Tech riderRev. 4 Oct 2026
Bluefish
- 1Runs onLinux, Mac, Windows
- 2CostsFree plan
- 3Supported platformsWindows, Mac, Linux
- 4Extension supportYes
- 5Remote developmentYes
- 6Editor typedesktop
6 lines stated Written from the maker's own pages: bluefish.sourceforge.io

Overview
Bluefish is ranked #23 of 44 in code editors on Specifiction. It runs on Linux, macOS, Windows. There is a free plan.
Bluefish plans and pricing
All plansCompared on code editors
- Free plan
- Yesbluefish.sourceforge.io
- Supported platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linuxbluefish.sourceforge.io
- Extension support
- Yesbluefish.sourceforge.io
- Remote development
- Yesbluefish.sourceforge.io
- Editor type
- desktopbluefish.sourceforge.io
Facts
- Purpose
- Bluefish is a lightweight editor for programmers and web developers to write websites, scripts, and programming code.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- License
- Bluefish is an open source project released under the GNU GPL license.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Languages
- Bluefish supports more than 30 markup and programming languages.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Documents
- Its multiple document interface can open 1,000 or more documents; the features page says more than 10,000 were tested simultaneously.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Projects
- Project support restores settings for each project automatically.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Remote files
- Using gvfs, Bluefish supports remote files over FTP, SFTP, HTTP, HTTPS, WebDAV, CIFS, and other protocols.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Editing tools
- Features include regular expression search and replace, code folding, auto-completion, and auto-tag-closing.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- External tools
- Users can integrate external programs such as make, lint, weblint, xmllint, tidy, and javac, or run custom programs and scripts.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Platforms
- The project says Bluefish runs on Linux, Mac OS X, Windows, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD; installers are listed for Linux distributions, macOS, and 64-bit Windows.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Flatpak limitation
- The Flatpak build's strict security blocks integration with system tools such as make, pylint, weblint, and the web browser, while internal functionality works as expected.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- Community and support are volunteer-run through a mailing list and bug tracker; the project says commercial support can be requested by contacting its project manager.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- Security
- The project page describes the Flatpak build's strict security restrictions but does not state a security certification or compliance standard.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
- History
- The project history says Bluefish was started by Olivier Sessink, Chris Mazuc, and Neil Millar in 1998.bluefish.sourceforge.io · 4 Oct 2026
Company
- Founded
- 1998bluefish.sourceforge.io · 28 Sept 2026
Best Bluefish alternatives
See all 20 All accessCh 01 Zed Free planFree trialLinux from $10/mo9.1 All accessCh 02 Visual Studio Code Free planLinuxMac Free to start9.0 All accessCh 03 Neovim Free planAndroidAPI Free to start9.0 All accessCh 04 VSCodium Free planLinuxMac Free to start8.7 All accessCh 05 EmEditor Free trialWindows from $0.42/mo8.4 All accessCh 06 Kate Free planLinuxMac Free to start8.3
Where it ranks on Specifiction
- Best Code Editors in 2026#23 of 44
- Best PHP IDEs in 2026#14 of 23
Is Bluefish yours?
Claim it for free: prove the domain, then correct facts, plans and screenshots. An editor reviews every change.
Sources
- bluefish.sourceforge.io· checked 4 Oct 2026
- bluefish.sourceforge.io/features.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
- bluefish.sourceforge.io/install.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
- bluefish.sourceforge.io/community.html· checked 4 Oct 2026
- bluefish.sourceforge.io/news.html· checked 4 Oct 2026




