11 Best FREE CSS Editor Software for Windows & Mac

By : Matthew Martin Matthew Martin
Hours Updated

What is CSS?

CSS is a standard style sheet language that is used for describing the layout and formatting of web pages. It is designed to separate presentation and content. CSS describes how HTML elements are displayed on paper, screen, or in other media. It helps you to control the layout of more than one web page at once.

Why use CSS Editors?

Here are the reasons to use CSS Editors:

  • CSS Editors help you to automatically complete multiple line codes. These applications enable you to search, preview, and replace text typed in a file across the entire project.
  • CSS Editors offer a toolbar that can be easily customized with minimal effort. Many such programs can automatically indent your code as you type.

Following is a handpicked list of Top CSS Editors, with their features and website links. The list contains both open source (free) and commercial (paid) software.

Best HTML & CSS Code Editor Software (Free/Paid)

Tool Name Platform Browser Support Supported Languages Free Trial Link
Dreamweaver Windows, Android and iOS Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari HTML, CSS, and JavaScript 7 Days Free Trial Learn More
Visual Studio macOS, Windows, Fedora, Ubuntu, Linux, Debian, RedHat. Internet Explorer,
Chrome and Firefox		 JavaScript, HTML, TypeScript, CSS Free Learn More
Notepad++ Windows IE, Safari Firefox, and Chrome C, C++, CSS, Java, HTML, PHP, ASP Free Learn More
Atom Linux, macOS, and Windows Firefox,
Safari, and Chrome		 HTML, CSS, JavaScript Free Learn More
Rapid CSS Windows Chrome, IE HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SASS, LESS PHP, Perl, XML, ASP Free Trial Learn More

1) Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver is a popular CSS Editor Tool. This tool helps you to create, publish, and manage websites. A website created with DreamWeaver can be uploaded to any web server.

Dreamweaver is a robust web development tool offering real-time collaboration, live preview, and a drag-and-drop editor for user convenience. Its multilingual support, syntax highlighting, and dual view functionality enhance its usability, while compliance with standards like GDPR ensures security. The availability of numerous plugins, seamless integration with Fireworks and Flash, and ready-made templates make it versatile. Notably, it supports programming languages like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript and features such as flexible coding, seamless live view editing, multi-monitor support, and a redesigned user interface. Customer support via phone and chat underpins the tool’s comprehensive service offering.

#1 Top Pick
Dreamweaver
Dreamweaver
5.0

Supported programming languages: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, Java

Browser Support: Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari

Drag-and-drop interface: Yes

Free Trial: 7 Days Free Trial

Visit Dreamweaver

Features:

  • Dynamic websites can be quickly developed using Dreamweaver.
  • You can create a website that fits any screen size.
  • This tool helps you to customize workspace the way you like.
  • It has an inbuilt HTML validator to validate your code.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows, Android and iOS
  • Price: Plans start at $20.99 a month.
  • Free Trial: 7 Days Free Trial

Visit Dreamweaver >>

7 Days Free Trial

2) Visual studio

Visual Studio Code is an open-source CSS editor software developed by Microsoft. It provides built-in support for TypeScript, JavaScript, and Node.js. This CSS editor tool offers the IntelliSense feature that provides smart completions based on essential modules, variable types, and function definitions.

Visual studio

Features:

  • Easy working with Git and other SCM (Software Configuration Management) providers
  • Code refactoring & debugging
  • This WYSIWYG CSS editor open-source tool is easily extensible and customizable.
  • Supported Platforms: macOS, Windows, Fedora, Ubuntu, Linux, Debian, RedHat.
  • Price: Free.

Pros

  • It can automatically highlight repeated variables.
  • Fast and easy to use editor.
  • Themes are easily customizable.
  • This CSS text editor enables you to compare two files.

Cons

  • It has complicated plugin/extension management.

Link: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/languages/css

3) Notepad++

Notepad++ is a popular free-to-use CSS code editor written in C++. It uses pure win32 API, which offers greater execution of a program. It runs only in the Windows environment and is available under the GPL License.

Notepad++

Features:

  • Supports syntax highlighting for languages like CSS, HTML, PHP, and JavaScript.
  • It has an auto-completion feature for words and functions.
  • This is one of the best free CSS editors that offers macro recording and playback facilities.
  • User-defined syntax highlighting and folding.
  • Entirely customizable GUI.
  • Multi-view and Multi-language support.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows.
  • Price: Free.

Pros

  • You can open large files without any hassle.
  • Enables you to open multiple tabs at once.
  • It automatically saves your code.
  • This CSS designing tool can color language and variables.
  • Supports more than 60 scripting or programming languages.

Cons

  • Provides limited options for testing your code.

Link: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

4) Atom

Atom is a CSS code editor tool preferred by programmers due to its simple interface compared to the other editors. It offers a command palette that contains items that are used repeatedly.

Atom

Features:

  • Offers Package Manager integrated for plugins support.
  • It autocompletes words and functions in the CSS code.
  • Macro recording and playback
  • Supports multiple panes
  • It is one of the best CSS editors that have an integrated package manager.
  • It enables you to search, preview, and replace text typed in a file across the entire project.
  • Allows cross-platform editing.
  • Supported Platforms: Linux, macOS, and Windows.
  • Price: Free

Pros

  • Offers a good plugin library.
  • Provides syntax highlighting.
  • You can integrate it with Git.
  • It has a built-in package manager.

Cons

  • Complicated overall design and layout.

Link: https://atom.io/

5) Rapid CSS

Rapid CSS is a CSS code editor that is designed to improve productivity in developing web applications. This lightweight application enables you to load the code faster without any hassle. It offers a snippet library and code templates with assignable shortcuts.

Rapid CSS

Features:

  • You can preview your website design from any screen size.
  • Offers color pickers facility for managing the project.
  • It automatically highlights the syntax.
  • Enables you to perform a quick search with no hassle.
  • Provides inbuilt spell checker.
  • It has a built-in file explorer.
  • This is one of the best free CSS editors that autocompletes brackets and quotes.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows.
  • Price: Free

Pros

  • It is quick and easy to use CSS editor.
  • Helps you to become more productive by creating a website faster.
  • Provides support for FTPS, SFTP, FTP.
  • Offers advance search and replacement.

Cons

  • It has a complicated user interface.

Link: https://www.rapidcsseditor.com/

6) Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a CSS editor that supports many languages like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, and others. You can use this CSS code editor for code, mark-up, and prose. This code editor supports macOS X, Windows, and Linux operating systems.

Sublime Text

Features:

  • This editor allows you to highlight syntax.
  • It has a command palette implementation that accepts text input from users.
  • Handles UTF8 BOMs in .gitignore files
  • It displays badges for folders and file to indicate Git status
  • Changes to a file are represented by markers available in the gutter.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
  • Price: $80.

Pros

  • Easy to use keyboard shortcuts.
  • Effortlessly manages a large amount of texts.
  • It automatically completes the code.
  • This editor does not occupy large memory space on your computer.
  • Offers lots of plugins.

Cons

  • It cannot highlight a particular text portion.
  • This editor does not support autosaving documents.

Link: https://www.sublimetext.com/

7) Nova

Nova is a CSS editor that enables you to create a website without any hassle. It automatically changes your theme when your mac PC switches from light to dark mode. This application helps you to easily run tasks for your projects.

Nova

Features:

  • It can automatically remove whitespaces while writing code.
  • This editor can automatically complete the CSS code.
  • Offers clean and user-friendly interface.
  • It helps you to run your CSS code with ease.
  • Supported Platforms: Mac.
  • Price: $99

Pros

  • Offers good searching functionality.
  • Allows you to access and edit files remotely.
  • This CSS software is easy to use for web designers.

Cons

  • It is a bit costly compared to other CSS editors.

Link: https://nova.app/

8) Jetbrains

Jetbrains is one of the best editors that enables you to write CSS code without any issue. This application can automatically complete keywords, tags, labels, functions, and parameters.

Jetbrains

Features:

  • It helps you to view changes in real-time.
  • You can define your own abbreviations in the templates.
  • This editor can detect invalid CSS properties.
  • You can customize the code breakpoints.
  • It provides good features for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Supported Platforms: Linux, Mac, Windows Server.
  • Price: $199.

Pros

  • It can autocomplete the code.
  • Provides commercial support for frameworks like react, node, angular, and more.
  • This CSS software offers a customizable GUI.

Cons

  • Occupies high memory in your computer.

Link: https://www.jetbrains.com/phpstorm/features/html_css_js_editor.html

9) Komodo Edit

Komodo Edit is an easy-to-use and powerful code editing tool. It allows you to do debugging, unit testing, code refactoring, etc. It also provides code profiles, plus integrations with other technologies like Grunt, PhoneGap, Docker, Vagrant, and many more.

Komodo Edit

Features:

  • It is a multi-language editor
  • Offers a lot of contemporary color schemes
  • Native Unicode support and compatibility checking
  • This visual CSS editor easily integrates into the desktop environment.
  • It can highlight the syntax.
  • Komodo CSS editor can automatically indent your code as you type.
  • You can track changes made in the CSS.
  • Enables you to perform multiple selections.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
  • Price: Free.

Pros

  • This visual CSS editor has built-in FTP.
  • It is open source.
  • Komodo editor has a built-in version control facility.
  • Offers tools to Collaborate with developers.

Cons

  • It runs slow during startup.

Link: https://www.activestate.com/products/komodo-ide/

10) Espresso

Espresso is a CSS editor that enables you to build a website faster with fewer efforts. It helps you to combine and expand abbreviations depending on custom snippets and tags.

Espresso

Features:

  • Enables you to view live preview.
  • You can customize the toolbar you like.
  • It supports a variety of web development languages, including CSS.
  • Supported Platforms: Mac.
  • Price: $99.

Pros

  • Helps you to effectively navigate code structure with styles, groups, and previews.
  • It has an intuitive user interface.
  • Enables you to quickly develop a website without any hassle.
  • The latest version of this CSS software enables you to quickly switch between documents.

Cons

  • Does not support the Windows operating system.

Link: https://www.espressoapp.com/

11) Editplus

Editplus is one of the best editors to write CSS without any hassle. This program can automatically complete the code you have written. It offers shortcuts that can be easily customized.

Editplus

Features:

  • This application can highlight syntax.
  • Allows you to customize the toolbar functions.
  • You can search and replace text easily.
  • This CSS software offers a spell checker.
  • You can collapse the code to see the details.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows.
  • Price: $35.

Pros

  • Enables you to customize the layout with ease.
  • This is a decent code editor that can be used for any programming language you like.
  • It is a simple and easy-to-use editor.

Cons

  • It lacks the support for plugins.

Link: https://www.editplus.com/feature.html

12) NoteTab

NoteTab is a good CSS code writing editor. For webmasters, it’s the fastest CSS editor. It is the most versatile text editor that offers improved syntax highlighting for CSS.

NoteTab

Features:

  • Offers searching with easy-to-use wildcards
  • It provides real-time word count checker
  • Syntax highlighting for CSS
  • Text statistics for SEO
  • Support for HTML5 and CSS3
  • New HTML/CSS libraries
  • This CSS software offers customizable toolbars and menu shortcuts.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac.
  • Price: $39.95.

Pros

  • Provides good chat support.
  • Offers documentation for beginners.
  • It has pre-built coding templates.

Cons

  • It has fewer web development features compared to other tools.

Link: https://www.notetab.com/html-editor

13) Skybound

Skybound is an editor that enables you to write error-free CSS code. It offers a modern and easy-to-use UI that helps you to increase productivity.

Skybound

Features:

  • Enables you to set dimensions by clicking and dragging your mouse.
  • It updates your webpage in real-time.
  • Offers customized toolbar.
  • You can change the appearance of a site as you type.
  • Supported Platforms: Windows and Mac.
  • Price: $79.

Pros

  • It can immediately display CSS changes in a web browser.
  • You can quickly resize CSS dimensions with ease.
  • This editor allows you to easily change colors in your style.

Cons

  • This CSS editor is costly.

Link: http://www.skybound.ca/

FAQ:

You can use an external stylesheet to separate your CSS from HTML. All your code is stored within a single file therefore, if you change it once, modifications are easily reflected on other pages that are linked to the stylesheet. It makes it very easy to maintain and load larger website pages quicker compared to HTML. So, it is preferable to use CSS not HTML for website appearance.

Below are some of the Best CSS Editor Software:

  • Dreamweaver
  • Visual studio
  • Notepad++
  • Atom
  • Rapid CSS
  • Sublime Text
  • Nova
  • Jetbrains
  • Komodo Edit

Below are the factors you should consider while choosing the right CSS Code Editor for your needs:

  • Multiple language support
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Autocomplete feature
  • In-built compiler
  • Built-in debugging
  • Drag and drop GUI features
  • Multiple OS support
  • Extra features offered

A WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor is a code editing software that allows developers to preview the end results before the actual interface is built. It helps developers to edit the content in a form that looks the same when it is displayed or printed. It also provides support for multi-view and multi-language.

Yes. You can use Notepad or any other text editor to write CSS. However, this is a simple editor therefore, it does not have any features like code completion, syntax highlighting, and user-friendly UI. This will become difficult to write code, so it is good that you use good CSS editors like Subline Text, Nova, Visual Studio, etc.

To combine HTML and CSS, you have to merge both code into one file. After this you need to paste CSS between style tags <style> </style>.

Here is the main difference between IDE and Text Editor:

IDE Text editor
IDE is a full-fledged application that contains basic developer tools needed to build and test a website. It is just a computer program used for editing text without any formatting.
IDEs require more disk space, memory, and processing power. Text editors require fewer computer hardware resources to run the program.
IDEs consolidate computer programs into a sing GUI. Text editor takes some input, processes it, and produces output.

Best HTML & CSS Code Editor Software (Free/Paid)

Tool Name Platform Browser Support Supported Languages Free Trial Link
Dreamweaver Windows, Android and iOS Firefox, Chrome, Edge, and Safari HTML, CSS, and JavaScript 7 Days Free Trial Learn More
Visual Studio macOS, Windows, Fedora, Ubuntu, Linux, Debian, RedHat. Internet Explorer,
Chrome and Firefox		 JavaScript, HTML, TypeScript, CSS Free Learn More
Notepad++ Windows IE, Safari Firefox, and Chrome C, C++, CSS, Java, HTML, PHP, ASP Free Learn More
Atom Linux, macOS, and Windows Firefox,
Safari, and Chrome		 HTML, CSS, JavaScript Free Learn More
Rapid CSS Windows Chrome, IE HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SASS, LESS PHP, Perl, XML, ASP Free Trial Learn More
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