9 BEST Notepad++ Alternatives (2025)

Notepad++ is an open source code editor written in C++. It supports various programming languages running under the Microsoft Windows environment.

It supports syntax highlighting for languages like PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. But it has a few drawbacks.

Here is a curated list of Top Code Editor alternatives that can replace Notepad++. This list includes commercial (paid) as well as open-source (free) code editors (IDE) with popular features and the latest download link.

Notepad++ Alternative for Windows, Mac, Linux

Name	Platform	Link
👍 Dreamweaver	Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS	Learn More
👍 Zoho Creator	Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS	Learn More
Emacs	Mac, Windows, Linux	Learn More
NetBeans	Mac, Windows, Linux	Learn More
jEdit	Mac, Windows, Linux	Learn More

1) Dreamweaver

I found Dreamweaver to be a good Notepad++ alternatives Tool during my evaluation. Here are the reasons why

Features:

• Starter Templates: Dreamweaver offers a variety of starter templates that I can customise to quickly build HTML emails, About pages, blogs, e-commerce pages, newsletters, and portfolios.
• Creative Cloud Integration: As part of Adobe Creative Cloud, Dreamweaver integrates seamlessly with other Adobe products. I can easily bring assets from my Creative Cloud Libraries and Adobe Stock to enhance my websites.
• Responsive Design: Dreamweaver provides tools for designing and developing responsive websites that work across different screen sizes and devices. I liked using live previews and real-time edits.
• Code Editor: Dreamweaver includes a powerful code editor that supports HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more. It offers code hints, syntax highlighting, and code introspection for quick and accurate coding.
• Real-Time Browser Preview: I can preview my websites in real time in multiple browsers and devices simultaneously.

Visit Dreamweaver >>

7-Days Free Trial

---

2) Emacs

Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It is one of the best Notepad++ alternatives that allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.

Price: Free

Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux

Features:

• This alternative to Notepad++ provides 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/

---

3) 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. This code editor is better than Notepad++ and it allows you to upgrade your applications to use new Java 8 language constructs.

Price: Free

Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux

Features:

• Easy & Efficient Project Management
• This Notepad++ alternative offers fast & Smart Code Editing
• Rapid User Interface Development
• Helps you to write bug-free code

Download link: https://netbeans.org

---

4) 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.

Price: Free

Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux

Features:

• Built-in macro language & extensible plugin architecture
• This Notepad++ alternative for Mac 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

Download link: http://www.jedit.org/

---

5) 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:

• This Notepad++ alternative Linux 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

---

6) 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: https://macromates.com/

---

7) 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: Mac, Windows, 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/

---

8) Light Table

Light Table is an IDE and text editor tool for software development. 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/

---

9) Brackets

Brackets is a lightweight tool developed by Adobe. It is an open source text editor which is free to download. It allows you to a toggle between your source code and the browser view.

Price: Free

Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux

Features:

• Quick Edit UIfeature puts context-specific code and tools inline
• This Notepad++ alternative for Windows 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/

---

10) 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

Platform: Mac, Windows, Linux

Features:

• This Notepad plus plus alternative 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

How to choose the right Code Editor Tool for your needs?

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

• Multiple Language Support
• Syntax Highlighting
• Autocomplete
• In-built compiler
• Built-in Debugging
• Drag and Drop GUI features
• Multiple OS support
• Extra Features offered
• Ease of using

FAQ

Notepad++ Alternative for Windows, Mac, Linux

Name	Platform	Link
👍 Dreamweaver	Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS	Learn More
👍 Zoho Creator	Android and iOS	Learn More
Emacs	Mac, Windows, Linux	Learn More
NetBeans	Mac, Windows, Linux	Learn More
jEdit	Mac, Windows, Linux	Learn More