Open Source GNU Emacs Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to GNU Emacs for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best open source Windows alternative is Notepad++. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to GNU Emacs and loads of them are open source and available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting open source Windows alternatives to GNU Emacs are VSCodium, Vim, Zed Editor and Eclipse.

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Alternatives list

  1. Notepad++ icon
     4982 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.

    269 Notepad++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
     
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    1
    Notepad++ vs GNU Emacs Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Many possibilities for all languages and the plugins are great.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  2. VSCodium icon
     441 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.

    219 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
     
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    1
    VSCodium vs GNU Emacs Comments
    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.
    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  3. Vim icon
     1364 likes

    Advanced text editor with syntax highlighting, word completion, multiple editing modes for efficiency, plugin and script extensibility, GUI and command-line operation, a thorough help system, and cross-platform support across various operating systems.

    232 Vim alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
     
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    3
    Vim vs GNU Emacs Comments
    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.
    • Vim is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  4. Zed Editor icon
     140 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.

    115 Zed Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  5. Eclipse icon
     1155 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...

    149 Eclipse alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  6. Kate icon
     330 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.

    164 Kate alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
     
  7. Neovim icon
     201 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.

    120 Neovim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
     
  8. Geany icon
     580 likes

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

    170 Geany alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    • Haiku
     
  9. gedit icon
     699 likes

    Extensible text editor with UTF-8 support, syntax highlighting for several programming and markup languages, remote editing, file reverting, print preview, clipboard operations, powerful search, customizable fonts and colors, line numbering, and plugin support.

    208 gedit alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
     
  10. GNU nano icon
     297 likes

    GNU nano is a small and friendly text editor. Besides basic text editing, nano offers many extra features like an interactive search and replace, go to line and column number, auto-indentation, feature toggles, internationalization support, and filename tab completion.

    165 GNU nano alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
     
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    1
    GNU nano vs GNU Emacs Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    GNU nano is a simple text editor from the terminal, GNU emacs is meant to be much larger than a text editor.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • GNU nano is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
  11. Micro icon
     89 likes

    Micro is a terminal-based text editor that aims to be easy to use and intuitive, while also taking advantage of the full capabilities of modern terminals.

    56 Micro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenBSD
     
12 of 84 GNU Emacs alternatives