Best Code Editors for windows & Mac
Every year, a slew of new Code Editors are released, making it difficult for developers to select one. The following is a selected list of the top source code and text editor software for Windows and Mac. All of the editors on this list are completely free to use. The code editor might work independently or as part of an IDE.
What is Code Editor?
Code Editor is a type of text editor that is specifically built for writing and editing source code and computer programs. It distinguishes components and built-in procedures, making it easier for programmers to develop and update source code and applications.
Free code editors
Notepad ++
Notepad++ is a well-known code editor that has been used by developers all around the world for quite some time. It’s significantly less complicated, with fewer bells and whistles. The editor is only about 4MB in size once installed on your hard drive. In that small space, though, it packs a powerful punch! This code editor executes at an incredible rate, which is ideal for modern machines.
Notepad++ is jam–packed with typical features, including syntax highlighting and code folding, and supports over 50 programming, scripting, and markup languages. Users can even create their own, which is unique among code editors. If you’re prepared to accept its archaic look and feel, it’s a simple-to-learn tool for the most basic text editing needs.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux.
price : Free
Features:
- Syntax highlighting is included for PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS in this free text editor.
- Auto-completion: Word completion, Function completion .
- Syntax highlighting and folding can be customized by the user.
- This free code editor allows you to record and playback macros.
- Support for many views and languages
- Auto-saving
- A quick-to-launch lightweight application.
Visual studio (VS Code)
Visual Studio Code is a code editor that is part of the Microsoft software family. It is one of the most feature-rich and well-rounded code editors. It’s an open-source code editor that supports a wide range of programming languages and frameworks, including C, C++, and C#, as well as newer languages like Go, Rust, and Node.js.
Visual Studio Code contains a lot of cool tools that can help you speed up your development process. The application’s incorporation of artificial intelligence is one of its most effective and time-saving features. This means that the program reads all of the code that the developer writes in the application. As a result, it generates code-writing auto-responses based on variable types, essential modules and function definitions.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux
price : Free
Features:
- Code refactoring and debugging
- Working with Git and other SCM providers is a breeze.
- Can determine if any code snippets are missing.
- Split Views.
- Zen Mode.
- Built-in debugger.
- Comes with built-in support for web applications.
- Easily extensible and customizable editor .
Atom
Atom is a useful code editor tool that programmers prefer over other editors because of its simple UI. Users of Atom can submit packages and them for inclusion in the software.
Atom is a ‘hackable’ text editor, which implies it allows new and intermediate programmers to design their own text editor without having to have years of programming experience.
Collaboration while working to share ideas is one of the most vital things for all developers. You can accomplish this right in your editor with Atom. Atom users can submit packages and themes for the software in the same way as WordPress users can. Atom used to have performance and stability issues, however these have dramatically improved as the platform has evolved.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux
price : Free
Features:
- Provides intelligent auto-completion choices.
- Editing across platforms is supported.
- Git and Github integration .
- Quick and reliable .
- Built-in package manager.
- There are many of plugins to choose from.
- Projects and files are easily accessible.
Read more: 12 Common Coding Mistakes by Beginners
Netbeans
NetBeans is an open-source code editor for programming languages like java, PHP, C++, and others. This editor comes with code analyzers and converters. It’s one of the greatest code editors for Windows, and it lets you update your apps to use the new Java 8 language constructs.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux
price : Free
Features:
- Support for Cross-Platforms.
- Expert advice on how to improve the speed and memory utilization of your application.
- Multiple language support.
- User Interface Design in a Quick
- Project management that is simple and effective.
- Allows for quick and intelligent code modification.
- Debugging features that are really powerful.
Vim
Vim is a powerful open source text editor that also functions as an integrated development environment (IDE). This utility allows you to manage your text editing activities using vim editors and a UNIX system that may be used locally or remotely.
The application is fully controlled by the keyboard, which makes it considerably faster and more efficient – but only if you put out the effort to learn how to use it. Vim may greatly boost your coding productivity if you take the time to learn it.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux.
price : Free.
Features:
- Support for a large number of plugins
- Replace and search with ease.
- This programming editor is compatible with a variety of applications.
- Hundreds of programming languages and file formats are supported.
- With just a few commands, it can complete difficult jobs.
- Extremely little memory footprint.
Textmate
TextMate is a high-end source code editor for Mac OS that has a really nice interface. It’s a multi-purpose text editor with a variety of unique and original features. It contains ready-to-use macro libraries and snippets of source code or text (snippets) for a variety of computer languages. If you’re looking for a free text editor for your Mac, TextMate is an excellent choice.
platform : Mac OS.
price : Free.
Features:
- Management of the clipboard is simple.
- Common Actions Auto-Indent
- Foldable code blocks
- Jump Between Places in a File Using Visual Bookmarks
- Find and replace tool with a high level of sophistication
- It includes Marcos, who automates monotonous tasks.
- Highlights syntax
BBEdit (Earlier known as Text Wrangler)
BBEdit is unquestionably one of the oldest code editors for Mac. This sophisticated and feature-rich text editor has a simple user interface that makes browsing files and working on projects a breeze. HTML, JavaScript, Perl, Python, VBScript, and SQL are among the 44 programming languages supported. It was created with the intent of editing, searching, transforming data and manipulation of text.
platform : Mac OS.
price : Free.
Features:
- Syntax highlighting is available for a variety of programming languages.
- Allows you to convert text documents character encoding.
- Auto indentations are supported.
- There are advanced search and replace options available.
- Text items and custom tags can be saved and inserted as needed.
- Easily integrates into existing workflows.
Brackets
Unifying and creating linkages between design and execution is one of the finest methods to progress in web development. Brackets is an Adobe CSS, JavaScript, and HTML editor that tries to accomplish precisely that. It’s a strong text editor that’s both lightweight and contemporary.
The most notable feature that distinguishes Brackets from other code editors is its outstanding “Extract” capability. This function allows you to select colors, dimensions, fonts, gradients, and other elements from a Photoshop file and convert them to a web-ready CSS.
platform : Mac OS.
price : Free.
Features:
- With a browser connection, you can see what’s going on in real time.
- The user interface is very simple and straightforward, making it easy to create and manage code.
- Syntax auto highlighting
- Because it’s an open-source platform, it’s very easy to customize.
- For quicker access to a specific section of the code, web editors are used.
BlueFish
Bluefish is a cross-platform editor that works quickly and can handle dozens of files at once. It’s one of the top coding apps for PC because it enables developers to work remotely. This code editor tool gives programmers and web developers a lot of possibilities for writing webpages, scripts, and computer code.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux.
price : Free.
Features:
- It’s one of the greatest IDEs for Mac, capable of loading hundreds of files in a matter of seconds.
- Changes in changed documents are automatically recovered following a crash, kill, or shutdown.
- There is no limit to how many times you can undo or redo something.
- Hundreds of files are loaded in seconds.
- Anti-aliased text window.
- The project support function allows you to work effectively on numerous projects at the same time.
Paid code editors
Espresso
Espresso is a Mac-only web editor that makes creating, editing, and publishing webpages a breeze. It has a lovely user interface and a very capable code editor. The software is user-friendly for beginners, but it also has a lot of complex functions.
You can finally stop wasting hours attempting to configure an unreliable server using Espresso. The newest version has a Clodette menu that allows you to instantly modify and sync servers, as well as rapidly publish your material.
platform : Mac OS.
price : 99$
Features:
- The software is easy to use because to its clean and modern layout.
- As you code, you can get a live preview of your design.
- Many plugins and themes are available.
- You can drag & drop code snippets here.
- XRay preview allows you to make adjustments quickly and easily.
- With groups, style previews, and Quick Filter, it’s easy to explore your code structure.
- Comes with an extensive plug-in API for syntaxes, formatting, and more.
Sublime text
The performance of Sublime Text is well recognized. It has all of the capabilities you’d expect from a sophisticated code editor, as well as a whole lot more. It’s small, open, and virtually ready to modify your file as soon as you press the button. One of the features that distinguishes it as the greatest code editor in its category is its responsiveness.
You’ll need to install some more plugins if you want to get the most out of Sublime Text. Sublime Text is free to download and use for a limited time, but a license costs $80 for prolonged usage.
platform : Windows, Mac OS, Linux.
price : 80$
Features:
- Speedy and light weight
- Allows you to modify several lines at the same time.
- The editor may be quickly customized to your preferences.
- APIs with a lot of power and a robust package ecosystem
- Extremely extendable
- Indentation that is automatically applied
