Atom Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to Atom for Linux and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is Visual Studio Code, which is free. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Atom and loads of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Atom are Sublime Text, Vim, VSCodium and Geany.

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Atom alternatives are mainly Code Editors but may also be Text Editors or IDEs.  Other popular filters includes Linux + Open Source. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Atom.
Atom iconAtom
  1095
  • ...

Atom is an open-source, Electron based text editor with a massive ecosystem of plugins and themes that are easily accessible through a built-in package manager. Being built with Electron, it uses web...

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Atom alternatives page was last updated Apr 20, 2023
  1. Visual Studio Code icon
     1281 likes

    Visual Studio Code is a free and extensible code editor for building web, desktop, and mobile applications, using any programming language and framework.

    210 Visual Studio Code alternatives
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  IDE
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Syntax Highlighting
    6.  Code Completion
    7.  Multiple languages
    8.  Git Support
    9.  GitHub Integration
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Supports Python
    12.  C++
    13.  Source code debugging
    14.  Multiple Cursors
    15.  Graphical User Interface
    16.  Support for MarkDown
    17.  Auto Update
    18.  Plug-ins
    19.  Support for Node.js
    20.  Support for Javascript
    Visual Studio Code iconAtom Icon

    Visual Studio Code VS Atom

    Is Visual Studio Code a good alternative to Atom?
     
    Comments about Visual Studio Code as an Alternative to Atom
     
       
    David

    VS Code has arguably better defaults than Atom especially with the pre-configured minimap. Atom's themes use HTML/CSS so visuals are fully configurable but that also makes it a bit slower with drawing operations whereas VS Code draws everything fast, very noticeable with the minimap which reacts practically instantly to changes. VS Code also loads faster and just feels faster in general. Otherwise, both editors offer a massive list of great features and droves of extensions.

    Top positive commentNov 20, 2019
    1
    Dwayne Mitchell

    The best of the best, at least right now.

    Positive commentDec 17, 2022
    -3
    someone last

    Makes everything easier, faster.

    Positive commentJan 21, 2018
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 9 comments
    Atom Icon
    Visual Studio Code icon
    • Most users think Visual Studio Code is a great Atom alternative.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Atom.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular free alternative to Atom.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryAtom is Free Personal and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableAtom is not according to our users
  2. Sublime Text icon
     1999 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.

    198 Sublime Text alternatives
    Sublime Text screenshot 1

    License model

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Package Control
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  IDE
    5.  Multiple Cursors
    6.  Text editing
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Dark Mode
    9.  Simple text editor
    10.  Tabbed interface
    11.  Plugin manager
    12.  Git integration
    13.  Support for MarkDown
    14.  Distraction-free
    15.  Works Offline
    16.  Git Support
    17.  Plugin API
    18.  Configuration Management
    19.  Fullscreen support
    Sublime Text iconAtom Icon

    Sublime Text VS Atom

    Is Sublime Text a good alternative to Atom?
     
    Comments about Sublime Text as an Alternative to Atom
     
       
    Guest

    SublimeText is by far my most favorite editor in my 32 years of computing as it has multitude of features found no where else and is extendable with packages. Vertical Selection and Multi-caret editing is two of my most used features.

    Top positive commentApr 1, 2017
    4
    David Burns

    You wouldn't believe me if I told you the amount of plug-ins available for easy addition.

    Positive commentSep 27, 2019
    0
    Ivan Lopez

    It is very similar and easy to understand and use, this program is probably one of the best alternatives to Atom if you are using it for simple text editing and you are not very interested in modifying the program itself, even though both programs are really great, I prefer to use Atom when I'm on linux and Sublime Text when I'm on Windows.

    Positive commentJun 30, 2018
    1
    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Atom Icon
    Sublime Text icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Sublime Text is a great Atom alternative.

    • Sublime Text is the most popular commercial alternative to Atom.

    • Sublime Text is Paid and ProprietaryAtom is Free Personal and Open Source
    • Sublime Text is Lightweight and CustomizableAtom is not according to our users
  3. Vim icon
     1306 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.

    209 Vim alternatives
    Vim screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Keyboard focused
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Hackable
    4.  Well documented
    5.  Modal editor
    6.  Command line interface
    7.  Works Offline
    8.  Support for MarkDown
    9.  No registration required
    10.  Portable
    11.  Batch Editing
    12.  Terminal-based
    13.  Macro Recording
    14.  Built-in terminal emulation
    15.  Support for Large File
    16.  Dedication to home row
    Vim iconAtom Icon

    Vim VS Atom

    Is Vim a good alternative to Atom?
     
    Comments about Vim as an Alternative to Atom
     
       
    Guest

    Vim offers unlimited customization and consumes very less memory, it supports execution of commands from vim itself and with the right plugins works almost like an ide

    Positive commentMay 18, 2017
    11
    Guest

    While Vim is powerful, it’s not an easy replacement for a GUI-based text editor.

    Negative commentJul 2, 2018
    5
    Conner Vieira

    Vim is one of the most lightweight text editors on the planet. If you want to edit plain text or code, and you want to do it efficiently, Vim's keyboard-centric design is great.

    Positive commentJan 20, 2022
    0
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Atom Icon
    Vim icon
    • Most users think Vim is a great Atom alternative.

    • Vim is Free and Open SourceAtom is Free Personal and Open Source
    • Vim is Lightweight and CustomizableAtom is not according to our users
  4. VSCodium icon
     319 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.

    199 VSCodium alternatives
    VSCodium screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Prevent telemetry
    3.  IDE
    4.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  No registration required
    7.  MIT License
    8.  Autocompletion
    9.  Git integration
    10.  Dark Mode
    11.  Syntax Highlighting
    12.  Ad-free
    13.  Minimap
    14.  Color coding
    15.  Built-in terminal emulation
    16.  Support for MarkDown
    17.  Code navigation
    VSCodium iconAtom Icon

    VSCodium VS Atom

    Is VSCodium a good alternative to Atom?
     
    Comments about VSCodium as an Alternative to Atom
     
    Ernst Went

    Has all the famous features of Visual Studio Code but without tracking/telemetry. Updates are coming regularly. Recommendable!

    Positive commentDec 22, 2022
    2
    Sebastian

    its better Than most other IDE/Code Editors, even better than Visual studio code.

    Positive commentApr 20, 2023
    0
    Atom Icon
    VSCodium icon
    • Almost everyone thinks VSCodium is a great Atom alternative.

    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceAtom is Free Personal and Open Source
    • VSCodium is Customizable and Privacy focusedAtom is not according to our users
  5. Geany icon
     558 likes

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

    147 Geany alternatives
    Geany screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Minimalistic

    Features

    1.  Multiplatform
    2.  IDE
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Code navigation
    5.  Automatic Indentation
    6.  Shell integration
    7.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    8.  Debian package compatible
    9.  Support for LaTeX
    10.  Shortcut keys
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Distraction-free
    13.  Autocompletion
    14.  Code Formatting
    15.  Batch Editing
    16.  Hierarchical Structure
    17.  Support for Large File
    18.  Built-in terminal emulation
    Geany iconAtom Icon

    Geany VS Atom

    Is Geany a good alternative to Atom?
     
    Comments about Geany as an Alternative to Atom
     
    Guest

    Geany is easy, extremely fast, and reliable. Has a good console. Has good interaction with the shell. Is very customizable. Can be extended with lua. Has good selection of plugins. Snippets. Block editing. Code folding. Syntax highlighting. Tab completion. Everything works. File browser. Object browser. Configurable compilation and execution. Project managment. etc. Everuthing without bloating.

    Positive commentSep 9, 2019
    3
    Atom Icon
    Geany icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Geany is a great Atom alternative.

    • Geany is Free and Open SourceAtom is Free Personal and Open Source
    • Geany is Lightweight and MinimalisticAtom is not according to our users
  6. Kate icon
     288 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.

    142 Kate alternatives
    Kate screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Native application
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Themes
    4.  Editable text color schemes
    5.  Built-in terminal emulation
    6.  IDE
    7.  Tabbed interface
    8.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    9.  Git Support
    10.  Code Formatting
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Full-Text Search
    13.  Support for MarkDown
    14.  Support for regular expressions
    15.  Built-in themes
    Kate iconAtom Icon

    Kate VS Atom

    Is Kate a good alternative to Atom?
     
  7. Neovim icon
     166 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.

    100 Neovim alternatives
    Neovim screenshot 1

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Lua scripting
    3.  Terminal-based
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Asynchronous
    6.  Vim
    7.  Sane defaults
    8.  Distraction-free
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  No registration required
    11.  Autocompletion
    12.  Code Formatting
    Neovim iconAtom Icon

    Neovim VS Atom

    Is Neovim a good alternative to Atom?
     
    Comments about Neovim as an Alternative to Atom
     
    downshifter

    Lightweight, customisable, terminalbased, extensible to full IDE

    Positive commentFeb 3, 2023
    0
    Atom Icon
    Neovim icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Neovim is a great Atom alternative.

    • Neovim is Free and Open SourceAtom is Free Personal and Open Source
    • Neovim is LightweightAtom is not according to our users
7 of 98 Atom alternatives