier and efficient for developers whether they are experts or novice.

Text editors are notoriously divisive. Everyone has their own preferences, and each of those opinions are valid. What works for one person, task, or project might not work for another. We all find productivity in different places.

That’s why coming up with a list of the “best” Mac text editors is quite hard. There’s a chance we’ll miss your favorite, or include a cut-price freebie that doesn’t do half the tasks you need on a daily basis.

But that’s OK, because you can tell us all about it in the comments at the end.

Free Text Editors

The following is a list of completely free text editors, with no paid upgrades or extra purchases. You might think that free means “lacking in features,” but that’s not the case with these.

Atom

Atom tries to be a bit of everything, and for the most part it succeeds. It’s a project from hosting and version control maestro GitHubNot Just for Coders: 9 Ways To Use GitHub For Creative WorkNot Just for Coders: 9 Ways To Use GitHub For Creative WorkGitHub is known for the great features it can offer programmers, but it's not only for them. There are plenty of other creative uses for GitHub. Here are nine you can explore.Read More, and it’s completely open source and free to use. Don’t let the price tag put you off; Atom has some serious potential under the hood.

Describing itself as “a hackable editor for the 21st century,” Atom is a great starting point for beginners. It’s a basic text editor out of the box, with optional packages that add more complex functionality. These include a full integrated development environment (IDE) known as Atom-IDE.

There’s support for Git and GitHub, with no need for additional packages. When you want to add features and language support, there’s a package manager which makes this easy. You can also customize the interface to your liking, another important aspect of any such serious tool.

One standout package is Teletype for Atom, a real-time collaboration feature that allows you to work on projects with others. Atom is also cross-platform, so you can transfer operating systems while maintaining familiarity with your favorite editor.

Download:Atom

TextWrangler

TextWrangler is one of the most user-friendly examples of a text editor, with a price tag to match. Now hosted on the Mac App Store, TextWrangler offers an old-school feel, rock-solid performance, and the option of graduating to a more powerful yet familiar tool (BBEdit, below) if you feel the need.

It’s another great entry point for learning to code or use text editors in general, whether you’re writing simple AppleScript projects, editing CSS, or building a website in HTML. It’s also a good choice if macOS’ built-in editor TextEditMake TextEdit More Powerful With These 9 Hidden FeaturesMake TextEdit More Powerful With These 9 Hidden FeaturesNative Mac editor TextEdit has a lot of powerful features under the hood, so here's how to find them.Read More comes up short when editing plain text.

The app isn’t just a stripped-down freebie though. It offers a wealth of powerful tools like grep pattern matching, multi-file search and replace, varied themes, and syntax coloring options. You can also work on files remotely via FTP and SFTP.

It lacks some of the fancier features seen in the premium packages, notably a preview pane to view changes in real time. It feels and behaves like a native macOS app, which makes it particularly user-friendly compared to some of the other examples on this list.

Download:TextWrangler

Vim

Now for something completely different: Vim is a command line-based text editorVim Is Awesome: Make It Better With These 5 CustomizationsVim Is Awesome: Make It Better With These 5 CustomizationsText editors might not be sexy, but they are important. One of the most powerful Linux text editors is VIM (short for, Vi Improved), and here we show you how to extend its functionality further.Read More that comes with macOS. Simply open Terminal, type vim, and hit Enter. You’re now using one of the most respected text editors of all time, but it’s not without a steep learning curve.

Fortunately, Vim comes with a stack of documentation to help you learn how to use it. This includes quick reference and help documents, plus a 30-minute tutorial to get you up and running. Be warned: even figuring out how to access the tutorials is a lesson for those unfamiliar with the command line.

Like other powerful-yet-complex applications, you can accomplish a lot with Vim if you know how to use it properly. This knowledge won’t come overnight, but in a few years you’ll likely be able to accomplish more than in a comparable GUI-based application.

Despite Vim being built into the OS, you might also be interested in MacVim. This is a slightly more user-friendly port, with full menu bar controls for functions and a more up-to-date version of Vim than that maintained by Apple. You can open, save, and access recent documents like you would in other GUI-based editors, which makes it slightly less intimidating for newbies.

Download:MacVim

GNU Emacs

Another great free option with an off-putting learning curve, GNU Emacs is the “free as in libre” version of the Emacs text editor. First released in 1976, Emacs is one of the longest-running open source projects, and it still receives updates today.

Emacs is known for its unique methods of getting work done. It relies on a programming language known as Emacs-Lisp, a fork of the Lisp language that was originally specified in 1958. You’ll need to use Emacs-Lisp for even the most basic functions of editing, but it’s also used to expand the editor beyond its humble text-based roots.

These expansions include an email client, news reader, file manager, and games like Snake and Tetris. Under the hood, though, it’s still a basic text editor with features like context-aware editing and support for syntax coloring. There’s full Unicode support and a packaging system for adding new features.

Like Vim, Emacs requires a commitment to learn to use it long before you understand why so many people swear by it. While GNU Emacs is one fork, XEmacs is another that’s worth investigating if you like the sound of this command line editor.

Html Text Editor For Mac

Download:GNU Emacs | XEmacs

Visual Studio Code

Like Atom, Visual Studio Code is a relative newcomer in the text editing space. Not to be confused with Visual Studio, Microsoft’s full-power IDE with a price tag to match, Visual Studio Code is a lightweight text and script editor built around the concept of expanding support with plugins.

There are plugins for writing and running shell scripts in Code, for penning markdown documents, and even writing AppleScript. That’s right; you can use Microsoft’s text editor to create scripts that will only work on Apple machines.

The Visual Studio Code marketplace turns the app into a Swiss Army knife of code, text, and script editing. A reliance on plugins means the app is lightweight and responsive from the start, as you’re not lugging around features and functionality you’re never going to use.

Which plugins are worth getting? Our roundup of Visual Studio Code plugins will answer that for you.

Code uses an attractive dark theme, and it doesn’t feel like a lazy port of the Windows version either. It’s worth a shot, particularly if you don’t get on with the likes of Vim and Emacs. Check out our top tips for boosting productivity in Visual Studio Code10 Essential Productivity Tips for Visual Studio Code10 Essential Productivity Tips for Visual Studio CodeVisual Studio Code blows other programming text editors out of the water. It's free, open source, lightning fast, and packed with productivity features.Read More to learn more.

Download:Visual Studio Code

Premium Text Editors

If you’re looking for a text editor to use at work, or you’re at a stage where your tools can have a serious impact on your productivity and paycheck, you should consider one of these. Luckily they all come with a decent free evaluation period, so you can try before you buy.

TextMate

Powerful, simple, and lightweight, TextMate is the preferred choice of many Mac professionals, and it’s not hard to see why. This editor has support for a range of languages and syntax, tabs, and a language-specific approach that can save you time and effort.

TextMate incorporates snippets, macros, and scoping features that vastly speed up workflow without stepping into full IDE territory. The developer aimed to bring “Apple’s approach to operating systems into the world of text editors” and that’s a fairly good summation of why so many love TextMate.

Despite development stalling from time to time, TextMate maintains a die-hard following of professional users. This has given way to an extensive database of documentation and screencasts, which should help new users get up to speed.

It’s a simple tool to start using, with a clean UI and fair price point. You can download TextMate free for evaluation purposes, though the app doesn’t seem to bother you for registration credentials or a serial number.

Download:TextMate ($60)

Sublime Text 3

Sublime Text is a self-described “sophisticated text editor” that markets itself as a code, markup, and prose editor. It’s probably overkill for the simplest text editing tasks though, considering it costs $80 for a license.

For those who need a powerful tool, Sublime Text delivers a wealth of features and functions11 Sublime Text Tips for Productivity and a Faster Workflow11 Sublime Text Tips for Productivity and a Faster WorkflowSublime Text is a versatile text editor and a gold standard for many programmers. Our tips focus on efficient coding, but general users will appreciate the keyboard shortcuts.Read More. Some of these are hallmarks of the app, like Goto Anything which lets you open a file and quickly navigate to the relevant line in record speed.

The app creates a project-wide index of all classes used for references, and supports multiple selections so you can change more than one element at a time. To cut down on the time you spend in menus, developers devised the Command Palette for rarely-used functions, and fast project switching with no save prompts.

There’s a vast amount of customizability at your fingertips. Many favor the app for its smooth performance under load and attractive UI. It’s also cross-platform, and you only need a single license to use the app across all your machines and platforms.

Download:Sublime Text 3 ($80)

BBEdit

BBEdit wouldn’t have earned a place on this list were it not for a large userbase that’ll defend it to the death. And that’s just fine, since BBEdit is a mature and powerful text editor that prioritizes performance and reliability above all else.

It’s the quintessential Mac text editor, from the developers who bought you TextWrangler. Despite lacking the freshness of Atom or the crisp UI seen in Sublime Text, BBEdit is built from the ground up for macOS, optimized for macOS, with a macOS approach to text editing.

Best Text Editor For Mac

That means keyboard shortcuts that make sense to the average Mac user, and an approach to text editing that follows many of Apple’s design sensibilities. It also bakes in support for Mac technologies like Bonjour. This removes some barriers for entry seen in other apps, but results in a slightly more cumbersome UI than its rivals.

BBEdit is perfect for HTML and text editing, with support for remote editing via FTP/SFTP. The app is highly customizable, from syntax coloring to menu options, user-defined functions, keyboard shortcuts, and macOS Terminal support right in the app.

Download:BBEdit ($50)

Espresso

Not everyone uses their text editor for building websites, but many who do gravitate toward Espresso. It’s an editor that’s aimed squarely at web developers, and it’s got powerful features to make creating websites a more productive experienceCreating Web Interfaces: Where to StartCreating Web Interfaces: Where to StartWe'll show you how web interfaces break down, then point out the key concepts, tools, and building blocks needed to make yourself a 21st century web designer.Read More.

The big one is a live preview browser, so you can see your changes in real time. The app incorporates Xray layout tools, and CSSEdit visual styling for colors, gradients, shadows, and more. It supports HTML, CSS, LESS, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, Apache, and XML out of the box. More languages are available through plugins.

There’s a laundry list of features that keep users coming back, like customizable snippets and UI, a clean modern design, custom spacing and indentation to keep your code clean, support for tabs, templates and custom templates, powerful find and replace, and multi-line editing for making changes in multiple locations at once.

It’s not cheap at $79, but you can download a trial and see how it works before you commit. It’s a great tool for web developers, but lacking in other areas when it comes to scripting and coding.

Download:Espresso ($79)

So Many Text Editors

There are so many text editors available that we couldn’t possibly include them all, but we thought these were worth a mention if you’re still on the hunt:

  • Coda 2 ($80): Another web development-focused text editor like Espresso; worth a look if you’re in need of such a tool.
  • PhpStorm (from $90): A PHP-focused IDE with a $90 yearly subscription model; ideal for PHP developers but overkill for many other applications.
  • Smultron ($10): A better-than-free text editor with a tidy interface that won’t break the bank.

Remember: The text editor with the most tools isn’t necessarily the best. The best text editor is the one that suits you and meets your expectations. It’s the editor that allows you to get more done. It’s the editor that falls away into the background, allowing you to concentrate on your work rather than the software you use to get your job done.

But you’ve probably got your own favorites in mind already (if you don’t prefer an IDEText Editors vs. IDEs: Which One Is Better For Programmers?Text Editors vs. IDEs: Which One Is Better For Programmers?Choosing between an advanced IDE and a simpler text editor can be hard. We offer some insight to help you make that decision.Read More). We’d love to hear which text editor you get on with the best, and why it works for you. Please add your own suggestions in the comments below!

Explore more about: HTML, Mac, Text Editor, Visual Studio Code.

Text Editor For Mac Free

  1. Please note that TextWrangler is NOT compatible with High Sierra, macOS 10.13. Refer to https://www.barebones.com/support/textwrangler/ for OS version details.