BBEdit vs TextMate
BBEdit
barebones.comTextMate
macromates.comSide by side
| Figure | BBEdit | TextMate |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $59.99/mo | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 5 | 5 |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 8.7 (#3) | 7.9 (#23) |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 8.6 (#11) | 8.4 (#22) |
| Spec score · Code editors | 8.4 (#13) | 8.0 (#27) |
| Column editing | Yes | Yes |
| Company | Bare Bones Software, Inc. is a privately held corporation based in North Chelmsford, Massachusetts. | The site's copyright identifies MacroMates Ltd.; reseller information lists its address in Limassol, Cyprus. |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, USA | Limassol, Cyprus |
| Large-file handling | Yes | No |
| Support | Technical support is available by email or contact form; the company says it does not offer telephone or on-site support. | The maker lists email support, a mailing list, and an IRC channel for interactive support or general discussion. |
| Supported platforms | macOS | macos |
| Version control | The licensed feature set includes integrated support for Git and Subversion. | TextMate shows changed files and lines, provides diffs, and supports committing a subset of changes for major version control systems. |
Plans
BBEdit
- Free ModeFree
- BBEdit license$59.99 a month
- Mac App Store subscriptionPrice not published
- BBEdit Free ModeFree
- BBEdit 16 Individual$59.99, paid once
TextMate
- TextMate 2Free
- Site license — 100 seatsPrice not published
- Site license — 30 seatsPrice not published
- Site license — 50 seatsPrice not published
- Site license — unlimited seatsPrice not published
In their own words
BBEdit
BBEdit is a text and HTML editor for writers, web authors, and software developers using macOS. Its tools include grep pattern matching, multi-file search and replace, syntax coloring, function navigation, code folding, and text completion. For web authoring, it provides HTML markup tools, standards-based syntax checking, and live previews of HTML and Markdown documents. A license adds Git and Subversion support, and licensed users can create in-app worksheets to converse with ChatGPT, Claude, and Ollama. Workflow options include AppleScript, macOS Unix scripting, Automator, Xcode as an external editor, and the Language Server Protocol. BBEdit can open and save text files on FTP and SFTP servers. Free Mode continues after the 30-day evaluation period, though some advanced features require a paid license. The listed BBEdit 16 Individual plan costs $59.99 as a one-time purchase. BBEdit 16 requires macOS 14.0 or later and supports Intel and Apple silicon Macs; Bare Bones says there are no Windows or Linux versions.