Documents & Writing
Best Text Editors in 2026
Text editors cover different kinds of writing and editing, from focused changes to work that calls for customization or automation. Compared on column editing, multi-cursor editing, macro recording, extension support, and large-file handling, these entries also show supported platforms, free-plan availability, and paid starting prices.
- 01 Neovim
Neovim suits Vim users who want to retain its editing model while extending it with Lua plugins, RPC, and a documented API.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux · Android9.1 Visit Specs - 02
Zed Zed suits developers seeking a code editor with Git operations, extension support, and remote development.
From $10/mo Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux9.1 Visit Specs - 03
Visual Studio Code It suits developers who want an editor with built-in coding tools, broad language support, and optional AI agent workflows.
Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux9.0 Visit Specs - 04 GNU Emacs Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux · Android9.0 Visit Specs
- 05
EmEditor EmEditor suits Windows users who edit text or code, work with large files, or need CSV tools and scripted macros.
From $5/mo Free plan Windows9.0 Visit Specs - 06
Calmly Writer It suits writers who want offline editing and tools such as writing targets, document tabs and multiple export formats.
Free plan Web · Windows · macOS · Linux9.0 Visit Specs - 07 Sublime Text
It suits developers and writers who need a cross-platform editor with navigation, multi-cursor work, package extensions, and large-file handling.
Free trial Windows · macOS · Linux8.8 Visit Specs - 08
Lapce Lapce suits developers looking for a cross-platform editor with remote development, modal editing, and plugin support.
Free plan Open source Windows · macOS · Linux · Browser extension8.8 Visit Specs - 09 Geany
Geany suits developers who want a free desktop IDE across Linux, macOS, or Windows.
Free plan Open source Windows · macOS · Linux8.7 Visit Specs - 10 Bluefish
Bluefish suits programmers and web developers who want a free desktop editor on Linux, macOS, or Windows.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.7 Visit Specs - 11 BBEdit
BBEdit suits writers, web authors, and developers who work on macOS and want text, code, and HTML authoring tools.
From $59.99/mo Free plan macOS8.6 Visit Specs - 12
UltraEdit From $7.91/mo Windows · macOS · Linux8.6 Visit Specs - 13 Microsoft Editor
Editor suits people who want spelling and grammar help in a browser or within Word and Outlook, with guidance across multiple languages.
From $0.83/mo Free trial Web · Windows · macOS · Browser extension8.6 Visit Specs - 14
Kate Kate suits people who want a free text editor across Linux, macOS or Windows, including programmers who need language-aware editing, search tools and plugins.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.5 Visit Specs - 15 Vim
Vim suits people editing code, email, or configuration files who are willing to learn its editing approach.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.5 Visit Specs - 16
SciTE SciTE suits people who want a free editor for programming tasks with simple configurations.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.5 Visit Specs - 17 Textadept
Textadept suits programmers who want a scriptable editor with both graphical and terminal interfaces.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.5 Visit Specs - 18 Micro
Micro suits people who want a terminal editor, including those who edit files over SSH.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.5 Visit Specs - 19 jEdit
jEdit suits programmers who want a free editor with broad language highlighting, configurable controls, and plugin-based additions.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.4 Visit Specs - 20
KWrite KWrite suits people seeking a free editor for Linux, Windows, or macOS, including users who want syntax highlighting, multi-cursor or column editing, and Vi input mode.
Free plan Windows · macOS · Linux8.4 Visit Specs - 21 SlickEdit From $125/mo Free trial Windows · macOS · Linux8.4 Visit Specs
- 22 TextMate Free plan macOS8.4 Visit Specs
- 23
EditPad Pro Free trial Windows · Linux8.4 Visit Specs - 24
Altova XMLSpy Free trial Windows · macOS · Linux8.4 Visit Specs - 25
Notepad++ Notepad++ suits people editing programming or natural-language text on Windows who want plugin support and editing features such as macros and multi-cursor work.
Free plan Windows8.3 Visit Specs
Consider which editing capabilities matter in your routine, and whether platform support and cost fit your setup. Neovim, Zed, and Visual Studio Code are among the named options to weigh. The listed criteria make it easier to compare practical features without assuming every editor serves the same purpose.