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Atom Alternatives for Mac

There are many alternatives to Atom for Mac and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best Mac 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 Mac so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Mac alternatives to Atom are Sublime Text, Vim, VSCodium and Kate.

Atom alternatives are mainly Text Editors but may also be Code Editors or IDEs. Filter by these if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Atom.
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  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • Chrome OS
  • BSD
  • Electron / Atom Shell

Atom is an open-source, Electron based text editor with a massive ecosystem of plugins and themes...

Learn more about Atom
  1. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    187 alternatives to Visual Studio Code 

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

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsVisual Studio Code can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    2.  AutocompletionVisual Studio Code can predict and complete the rest of a word or phrase you're typing.
    3.  Syntax HighlightingVisual Studio Code supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    4.  Git SupportVisual Studio Code supports Git, a free and open source distributed version control system.
    5.  Support for ThemesYou can use themes and templates to change the look and feel of Visual Studio Code.
    6.  Dark ModeVisual Studio Code supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
    7.  Support for MarkDownVisual Studio Code supports MarkDown for document formatting.
    8.  No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in Visual Studio Code without registration.
    9.  Code FormattingVisual Studio Code supports code formatting for multiple languages and code styles.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Visual Studio Code vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Visual Studio Code is a great alternative to Atom.
     all • positive • negative      relevance • date
    Guest

    Much faster, highly active development phase, more and more add-ons are added to the marketplace, open source, and cross-platform.

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    Guest

    Seems faster than Atom, less resource-hungry. Also using it as the default text editor on macOS.

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    6
    dmitch

    The best of the best, at least right now.

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    -1
    Ugotsta

    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.

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    1
    someonelast

    Makes everything easier, faster.

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    dantex47

    Much much faster, much better IntelliSense/context-aware suggestions. Even supports debugging.

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    hum4n01d

    Faster, still customizable, more basic things such as terminal built in

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    7 of 9 comments
  2. Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    188 alternatives to Sublime Text 

    Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features.

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  LightweightSublime Text consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsSublime Text can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    3.  Syntax HighlightingSublime Text supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    4.  Dark ModeSublime Text supports dark mode for comfortable usage in low light conditions.
    5.  Distraction-freeSublime Text has a distraction-free mode for when you need to focus.
    6.  PortableSublime Text can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
    7.  AutocompletionSublime Text can predict and complete the rest of a word or phrase you're typing.
    Edit side by side in widescreen
    Multiple Selections
    Find and replace with regular expressions
    Sublime Text vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Sublime Text is a great 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.

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    Guest

    Sublime text is powerful such as adding "anaconda" package makes it a full functional IDE, also it supports lots of important languages like java, javascript, C#, ruby, perl to name a few. The only draw back about it is it's not free but work to buy.

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    1
    xmwx38

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

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    Ivann

    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.

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    Guest

    Because Sublime it's almost the same but paid. It only have minor differences on the packages you can install (some are better in Sublime, some are better in Atom).

    Positive comment• ago
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    0
  4. Vim icon

    Vim

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    • Mac
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    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    192 alternatives to Vim 

    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.

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  LightweightVim consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsVim can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    3.  Syntax HighlightingVim supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    4.  Support for MarkDownVim supports MarkDown for document formatting.
    5.  Command line interfaceVim either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
    6.  Spell CheckingVim can detect and correct all types of grammar and spelling mistakes.
    7.  Batch EditingVim allows you to select multiple items (tasks, files, images etc) and edit their properties all at once.
    Screenshot
    GVim with netrw+airlines+ctrlspace+xkb-switch+monokai theme+Source Pro font
    Plugin Gitgutter shows added lines as '+' and altere as '~'.
    Vim vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Vim is a great 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 comment• ago
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    Guest

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

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    6
    cvieira

    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.

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    0
    Guest

    Vim is a command-line tool, which differs a lot from a GUI app like Atom, Notepad++ or Sublime Text.

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    -19
  5. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Electron / Atom Shell
    • Code - OSS (vscode)
    177 alternatives to VSCodium 

    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.

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  No TrackingVSCodium will not track you or use your personal data.
    2.  Privacy focusedVSCodium is considered a privacy friendly alternative.
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsVSCodium can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    4.  Works OfflineVSCodium can be used without the need to connect to the internet.
    5.  No registration requiredYou can use most of the features in VSCodium without registration.
    6.  AutocompletionVSCodium can predict and complete the rest of a word or phrase you're typing.
    7.  LightweightVSCodium consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    8.  Syntax HighlightingVSCodium supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    9.  Support for MarkDownVSCodium supports MarkDown for document formatting.
    Screenshot
    VSCodium vs Atom opinions
    pros, cons and recent comments
    norderik

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

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    1
  6. Kate icon

    Kate

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE
    127 alternatives to Kate 

    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.

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  Syntax HighlightingKate supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    2.  Code FormattingKate supports code formatting for multiple languages and code styles.
    3.  Support for MarkDownKate supports MarkDown for document formatting.
    4.  LightweightKate consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Kate vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Kate is a great alternative to Atom.
  8. Geany icon

    Geany

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • PortableApps.com
    • Xfce
    133 alternatives to Geany 

    Geany is a small and lightweight Integrated Development Environment. It was developed to provide a small and fast IDE, which has only a few dependencies from other packages. Another goal was to be as independent as possible from a special Desktop Environment like KDE or GNOME -...

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  LightweightGeany consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    2.  Support for ThemesYou can use themes and templates to change the look and feel of Geany.
    3.  Syntax HighlightingGeany supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    4.  Ad-freeGeany doesn't contain any form of external advertising.
    5.  Distraction-freeGeany has a distraction-free mode for when you need to focus.
    6.  Spell CheckingGeany can detect and correct all types of grammar and spelling mistakes.
    7.  PortableGeany can be used from a USB stick or similar with no prior installation.
    Geany 1.34
    Nice UI with themes and good integration with Ubuntu
    Main screen
    Geany vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Geany is a great 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.

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    3
  9. gedit icon

    gedit

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    168 alternatives to gedit 

    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.

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    Features
    1.  Lightweightgedit consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    2.  Syntax Highlightinggedit supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensionsgedit can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    4.  Spell Checkinggedit can detect and correct all types of grammar and spelling mistakes.
    5.  Autocompletiongedit can predict and complete the rest of a word or phrase you're typing.
    The Default look under GNOME with Adwaita
    Screenshot
    gedit vs Atom opinions
    Most users think gedit is a great alternative to Atom.
  10. GNU nano icon

    GNU nano

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    131 alternatives to GNU nano 

    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.

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    Features
    1.  Command line interfaceGNU nano either have CLI support or is a CLI-only app.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Color syntax
    GNU nano vs Atom opinions
    Most users think GNU nano is a great alternative to Atom.
    sondrak

    Easiest CLI-based text editor for newbies

    Positive comment• ago
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    Guest

    nano is a great editor when you are in CLI, however, of course, it does not use GUI or has GUI.

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    1
  11. Neovim icon

    Neovim

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    82 alternatives to Neovim 

    Neovim is Vim out of the box.

     Suggest and vote on features
    Features
    1.  LightweightNeovim consumes less device resources compared to similar apps.
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsNeovim can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    3.  Syntax HighlightingNeovim supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    Neovim vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks Neovim is a great alternative to Atom.
    downshifter

    Lightweight, customisable, terminalbased, extensible to full IDE

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  12. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

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    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • Homebrew
    158 alternatives to GNU Emacs 

    GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:

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    Features
    1.  Extensible by Plugins/ExtensionsGNU Emacs can be extended with add-ons, plugins and extensions.
    2.  Syntax HighlightingGNU Emacs supports syntax highlighting for various programming and markup languages.
    3.  Support for scriptingGNU Emacs supports scripts and macros to automate or customize tasks.
    Emacs can compare two files and highlight their differences (M-x ediff)
    Screenshot
    Screenshot
    GNU Emacs vs Atom opinions
    Almost everyone thinks GNU Emacs is a great alternative to Atom.
    cycroenerugi

    Its more than just a text editor, its an list interpreter and an shell. Good for computer setups without mouse

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Showing 10 of 100 alternatives
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