The Best Notepad++ AlternativesTop Code & Text Editors like Notepad++

Notepad++ is described as 'Free open-source code editor and Notepad replacement supporting multiple languages, featuring high speed, low resource usage, privacy focus, and plugin extensibility' and is a leading Code Editor in the development category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Notepad++ for a variety of platforms, including Mac, Linux, Windows, BSD and Flathub apps. The best Notepad++ alternative is Sublime Text, which is free. Other great apps like Notepad++ are Visual Studio Code, Geany, Kate and Vim.

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Notepad++ alternatives are mainly Code Editors but may also be Text Editors or IDEs.  Other popular filters includes Mac + Free. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Notepad++.
Notepad++ iconNotepad++
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Free open-source code editor and Notepad replacement supporting multiple languages, featuring high speed, low resource usage, privacy focus, and plugin extensibility.

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Notepad++ alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2025
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Alternatives
  1. Sublime Text icon
     2018 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.

    194 Sublime Text alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • AU flagAustralia

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    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 Notepad++

     
    Comments about Sublime Text as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Comment summary: Opinions on Sublime Text and Notepad++ vary. Sublime Text is praised for its UI, speed, and usability, with many users appreciating its coding features and availability across platforms. However, some criticize its memory usage and costs. Notepad++ is favored for its ease of use, particularly with FTP and search functionalities. Both are efficient, but users note different strengths: Sublime’s interface versus Notepad++’s utility features.
    Top Positive Comment
    914ian914
    Feb 21, 2018
    3

    It has all the features I need without having to install more than a few extensions.

    Top Negative Comment
    Nuncio Bitis
    Jan 27, 2022
    -1

    Sublime Text is too slow, big, and heavy, and a memory hog.

    Most Recent Comment
    Hexaae
    Positive Jun 12, 2022
    2

    Crazy pricing. June 2022: 99$/3yrs

    Show more comments
    3 of 19 comments
    Notepad++ Icon
    Sublime Text icon
    • Most users think Sublime Text is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • Sublime Text is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Notepad++.

    • Sublime Text is the most popular free alternative to Notepad++.

    • Sublime Text is Freemium and ProprietaryNotepad++ is Free and Open Source
    • Sublime Text is Lightweight and CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  2. Visual Studio Code icon
     1313 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.

    205 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    License model

    • FreeProprietary

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS

    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 Notepad++

     
    Comments about Visual Studio Code as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Comment summary: Visual Studio Code is praised for being feature-rich, extensible, and cross-platform, with strong plugins and themes, suitable for comprehensive coding tasks. However, it is criticized for being heavy and complex, lacking in simplicity for quick edits, where Notepad++ excels. While it offers great developer tools and a powerful development environment, its size and reliance on the Electron framework are seen as drawbacks for simpler tasks.
    Top Positive Comment
    CeesT
    Jan 9, 2019
    2

    Cross-platform, superior highlighting and plugins.

    Top Negative Comment
    redtrillix
    Jun 30, 2021
    12

    Its quite a big application, and if you wanna just edit a config file or text document, you dont want a big, slower application running.

    Its a good coding app for projects and stuff, but not if you want to make a simple edit.

    Most Recent Comment
    aaronfranke
    Positive Jul 9, 2021
    -1

    Visual Studio Code can do everything Notepad++ does but better. It has more features, is very extensible and customizable, has a great dark default theme, is cross-platform, and is fairly lightweight.

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    3 of 18 comments
    Notepad++ Icon
    Visual Studio Code icon
    • Most users think Visual Studio Code is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based alternative to Notepad++.

    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryNotepad++ is Free and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  3. Geany icon
     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.

    148 Geany alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

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

    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 Notepad++

     
    Comments about Geany as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Comment summary: Geany is praised as a worthy cross-platform alternative to Notepad++, often highlighted for its lightweight, fast performance, and customization options. It offers IDE-like features beneficial to programmers, and its open-source nature with GPL licensing is seen as an advantage. While many users enjoy its sleek UI and find it similar to Notepad++, some express concerns about missing functionalities, like file drag-and-drop and shortcut limitations compared to Notepad++.
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Jan 19, 2020
    10

    Virtually the same features and on top of it it's cross platform and open source.

    Top Negative Comment
    Stefan Monov
    Dec 27, 2021
    0

    Breaks some of my basic workflows. E.g. can't drop files onto the Geany window (to open them), can't use F3 for "find next"... OTOH the UI is nice and sleek.

    Most Recent Comment
    AntumDeluge
    Positive Aug 19, 2022
    1

    So far Geany is the best cross-platform alternative to Notepad++ I have tried. Its UI isn't hard to figure out & has a similar feel.

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    3 of 12 comments
    Notepad++ Icon
    Geany icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Geany is a great Notepad++ alternative.

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

    • Geany is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Geany is Lightweight, Minimalistic and Privacy focusedNotepad++ is not according to our users
  4. Kate icon
     294 likes
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    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.

    139 Kate alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

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

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

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

    Kate VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about Kate as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Top Positive Comment
    RR JJ
    May 29, 2017
    9

    Great syntax highlighting, and good plugin support. Fast and easy to use.

    Top Negative Comment
    Max Fisher
    Sep 5, 2024
    0

    Kate doesn't have as robustness as Notepad++ has. And feature wise it hasn't got "cache" thing when you want to close a tab and the editor shouldn't be asking whether save it or not.

    Most Recent Comment
    avg-gaymer
    Positive Jan 13, 2025
    0

    although it certainly isnt a 1:1 replacement, kate has provided the closest "notepad++ for linux" experience for me - a text editor that can be just a text editor, but with some nice extra features if you want them.

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    3 of 5 comments
    Notepad++ Icon
    Kate icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Kate is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • Kate is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Kate is LightweightNotepad++ is not according to our users
  5. Vim icon
     1315 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.

    209 Vim alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • NL flagNetherlands
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

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

    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 Notepad++

     
    Comments about Vim as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Top Positive Comment
    Marcin
    Mar 3, 2018
    7

    Serves same purpose, similar features, different approach, multiplatform, ubiquitous.

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    Mar 23, 2015
    28

    Vim is a console app and require to know its commands to use it, while Notepad++ is UI driven, anyone can use it.

    Most Recent Comment
    Xandros Darkstorm
    Negative Nov 19, 2021
    1

    Notepad++ is a gui application, while vim is strictly for terminals.

    Show more comments
    3 of 9 comments
    Notepad++ Icon
    Vim icon
    • Most users think Vim is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • Vim is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Vim is Lightweight and CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  6. VSCodium icon
     341 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.

    195 VSCodium alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron

    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.  MIT License
    8.  Dark Mode
    9. Git icon  Git integration
    10.  Syntax Highlighting
    11.  Ad-free
    12.  Minimap

    VSCodium VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about VSCodium as an Alternative to Notepad++
    aaronfranke
    Positive Jul 9, 2021
    4

    VS Codium does everything Notepad++ can do but better. It has more features, is more extensible/customizable, is fairly lightweight, and is cross-platform.

    Guest
    Positive Sep 8, 2020
    5

    The power of Visual Studio without all the tracking of Microsoft in a simple and intuitive layout

    Notepad++ Icon
    VSCodium icon
    • Almost everyone thinks VSCodium is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • VSCodium is Customizable and Privacy focusedNotepad++ is not according to our users
  7. gedit icon
     687 likes
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    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.

    185 gedit alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    • Flathub

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Privacy focused
    3.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  No Tracking
    4.  Autocompletion
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  Spell Checking
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  Support for Unicode

    gedit VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about gedit as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Most Recent Comment
    rmpbklyn
    Negative Sep 20, 2015
    6

    no sorting and don't reconize regular expression when 'replace' or search

    Guest
    Negative Jul 4, 2016
    12

    Gedit can't fold code, can't make ident lines, and the ident is strange!

    Guest
    Negative Mar 21, 2017
    4

    Some essential plugins missing especially around code formatting tools

    Notepad++ Icon
    gedit icon
    • Most users think gedit is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • gedit is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • gedit is Lightweight and Privacy focusedNotepad++ is not according to our users
7 of 229 Notepad++ alternatives