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 Text Editor in the development category. There are more than 100 alternatives to GNU Emacs for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Linux, Windows, BSD and Flathub apps. The best GNU Emacs alternative is Obsidian, which is free. Other great apps like GNU Emacs are Notepad++, Visual Studio Code, VSCodium and Sublime Text.

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GNU Emacs alternatives are mainly Text Editors, but if you're looking for Code Editors or IDEs you can filter on that. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to GNU Emacs.
GNU Emacs iconGNU Emacs
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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...

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GNU Emacs alternatives page was last updated Aug 14, 2024
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  1. Obsidian icon

    Obsidian

     981 likes
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    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.

    108 Obsidian alternatives

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • Android Tablet
    • iPad
    • Snapcraft
    • Microsoft Edge
    • Google Chrome
    • Flathub
    • Safari
    • Mozilla Firefox
    Obsidian screenshot 1

    Top Obsidian Features

    1.  Support for MarkDown
    2.  Local Storage
    3.  Works Offline
    4.  Graph view
    5.  Bidirectional links
    6.  Mind Mapping
    7.  No registration required
    8.  Personal Information Manager (PIM)
    9.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    10.  Knowledge Management
    11.  Dark Mode
    12.  Backlink

    Obsidian VS GNU Emacs

     
    Comments about Obsidian as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    yetanotherqubick
    Negative •Aug 14, 2024
    0

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

    GNU Emacs Icon
    Obsidian icon

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

    • Obsidian is the most popular free alternative to GNU Emacs.

    • Obsidian is Freemium and ProprietaryGNU Emacs is Free and Open Source
  2. Notepad++ icon

    Notepad++

     4870 likes
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    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.

    228 Notepad++ alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • FR flagFrance
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Notepad++ screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Code Formatting
    2.  Portable
    3.  Tabbed interface
    4.  Search and Replace
    5.  Text formatting
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Multiple Open Tabs
    8.  Multiple languages
    9.  Color coding
    10.  Support for Javascript
    11.  Built-in themes
    12.  Auto-saving

    Notepad++ VS GNU Emacs

     
    Comments about Notepad++ as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    Guest
    Positive •May 12, 2017
    0

    Many possibilities for all languages and the plugins are great.

    GNU Emacs Icon
    Notepad++ icon

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

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

    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceGNU Emacs is also Free and Open Source
    • Notepad++ is LightweightGNU Emacs is not according to our users
  4. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1317 likes
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    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.

    201 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

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

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Support for Themes

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  Built-in terminal emulation
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Code Completion
    6.  Multiple languages
    7. Git icon  Git Support
    8. GitHub icon  GitHub Integration
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  Supports Python
    11.  Multiple Cursors
    12.  C++

    Visual Studio Code VS GNU Emacs

     

    • 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
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableGNU Emacs is not according to our users
  5. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     349 likes
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    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.

    192 VSCodium alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    VSCodium screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Support for Themes
    4.  Lightweight
    5.  Clean design

    Features

    1.  No Tracking
    2.  Prevent telemetry
    3.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Autocompletion
    7.  Dark Mode
    8. Git icon  Git integration
    9.  Syntax Highlighting
    10.  MIT License
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Minimap

    VSCodium VS GNU Emacs

     
    Comments about VSCodium as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    ThomasSankara
    Positive •Nov 29, 2023
    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.

    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
    • VSCodium is Customizable and Privacy focusedGNU Emacs is not according to our users
  6. Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

     2020 likes
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    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

    License model

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Sublime Text screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable
    3.  Clean design
    4.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Package Control
    3.  Syntax Highlighting
    4.  Text editing
    5.  Multiple Cursors
    6.  Dark Mode
    7.  No Tracking
    8.  Simple text editor
    9.  Tabbed interface
    10.  Support for MarkDown
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  No registration required

    Sublime Text VS GNU Emacs

     
  7. Vim icon

    Vim

     1317 likes
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    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.

    206 Vim alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Vim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Keyboard focused
    3.  Customizable
    4.  Configurable

    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

    Vim VS GNU Emacs

     
    Comments about Vim as an Alternative to GNU Emacs
    Most Recent Comment
    TheBlueRuby
    Positive •Aug 27, 2023
    1

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

    Guest
    Negative •Jul 27, 2021
    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.

    ThomasSankara
    Positive •Nov 29, 2023
    -1

    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.

    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
    • Vim is Lightweight and CustomizableGNU Emacs is not according to our users
  9. Eclipse icon

    Eclipse

     1143 likes
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    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

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    eclipse on windows 10

    Top Eclipse Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Java IDE
    3.  C++
    4.  Refactoring
    5.  Autocompletion
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Portable
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Code Formatting
    10.  Batch Editing
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Spell Checking

    Eclipse VS GNU Emacs

     
  10. Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     66 likes
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    Zed is a blazing fast, multi-user, productivity-focused text editor. From the creators of Atom, Electron and Tree-sitter, the editor features built-in Vim mode with tooltips for key-bindings, language-aware...

    75 Zed Editor alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zed Editor screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Optimal performance
    3.  Support for Themes
    4.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Team Collaboration
    6.  Rust
    7.  Real time collaboration
    8.  No registration required
    9. Git icon  Git Support
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Multiple Cursors

    Zed Editor VS GNU Emacs

     
  11. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     177 likes
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    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.

    96 Neovim alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Neovim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

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

    Neovim VS GNU Emacs

     
  12. Geany icon

    Geany

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

    146 Geany alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    Geany screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Support for Themes
    3.  Minimalistic
    4.  Customizable
    5.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Multiplatform
    2.  Syntax Highlighting
    3.  Code navigation
    4.  Automatic Indentation
    5.  Shell integration
    6.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    7.  Ad-free
    8. LaTeX icon  Support for LaTeX
    9.  Hierarchical Structure
    10.  Live Preview
    11.  Debian package compatible
    12.  Shortcut keys

    Geany VS GNU Emacs

     
10 of 167 GNU Emacs alternatives