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 Windows, Linux, Mac, 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 Text Editors, but if you're looking for Code Editors or IDEs you can filter on that. Other popular filters include Android, Linux, Mac, Windows, Mac + Open Source, Windows + Free and iPad + Code Editor. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Notepad++.
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Alternatives list

  1. Sublime Text icon

    Sublime Text

     2073 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.

    219 Sublime Text alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Sublime Text screenshot 1
     
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    19
    Sublime Text vs Notepad++ Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Hexaae
    3

    Crazy pricing. June 2022: 99$/3yrs

    Top Negative Comment
    Nuncio Bitis
    0

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

    Afroz Syed
    Positive
    0

    I haven't used Sublime Text but I've use Notepad++ and found it to be really useful! Will definitely try Sublime Text now that I know it is an alternative.

    3 of 19 comments
    • Sublime Text is Freemium and ProprietaryNotepad++ is Free and Open Source
    • Sublime Text is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  2. Visual Studio Code icon

    Visual Studio Code

     1442 likes

    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.

    233 Visual Studio Code alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Chrome OS
    • Snapcraft
    Visual Studio Code screenshot 1
     
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    20
    Visual Studio Code vs Notepad++ Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    CeesT
    1

    Cross-platform, superior highlighting and plugins.

    Top Negative Comment
    redtrillix
    15

    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.

    TBayAreaPat
    Negative
    0

    Visual Studio Code has no quick save button on its toolbar.. pffft.

    3 of 20 comments
    • Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryNotepad++ is Free and Open Source
    • Visual Studio Code is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  4. Geany icon

    Geany

     583 likes

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

    170 Geany alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Snapcraft
    • Flathub
    • PortableApps.com
    • Flatpak
    • Haiku
    Geany screenshot 1
     
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    13
    Geany vs Notepad++ Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    10

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Stefan Monov
    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.

    victorkam26
    Positive
    1

    Simple, light and good replacement.

    3 of 13 comments
    • Geany is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Geany is Minimalistic and CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
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    HTMLPad icon
    HTMLPad

    HTML, CSS, JavaScript editor featuring AI-assisted code improvements, HTML validator, spell check, FTP access, snippet library, and multi-browser previews for effective web development.

    https://www.htmlpad.net
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  6. Kate icon

    Kate

     334 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.

    165 Kate alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • KDE Plasma
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    • Snapcraft
    Kate screenshot 1
     
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    5
    Kate vs Notepad++ Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    RR JJ
    9

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Max Fisher
    1

    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.

    avg-gaymer
    Positive
    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.

    3 of 5 comments
    • Kate is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
  8. Vim icon

    Vim

     1368 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.

    233 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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    10
    Vim vs Notepad++ Comments
    Top Positive Comment
    Marcin
    6

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

    Top Negative Comment
    Guest
    32

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

    Grmblfijx
    Positive
    0

    The comments about the console app is just not true anymore. gvim (which comes with vim) opens a window. Plus - what's wrong with the console?

    Vim always rocked. Learn the commands and get productive :-)

    3 of 10 comments
    • Vim is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Vim is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  9. VSCodium icon

    VSCodium

     442 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.

    221 VSCodium alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Electron
    • Snapcraft
    • Homebrew
    • Chocolatey
    VSCodium screenshot 1
     
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    3
    VSCodium vs Notepad++ Comments
    gregoryem
    Positive
    1

    "VS Codium does everything Notepad++ can", but unlike Notepad++, VSC is extremely heavy and bloated wannabe IDE instead od text editor.

    aaronfranke
    Positive
    3

    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
    5

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

    • VSCodium is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • VSCodium is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  10. gedit icon

    gedit

     700 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.

    210 gedit alternatives

    Cost / License

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Flathub
    • GNOME
    • OpenSolaris
    The Default look under GNOME with Adwaita
     
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    3
    gedit vs Notepad++ Comments
    rmpbklyn
    Negative
    6

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

    Guest
    Negative
    12

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

    Guest
    Negative
    4

    Some essential plugins missing especially around code formatting tools

    • gedit is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • gedit is a Text Editor Notepad++ is a Code Editor
    • gedit is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  11. Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     144 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.

    116 Zed Editor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zed Editor screenshot 1
     
  12. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     391 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:

    201 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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    3
    GNU Emacs vs Notepad++ Comments
    Guest
    Positive
    4

    Emacs is the be-all-end-all text editor. It takes a while to learn, but its code and text editing commands are extremely powerful. There's also a package manager for things like auto completion, automatic running, and more language support.

    Guest
    Negative
    2

    I don't want a fake psychologist nor to play tetris, I really just want a powerful IDE.

    Guest
    Negative
    -1

    Emacs is a security hazard and its usage implies a certain political opinion.

    • GNU Emacs is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU Emacs is a Text Editor Notepad++ is a Code Editor
    • GNU Emacs is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  13. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     203 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.

    120 Neovim alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chocolatey
    • Flathub
    • Snapcraft
    Neovim screenshot 1
     
  14. GNU nano icon

    GNU nano

     297 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.

    166 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 Notepad++ Comments
    johnhk
    Positive
    0

    It one of the better TerminalBased (CLI) editors. I from a WindowsOS enviroment, so I differentiate between CLI and GUI editors. But as a cli-text-editor its very windows-user-friendly.

    • GNU nano is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU nano is a Text Editor Notepad++ is a Code Editor
12 of 269 Notepad++ alternatives