15 Best Text Editor For Windows And Mac [Free And Paid]

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In this article, we’ll check out and compare the finest text editors for both Windows and Mac. This will make it easier for you to pick the one that suits you best.

Text editors are like helpful tools for writing code correctly without any fancy formatting troubles.

Imagine you’re new to coding, and you pick your first way of writing code. But then, you realize that the code you wrote doesn’t look right when it’s displayed. That’s where text editors come in to save the day.

The best text editors should be simple, practical, and handy. It doesn’t matter if you’re using Linux, a Mac, or a Windows PC for coding; a good text editor should be easy to use and have all the essential features you need.

Table of Contents

Here are some expert tips: Most text editors share these five characteristics:

1.Different Software, Different Traits: Every software has good and bad sides. No two software programs are exactly the same. Instead of arguing about which software is the best, let’s first talk about what features you should look for when choosing a text editor.
2.Speed Matters: The best text editors are fast right from the start. If your program is slowing you down, consider trying other applications.
3.Extension Support is Important:Think of extension support as adding extra features to your text editor. Text editors like Sublime Text and Atom are excellent at giving users more useful features through extensions.
4.Consider Your Field: Depending on what you’re working on, you might face different challenges. It’s important to think about whether your text editor can handle the specific kind of work you do.
5.Learning Curve: Learning how to use a text editor shouldn’t take too long. It’s better to choose one with a short learning period, so you can get started quickly.
6.Ergonomics Matter: The way the program feels and works should make your work easier. If the text editor is comfortable to use, you’ll be more productive.

List Of The Best Text Editors

Here is the list of the best and most popular Text Editor for Windows and Mac:

UltraEdit
Visual Studio Code
Sublime Text
Atom
Vim
Brackets
Notepad++
Espresso
CoffeeCup-The
HTML Editor
TextMate
Light Table
BBEdit
Komodo Edit
Bluefish
Setapp

Comparison of Popular Text Editors

Name of the Text Editor	Best Feature	Pricing	Our Rating
UltraEdit	Text editor, Web Development, System Administration, Power and Performance.	$99.95/yr with all access	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Visual Studio Code	User Experience, Extensibility	Free	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Sublime Text	Performance, Learning Curve	$99	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atom	Extensibility, Learning Curve	Free	⭐⭐⭐
Vim	Performance	Free	⭐⭐⭐

1) UltraEdit

UltraEdit:

 5/5

Great for Programmers and Tech Managers. UltraEdit is a superb option as your primary text tool because it’s quick, adaptable, and safe. It also includes a complete set of tools like a file finder, built-in FTP client, and a Git connection solution, among others.

This primary text editor is excellent at managing even very large files effortlessly.

Key Features: Text editing, Website Building, Managing Computer Systems, Strong Performance, Programming and Development, File Comparison

Cost: $99.95 per year with full access. 30 day trial

2)Microsoft Visual Studio Code

Microsoft Visual Studio Code:

 5/5

Ideal for Python Coders. Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is loved by many developers, especially because Microsoft created it. It comes with lots of extras and free additions you can find in its store. You can even change the code editor to fit your likes.

Besides making it easier for developers to work well and correct mistakes, Visual Studio Code has its own built-in terminal. It also checks for grammar mistakes and works with various systems that help manage your code. It suggests word completions and gives useful info about classes and methods, making it one of the best tools for Python coders.

Key Features: Auto-suggestions, no-cost add-ons, community-built extras.

Pricing: It’s free!

3) Sublime Text

Sublime Text:

 4/5

Ideal for Split-Screen Work. Sublime Text is a top choice for specific users. This code editor is loaded with features and looks great. Along with quick shortcuts and search functions, it offers a distraction-free writing mode and the ability to work on split screens.

Shortcuts are also useful for things like revealing or hiding the sidebar, copying lines, picking certain line numbers, checking for spelling mistakes, and more.

Similar to Atom’s extensive collection of “free library of sample apps, add-ons, styles, extensions, instructions,” and more, Sublime Text keeps adding new abilities even after you’ve installed it.

Key Features: Split-screen work, no distractions, automatic suggestions.

Price: $99

4) Atom

Atom:

3.0

 3/5

Great for Community-Made Extras. Atom offers a bunch of extras created by the community, and if you don’t find what you need, you can even make it yourself by adjusting the CSS on the backend.

On the flip side, if you prefer lightweight software, you might find Atom’s installation size a bit big since it’s made to work on different operating systems and uses the Electron framework.

Key Features: Works on different systems, Comes with a built-in package manager, Smart suggestions, File system explorer, Multiple sections for work, Find and replace.

Price: It’s completely free!

5) Vim

Vim:

3.0

 3/5

Perfect for Speed Lovers. Vim is a flexible text editor that runs smoothly on Windows, Linux, and Mac. It’s made for both typing commands and using it with a graphical interface. Vim was made in 1991 and became one of the most liked text editors. It lets developers use a set of instructions to change code and create scripts. Vim has been here for a while, and programmers all around the world still use it.

Key Features: Multiple levels of undo, a wide range of plugins, supports various programming languages and file types, find and replace, and connects with many tools.

Price: It’s free!

6) Brackets

Brackets:

3.4

 3.4/5

Ideal for Website Designers. Brackets is a free text editor designed for designers to construct websites directly within a web browser. It’s tailor-made for web designers and front-end developers. It provides numerous coding tools, including real-time previews of your website as you make changes.

Adobe is the creator of Brackets, and it enables users to select colors, gradients, fonts, and measurements in a way similar to CSS. That’s why it’s a must-have tool for interface designers.

Starting from September, Brackets won’t get any more updates or support.

Key Features: Built-in Editors, Live Preview, Support for Preprocessors

Pricing: Free

7) Notepad++

Notepad++:

3.2

 3.2/5

Great for Dealing with TXT, HTML, CSS, PHP, and XML. It’s also an open-source project. Programmers love this text editor because it lets them easily check code, paste parts from FTP clients, and use it without waiting for their development setup to start. When compared to Atom and Sublime Text, it’s more commonly used.

This program offers many handy features, such as a tabbed layout, support for macros and extras, and an autosave function that temporarily holds your work and allows you to save it elsewhere.

A vital tool for scripters is the Notepad Text Editor. It’s free and straightforward to use, but it only works with a few file types (TXT, HTML, CSS, PHP, and XML). Its look is a bit old-fashioned, and it lacks some features.

Key Features: Autosave, supports add-ons, user-friendly interface.

Price: It’s free!

8) Expresso

Expresso:

3.1

 3.1/5

Espresso is a budget-friendly web editor with a single window, making code editing fast and adding extra features.

Espresso is a program that doesn’t cost anything and is open to everyone. It helps you sort your work into three parts: Workstation, Drag-and-drop workflows, and Files and Publish sections. How Espresso operates changes depending on what various developers require. It adapts to what developers like and how they do their work.

Key Features: Highlights code syntax, offers CodeSense, and makes it easy to use code snippets. Price: It costs $99.

9) Coffee Cup- The HTML Editor

Coffee Cup- The HTML Editor:

 3/5

Ideal for Website Creators. CoffeeCup’s HTML Editor is one of the most robust and dependable text editors for coding and managing websites. You can try it out for free, but to access all its features, you’ll need to make a one-time payment of $29. There’s also a free version, but it has fewer features.

If you want to create HTML webpages or learn about HTML and PHP, CoffeeCup is a wise choice that can save you time.

Remember, when you purchase this, you receive a single license. So, if your entire team needs this text editor, you’ll have to purchase multiple licenses.

Main Features: Easy-to-use code selection, real-time preview, customizable templates, and highlighting for tags.

Price: It’s priced at $29.

10) TextMate

TextMate:

3.5

 3.5/5

Great for Fast Edits and a Web Developer’s Special Settings. TextMate is the go-to choice for text editing when you’re using macOS. It might look basic, but it’s packed with lots of handy tools. You’ll find features like find, search, and replace, autocompletion, and easy document management in this text editor, just like in most others.

While TextMate works with every programming language, it also has a special tool made especially for Xcode applications.

Key Features: Personalized commands, multiple cursor support, and file search. Price: It’s free!

11) Light Table

Light Table:

4.0

 4/5

Perfect for Busy Environments. Light Table is great for fast work. It gives you quick feedback so you can fix errors as you go, review your code, and find related info. It helps create abstract ideas quickly.

To avoid making programmers experiment while they code, the team created software that shows the changes in real-time.

Initially, it only supported Clojure, but now it also works with Python and JavaScript. This software can reduce your programming time by up to 20 percent.

Important Features: It’s open for everyone, allows you to check your code as you write it, and has a tool for adding extra features.

Price: It doesn’t cost anything!

12) BBEdit

BBEdit:

4.2

 4.2/5

Great for Programmers and Website Designers. BBEdit is designed for Mac users only. It includes a variety of advanced features while keeping things straightforward, just like its short name BB suggests. Git integration and auto-completion are some of the outstanding features you’ll find in BBEdit.

For effortless editing, it provides syntax highlighting and fast searches. You can also split and arrange editing windows side by side. Right now, BBEdit offers a single-user license for $49.99, and you can get new versions at a lower price when they’re available.

Key Features: Split windows, syntax highlighting, git integration, and auto-completion.

Price: It costs $49.99.

13) Komodo Edit

Komodo Edit:

3.8

 3.8/5

perfect for Newcomers. Komodo Edit aims to offer something robust yet easy for beginners to grasp. You can download Komodo Edit for both Mac and Windows, and it’s completely free and open-source, making it suitable for beginners who want to work on simpler tasks.

If you want advanced developer tools like checking code performance and testing, think about using Komodo IDE. It works well with all programming languages and structures, making it a smart pick for web development. And the best part is, upgrading to Komodo IDE won’t cost you anything extra because it’s an open-source project.

Key Features: Multi-Language Editor, Auto-Complete & Tips, Unit Testing, Debugging Help, Real-Time Preview, Project Setup Assistant, and Dependency Checker.

Price: It’s free!

13) Komodo Edit

Komodo Edit:

3.5

 3.5/5

Key Features: Multi-Language Editor, Auto-Complete & Tips, Unit Testing, Debugging Help, Real-Time Preview, Project Setup Assistant, and Dependency Checker.

Price: It’s free!

14) Blue Fish

Blue Fish:

3.6

 3.6/5

Great for Programmers and Website Developers. Bluefish is a free, open-source text editor packed with features for building websites and coding. This tool can handle HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript, Java, and other programming languages, including shell scripts.

You can use Bluefish on macOS, Linux, and Windows, and it works seamlessly with GNOME. But you can also use it on its own as a standalone program.

Bluefish is made to be a bridge between basic text editors and heavy-duty coding environments. It’s light, speedy, and beginner-friendly, offering lots of features from Integrated Development Environments (IDEs). It’s even available in seventeen languages, so you can use it in the language you prefer.

Key Features: Easily apply external filters, unlimited undo/redo, spell-check line by line, automatic recovery of all changes, and a character map for special characters like Unicode symbols.

Price: It’s completely free!

15) Setapp

Setapp:

 4/5

Ideal for Those Who Love a Variety of Text Editing Apps on Mac and iPhone. Setapp is unique on this list because it’s a subscription-based app that gives you access to many fantastic text editing apps for both Mac and iPhone, all in one place. For a small monthly fee, you can use amazing Mac-exclusive text editors like TeaCode, TextSoap, and more, which help you write code quickly in any language.

My top pick among Setapp’s text editors is definitely TeaCode. It comes with over 80 ready-to-use shortcuts and works with most native MacOS text editors. It also has plugins for Sublime Text, Atom, Visual Studio Code, and others.

Key Features:Multiple exclusive text editors for Mac in one bundle. Flexible text editors that adapt to your coding needs. Efficient coding with shortcuts. Apps that sync seamlessly between Mac and iPhone.

Price: Mac-only access costs $9.99/month, Mac and iOS access costs $12.49/month, Power User access costs $14.99/month. You can also try it free for 7 days.

Conclusion:

If you’re still unsure about which text editor to choose, here’s a recap: Sublime Text, Atom, and Notepad++ stand out as top choices for developers.

Sublime Text is light on your computer’s resources, Atom is great for working together, and UltraEdit handles large files easily. Whether you’re an expert or a beginner, Komodo Edit is a solid choice, but make sure to get the right version for your needs.