GNU Emacs vs Textadept
GNU Emacs
gnu.orgTextadept
orbitalquark.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | GNU Emacs | Textadept |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Text Editors | 9.0 (#4) | 8.5 (#17) |
| Spec score · Editor Software | 8.7 (#4) | 8.0 (#18) |
| Column editing | Yes | Yes |
| Customization options | Users can customize it with Emacs Lisp code or a graphical interface. | Almost every aspect of the editor can be scripted, extended, and customized with Lua. |
| Extension support | Yes | Yes |
| Founded | 1990 | 2007 |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Large-file handling | Yes | Yes |
| License | GNU Emacs is free software distributed under conditions of the GNU General Public License. | Textadept is an open-source project released under the MIT License. |
| Macro recording | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-cursor editing | Yes | Yes |
| Support | Users can seek help through the help-gnu-emacs mailing list or gnu.emacs.help newsgroup, and report bugs with M-x report-emacs-bug. | The project provides a manual, Lua API documentation, issue tracker, discussions, wiki, and FAQ. |
| Supported platforms | GNU/Linux, BSDs, Haiku, Windows, macOS, and Android. | Windows,macOS,Linux,BSD |
Plans
In their own words
Textadept
Textadept is a free, open-source text editor for programmers, available with graphical and terminal interfaces. It supports more than 100 programming languages and includes multiple carets and selections, unlimited split views, configurable key bindings, nested snippets, column editing, and macro recording. Lua scripting can extend and customize nearly every aspect of the editor. Shell commands can be used to run code, build projects, and execute tests; optional modules add language debuggers, file comparison, source formatting, an LSP client, scratch buffers, and spell checking. The project says Textadept does not connect to the internet. Pre-built binaries are self-contained and require no installation, and source code is available under the MIT License. Requirements vary: Linux GUI use needs Qt 5 or GTK 3, while the terminal version needs ncurses. Pre-built macOS binaries are for Apple Silicon only. The project provides a manual, Lua API documentation, issue tracker, discussions, wiki, and FAQ.