EmEditor vs KWrite

EmEditor is a Windows text editor for text and code, including files up to 16 TB or 1,099 billion lines. It supports multi-cursor and column editing, macro recording, Unicode and UTF-8, plus plug-ins and connections to external tools such as compilers, browsers, and HTMLTidy. CSV features include sorting, pivot tables, joins, and frozen headers. A free edition is available, and the 7-day Professional trial becomes Free automatically without charging automatically. The listed Professional subscriptions cost $6 a month or $5 a month billed annually, with the annual plan billed at 60 USD first year. Professional purchases include a 90-day full refund guarantee. Current supported platforms listed are Windows 10, Windows 11, and Windows Server 2019 or later; legacy support includes Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2. Home or school personal users may install it on up to five computers, while organizations need a license for each computer where it is installed or accessible.

KWrite is a free text editor from KDE, built on Kate’s editor component. It runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS. The editor highlights syntax according to file type and includes word completion, automatic indentation, plugin support, and Vi input mode. Multi-cursor editing, column editing, and extension support are listed. Linux users can install it through Discover or another AppStream store, a distribution package manager, or Flathub. Nightly installers include a Linux AppImage and Windows and macOS builds for ARM and Intel. The project lists KWrite under the LGPL-2.1+ license. The latest listed release is version 26.08.2, dated 2026-10-08. Nightly builds come from the latest development branch and are intended for testing. KDE provides a handbook, forum, and #kate channel on Libera.Chat, plus bug-reporting and source links. Its privacy policy generally limits transfers from end-user devices to explicit user actions, though distributors may modify the software.