GNU nano Alternatives for Windows

There are many alternatives to GNU nano for Windows if you are looking for a replacement. The best Windows alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 100 alternatives to GNU nano and loads of them are available for Windows so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Windows alternatives to GNU nano are Sublime Text, VSCodium, Vim and Zed Editor.

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Alternatives list

  1. Notepad++ icon
     4937 likes

    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.

    250 Notepad++ alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
     
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    1
    Notepad++ vs GNU nano Comments
    SecurityChecker
    Negative
    9

    Notepad++ is a GUI text editor not a command line Text editor.

    • Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceGNU nano is also Free and Open Source
    • Notepad++ is Privacy focusedGNU nano is not according to our users
  2. Sublime Text icon
     2050 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.

    196 Sublime Text alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
     
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    1
    Sublime Text vs GNU nano Comments
    Guest
    Negative
    0

    Sublime Text is not a command line text editor.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Sublime Text is Freemium and ProprietaryGNU nano is Free and Open Source
    • Sublime Text is CustomizableGNU nano is not according to our users
  3. VSCodium icon
     412 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.

    200 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
     
  4. Vim icon
     1349 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.

    216 Vim alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Haiku
    • Flatpak
    • AmigaOS
    • OpenSolaris
    • MorphOS
     
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    1
    Vim vs GNU nano Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    1

    Even better editing/navigating experience, good memory footprint and minimal startup time.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    • Vim is Free and Open SourceGNU nano is also Free and Open Source
    • Vim is CustomizableGNU nano is not according to our users
  5. Zed Editor icon
     117 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.

    92 Zed Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  6. Kate icon
     315 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.

    146 Kate alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
     
  7. Geany icon
     578 likes

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

    156 Geany alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    • Haiku
     
  8. Neovim icon
     188 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.

    108 Neovim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
     
  9. gedit icon
     695 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
     
  10. GNU Emacs icon
     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:

    183 GNU Emacs alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • F-Droid
    • Haiku
    • Debian
    • MacPorts
    • Homebrew
     
  11. Micro icon
     83 likes

    Micro is a terminal-based text editor that aims to be easy to use and intuitive, while also taking advantage of the full capabilities of modern terminals.

    46 Micro alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenBSD
     
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    2
    Micro vs GNU nano Comments
    surehand53
    Positive
    4
    • beginner friendly
    • uses very sane keymap defaults (Ctrl-x, Ctrl-c, Ctrl-v)
    • short cut cheat sheet
    • excellent help build in
    • very capable text editor
    helgeph
    Positive
    0

    As simple as nano but more modern with syntax highlighting, modifiable keybindings, integrated help, etc.

    • Micro is Free and Open SourceGNU nano is also Free and Open Source
    • Micro is Privacy focused and CustomizableGNU nano is not according to our users
  12. Edit icon
     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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Linux
     
12 of 101 GNU nano alternatives