Software Testing
Difference Between Verification and Validation with Example
Verification in Software Testing Verification in Software Testing is a process of checking...
15 Best Free Code Editors for Windows & Mac [2021 Update]
- Details
Every year, many new Code Editors are launched, and the developer finds it challenging to choose one. Following is a curated list of Top 15 source code and text editor software for Windows and Mac platforms. All the editors in the list are Free to use. The code editor could be standalone or integrated into an IDE.
Best Free Code Editors for Windows & Mac
1) Notepad++
Notepad++ is a popular free to use code editor written in C++. It uses pure win32 API which offers greater execution speed and small program size. It runs only in the window's environment, and it uses GPL License.
Platform: Windows
Price: Free
Features:
- This free text editor supports syntax highlighting for languages like PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS
- Auto-completion: Word completion, Function completion
- Macro recording and playback
- User-defined Syntax highlighting and folding
- Entirely customizable GUI
- Multi-view and Multi-Language support
Download link: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/
2) Kite
Kite is a Code Editor that automatically completes multiple line codes. This editor supports more than 16 languages. It helps you to code faster with no hassle.
Price: Free
Features:
- It offers documentation for various languages
- This editor provides a function signature as you type.
- You will get a tooltip on mouse hover.
- Provides support in email.
- Uses machine learning models for software development.
3) Atom
Atom is useful code editor tool preferred by programmers due to its simple interface compared to the other editors. Atom users can submit packages and them for the software.
Platform: Windows, Mac, Linux
Price: Free
Features:
- Package Manager Integrated for Plugins support
- The feature of smart autocompletion
- Supports Command Palette
- Multiple panes
- Allow cross-platform editing
Download link: https://atom.io/
4) Visual Studio Code [VS Code]
Visual Studio Code is an open source code editor software developed by Microsoft. This free text editor offers built-in support for TypeScript, JavaScript, and Node.js. It's autocompleted with IntelliSense features provides smart completions based on variable types, essential modules, and function definitions.
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Price: Free
Features:
- Easy working with Git and other SCM (Software Configuration management) providers
- Code refactoring & debugging
- Easily extensible and customizable
Download link: https://code.visualstudio.com/
5) Brackets
Brackets is a lightweight tool developed by Adobe. It is best text editor that is open source. It allows you to a toggle between your source code and the browser view.
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Price: Free
Features:
- Quick Edit UIfeature puts context-specific code and tools inline
- Offers live preview, preprocessor support, and inline editors
- Pleasant looking UI
- Especially developed tool for macOS
- It comes with the inbuilt extension manager for fast & effective extension management.
Download link: http://brackets.io/
6) NetBeans
NetBeans is an open-source code editor tool for developing with Java, PHP, C++, and other programming languages. With this editor, code analyzers, and converters. It allows you to upgrade your applications to use new Java 8 language constructs.
Platforms: Mac Windows Linux
Price: Free
Features:
- Easy & Efficient Project Management
- This free text editor offers fast & Smart Code Editing
- Rapid User Interface Development
- Helps you to write bug-free code
Download link: https://netbeans.org
7) Bluefish
Bluefish a is a cross-platform editor is a speedy tool which can handle dozens of files simultaneously. The tool allows developers to conduct remote editing. This code editor tool offers many options to s programmers and web developers, to write websites, scripts, and programming code.
Price: Free
Platforms: Mac Windows Linux
Features:
- Loads hundreds of files within seconds
- Auto-recovery of changes in modified documents after a crash, kill or shutdown.
- Project support feature helps you to work efficiently on multiple projects.
- Unlimited undo/redo functionality.
Download link: http://bluefish.openoffice.nl/index.html
8) VIM
Vim is an advanced text editor open source tool which is also considered to be an IDE in its way. This tool allows managing your text editing activities with vim editors and UNIX System which can be used on-premise or online.
Price: Free
Platform: Linux
Features:
- Extensive plugin support
- Powerful search and replace
- Integrates with many tools
- Macro recording and playback
- Support for hundreds of programming languages and file formats
Download link: https://www.vim.org/
9) Geany
Geany is a text editor which uses GTK+ toolkit. It also has certain basic features of an integrated development environment. The tool supports many filetypes and has some nice features.
Price: Free
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Features:
- Allows you to add a note for applying the indent settings in the project preferences
- Navigating through the source code
- Allows popup menu on message window notebooks and sidebar
- Show status message on attempt to execute empty context action
Download link: https://www.geany.org
10) Komodo Edit
Komodo edit is an easy to use and powerful code editing tool. It allows you to do debugging, unit testing, code refactoring. It also provides code profile, plus integrations with other technologies like Grunt, PhoneGap, Docker, Vagrant and many more.
Price: Free Trial
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Features:
- Multi-Language Editor
- A lot of contemporary color schemes
- Native Unicode support and Unicode compatibility checking
- Easily integrates into the desktop environment.
Download link: https://www.activestate.com/products/komodo-edit/
11) Emacs
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Price: Free
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Features:
- Complete built-in documentation
- Full Unicode support for many human scripts
- Highly customizable, using Emacs Lisp code.
- A packaging system for installing and downloading extensions
Download link: https://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/
12) jEdit
jEdit, a code editor program which is written in Java. This open source tool supports hundreds of plugins and macros. It offers a large collection of plugins maintained by a worldwide developer team.
Features:
- Built-in macro language & extensible plugin architecture
- Allows copy and paste with an unlimited number of clipboards
- You can download plugins with the help of the plugin manager.
- Register contents are saved across editing sessions.
- Allows auto indent, and syntax highlighting over 200 languages
Price: Free
Platform: Mac, Windows & Linux
Download link: http://www.jedit.org/
13) TextMate
TextMate is a versatile plain text editor for mac with unique and innovative features. The tool offers support for many programming languages, writing prose in structured formats such as blogging, running SQL queries, writing screenplays, etc.
Price: Free
Platform: MAC
Features:
- Auto-Indent for Common Actions
- CSS-like Selectors to find the Scope of Actions and Settings
- Dynamic Outline for Working With Multiple Files
- Function Pop-up for Quick Overview and Navigation
- Run Shell Commands from Within a Document
- Visual Bookmarks to Jump Between Places in a File
Download link: http://macromates.com/
14) gedit
Gedit tool is designed as a general-purpose text editor. It offers simple and eases to use GUI. It includes features for editing source code and structured text like markup languages.
Price: Free
Platforms: Mac & Windows
Features:
- Support for syntax highlighting for languages like C, C++, Java, HTML, XML, Python, etc.
- Editing files from remote locations
- Support for text wrapping and auto indentation
- Search and replace with the support of regular expressions
- A flexible plugin system which allows you to add new features
Download link: https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Gedit
15) Light Table
Light Table is an IDE and text editor tool for coding software. The tool offers fast feedback and allowing instant execution, debugging and access to documentation.
Price: Free
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Features:
- Inline Evaluation
- Light Table is a lightweight, clean, and sleek interface.
- Powerful editing and plugin manager
- The feature of println to keep track of critical values in your code
Download link: http://lighttable.com/
16) Blue Griffon
BlueGriffon is an open source HTML editor powered by Gecko, which is Firefox's rendering engine. It has a simple interface and most usual features needed to create web pages that are compliant with W3C web standards.
Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux
Features:
- Easy to change the color of font or to adjust the border style
- Opens Tabs from Last Session
- Shortcuts for CSS Editing
- Multiple Themes for Source View
Download link: http://bluegriffon.org
