Leafpad Alternatives for Linux

There are many alternatives to Leafpad for Linux and since it's discontinued a lot of people are looking for a replacement. The best Linux alternative is Vim, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to Leafpad and loads of them are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to Leafpad are Zed Editor, Kate, Neovim and gedit.

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Alternatives list

  1. Vim icon

    Vim

     1354 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.

    218 Vim alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
    Vim screenshot 1
     
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    2
    Vim vs Leafpad Comments
    rescuezilla
    Negative
    1

    I love vim, but it has an extremely steep learning curve and is terminal-based. Leafpad is a grandma-friendly graphical application for viewing and editing plain text files (in other words notepad.exe for Linux).

    Guest
    Negative
    1

    Leafpad is GUI and very simple. Vim is a terminal based power tool. They are completely incomparable.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Vim is Free and Open SourceLeafpad is also Free and Open Source
    • Vim is CustomizableLeafpad is not according to our users
  2. Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     122 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.

    95 Zed Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zed Editor screenshot 1
     
  4. Kate icon

    Kate

     319 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.

    147 Kate alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1
     
  5. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     193 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.

    109 Neovim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Neovim screenshot 1
     
  6. gedit icon

    gedit

     696 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.

    194 gedit alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    The Default look under GNOME with Adwaita
     
  7. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     387 likes

    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:

    185 GNU Emacs alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    • Homebrew
    The GNU Emacs Manual calls Emacs the extensible, customizable, self-documenting real-time display editor
     
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    1
    GNU Emacs vs Leafpad Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Leafpad is a simple GUI editor anyone can use. Emacs is a great power tool but is overkill for anything Leafpad would be appropriate for.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • GNU Emacs is Free and Open SourceLeafpad is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU Emacs is Customizable and Privacy focusedLeafpad is not according to our users
  9. GNU nano icon

    GNU nano

     293 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.

    152 GNU nano alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    GNU nano screenshot 1
     
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    1
    GNU nano vs Leafpad Comments
    rescuezilla
    Negative
    1

    Nano is not a drop-in Leafpad replacement, but definitely suitable for users willing to use a terminal to view and edit plain text. It's lightweight and provides clear explanation on how to save/exit files. Nano is a great application for newbie Linux users to editing configuration files on headless machines like routers and server, since they don't need the advanced features and learning curve of Vim/vi.

    • GNU nano is Free and Open SourceLeafpad is also Free and Open Source
  10. Edit icon

    Edit

     19 likes

    Open-source command-line text editor for Windows with a modern interface inspired by MS-DOS Editor, featuring key bindings, lightweight build under 250KB, multi-file handling with ctrl + P, keyboard-optimized navigation, and direct file editing for developers.

    63 Edit alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Mac
    Edit screenshot 1
     
  11. Lite XL icon

    Lite XL

     55 likes

    Lite XL is a lightweight text editor written mostly in Lua — it aims to provide something practical, pretty, small and fast, implemented as simply as possible; easy to modify and extend, or to use without doing either.

    62 Lite XL alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Lite XL screenshot 1
     
  12. Helix icon

    Helix

     35 likes

    Helix is a fast text editor for the terminal inspired by modal editors like Kakoune and Neovim. Built as a native app using .

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Helix screenshot 1
     
  14. Athas icon

    Athas

     16 likes

    Lightweight, open-source code editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux featuring Vim keybindings, built-in Git support, agentic AI editing with multiple models, syntax highlighting, LSP for intelligent completion, fast performance, and efficient workflows.

    61 Athas alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Athas screenshot 1
     
12 of 61 Leafpad alternatives