Notepad++ original creator calls out recently released macOS fork as an unauthorized fake
We recently reported on the launch of what appeared to be a Notepad++ fork for macOS, after the app had been a Windows exclusive for more than two decades. However, original Notepad++ creator Don Ho has now publicly criticized the fork for unauthorized use of the Notepad++ trademark and branding. In a blog post, Ho stated that the macOS app is neither authorized, endorsed, nor affiliated with the official Windows version of Notepad++. He emphasized that Notepad++ has never released an official macOS version.
Ho said the fork’s website even used his name and biography to appear legitimate, which he described as misleading and disrespectful. The site presented itself as offering an official Mac release, which further contributed to the misconception. That's why we are now updating our coverage based on the original author’s statement and the comments many of you left on both the original news post and the fork’s app page.
Following the controversy, macOS port developer Andrey Letov said the app will be rebranded as Nextpad++, with a new logo and domain starting with version 1.0.6. The unofficial Mac port is expected to continue under separate branding, while Letov said continuity for existing users will remain a priority.
- Code Editor
- Free
- Open Source
Related news
External links
- Trademark Violation: Fake Notepad++ for MacNotepad++ News • Official source
- NotePad++ Creator Slams Mac Version As 'Disrespectful' Trademark ViolationPCMAG
- "Notepad++ for Mac" release is disavowed by the creator of the originalArs Technica
Comments
Thanks for the clarification post. It will be interesting how long this project survives - At least with the upstream contributors he had a very rough start to put it mildly. But now with the rebranding it is all fine I guess, might be a useful addition to the ecosystem (for people who are very used to NPP but are on Mac).
This sucker used AI to make a Mac port and gave himself fake endorsement all the while Notepad Next (a perfectly legitimate and not controversial fork of Notepad ++ btw) supports Mac! I've got no words. Yes, these are three projects with the same codebase that soon-to-be NextPad++ has just ripped off both their names, Notepad++ and NotpadNext. This surely won't cause any confusion or drama. foreshadowing intensifies
I saw the project on the day it was added to AlternativeTo, and it always said it was a port. However, it is a port that is completely assisted by AI, more precisely the AI agent Claude Code. You only need to check the commits on GitHub: https://github.com/nextpad-plus-plus/nextpad-plus-plus-macos/commits/main/?after=6a1b857c671a00078544c64d611698f8d74e533e+174.
I'm pretty sure the author cloned the repository and wrote the port for macOS in less than one month, which is certainly easier than doing it from scratch after more than 20 years of working with Windows. It's interesting that the main difference in terms of the percentage of languages is that the port uses more Objective-C than the original Notepad++; the rest is pretty similar.
Yes, we mentioned in the original article that it was a fork with its own website, but since the author itself has called them out for directly using the official name and even his own biography to mislead the public into thinking they were somehow official, I think it is important to bring it up, especially considering the heavy use of AI you mentioned