GNU Emacs AlternativesTop Text & Code Editors like GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is described as 'Extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core n interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:' and is a very popular Code Editor in the development category. There are more than 100 alternatives to GNU Emacs for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD and Flathub apps. The best GNU Emacs alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like GNU Emacs are Obsidian, Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text and VSCodium.

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Alternatives list

  1. Notepad++ icon

    Notepad++

     4926 likes

    Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor supporting several languages, offering features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, dark mode, portability, privacy, and efficient resource usage, making it highly customizable and suitable for various programming needs.

    248 Notepad++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad++ screenshot 1
     
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    1
    8
    Comments about Notepad++ as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Many possibilities for all languages and the plugins are great.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    GNU Emacs Icon
    Notepad++ icon

    • Most users think Notepad++ is a great GNU Emacs alternative.

    • Notepad++ is the most popular Windows alternative to GNU Emacs.

    • Notepad++ is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to GNU Emacs.

    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  2. Obsidian icon

    Obsidian

     1087 likes

    Privacy-oriented note-taking app for non-linear thinking, blending knowledge graph creation with wiki-style linking. Supports Markdown, end-to-end encryption, and plugins for customization. Offers distraction-free mode, tags, themes, syntax highlighting, and operates offline without tracking.

    168 Obsidian alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Safari
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Obsidian screenshot 1
     
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    1
    Comments about Obsidian as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    yetanotherqubick
    Negative
    0

    Not even close to Emacs. Also Electron-based and proprietary

    GNU Emacs Icon
    Obsidian icon

    • Obsidian is the most popular Android, Mac, iPhone, Linux, iPad & Android Tablet alternative to GNU Emacs.

    • Obsidian is Freemium and ProprietaryGNU Emacs is Free and Open Source
  4. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1374 likes

    Free and extensible code editor with built-in Git support, smart IntelliSense, integrated debugger, 30,000+ extensions, works offline, supports markdown and syntax highlighting for numerous languages.

    203 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Snapcraft
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1
     

    • Most users think Visual Studio Code is a great GNU Emacs alternative.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based alternative to GNU Emacs.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryGNU Emacs is Free and Open Source
  5. Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

     2043 likes

    Powerful editor blending code, markup, and prose editing with enhanced features like multi-tab selection, side-by-side definition viewing, and multiple selection tools for swift code navigation.

    192 Sublime Text alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Pay once)
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Sublime Text screenshot 1
     
  6. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     401 likes

    This repository contains a build file to generate FLOSS release binaries of Microsoft's Visual Studio Code - Open Source ("Code - OSS") project, the open source core of the proprietary Visual Studio Code.

    196 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    VSCodium screenshot 1
     
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    1
    7
    Comments about VSCodium as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    ThomasSankara
    Positive
    0

    It is also a FOSS development program; however, emacs is far lighter, so depending on what you are looking for, VSCodium might not be the best alternative.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    GNU Emacs Icon
    VSCodium icon

    • Almost everyone thinks VSCodium is a great GNU Emacs alternative.

    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  7. Vim icon

    Vim

     1343 likes

    Vim ("Vi IMproved") is an advanced text editor that allows syntax highlighting, word completion and has a huge amount of contributed content. It also has a GUI version called GVim.

    214 Vim alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Vim screenshot 1
     
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    3
    14
    Comments about Vim as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    TheBlueRuby
    Positive
    1

    More lightweight, preinstalled on most Linux distros and follows the Unix philosophy

    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Vim is nowhere near as extensible as Emacs. Vim is designed to do 1 thing and do 1 thing well. In comparison, Emacs is supposed to do everything.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    ThomasSankara
    Positive
    -2

    Vim is the best overall alternative to emacs in my opinion because they share a lightweight and keyboard-focused development experience. However, it is not nearly as extensible as VSCodium, for example.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    GNU Emacs Icon
    Vim icon

    • Most users think Vim is a great GNU Emacs alternative.

    • Vim is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  9. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1147 likes

    Eclipse is an extensible development platform with runtimes and application frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the entire software lifecycle. Many people know Eclipse as a Java IDE, but it is much more than that- Eclipse actually consists of over 60...

    147 Eclipse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10
     
  10. Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     106 likes

    Blazing fast code editor offering real-time multi-user collaboration, language-aware syntax highlighting, integrated terminal, multi-buffers for tab-free editing, built-in Vim mode, searchable outline, AI coding assistance, advanced keyboard commands, and cross-platform support.

    87 Zed Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zed Editor screenshot 1
     
  11. Kate icon

    Kate

     312 likes

    The Kate project develops two main products: KatePart, the advanced editor component which is used in numerous KDE applications requiring a text editing component, and Kate, a MDI text editor application.

    144 Kate alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1
     
  12. Geany icon

    Geany

     575 likes

    Geany is a powerful, stable and lightweight programmer's text editor that provides tons of useful features without bogging down your workflow.

    152 Geany alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    • Haiku
    Geany screenshot 1
     
  13. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     186 likes

    Refactored version of Vim, simplifying maintenance, improving developer contributions, and enabling new user interfaces. Features extensible plugin architecture, lightweight resource usage, syntax highlighting, no registration, ad-free, and distraction-free mode.

    106 Neovim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Neovim screenshot 1
     
  14. gedit icon

    gedit

     694 likes

    Official text editor of the GNOME desktop environment. Has syntax highlighting and is suitable for programming, with support for several languages. It is extensible with plugins.

    192 gedit alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    • Flathub
    The Default look under GNOME with Adwaita
     
12 of 180 GNU Emacs alternatives