Notepad++ Alternatives

One of the most popular alternatives to Notepad++ is Visual Studio Code, which is free. Other popular alternatives are Sublime Text, VSCodium, Vim and Zed. Text Editors like Notepad++ are a crowded field, with more than 100 alternatives for Windows, Mac, Linux, the web and Android.

filter to find the best alternatives

Most Notepad++ alternatives are Text Editors, but you can also narrow the list to Code Editors or IDEs. Other popular filters are Android, Linux, iPad, Windows and Mac.
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Alternatives
Notepad++ alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. VSCodroid icon
     1 like

    VS Code ported to Android — a full IDE on-the-go for developers.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Since

    • New

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    Good alternative?
     
  2. Arachnophilia icon
     2 likes

    Arachnophilia is a Web page development workshop and general programming tool.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2011

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Java Mobile
    Good alternative?
     
  3. Code Writer icon
     2 likes

    Code Writer is a free text and code editor app for the Windows platform, downloadable from the Windows Store. Use it as a replacement for Notepad and other quick edit apps.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2018

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  4. TED Notepad icon
     17 likes

    Replace notepad with free Unicode notepad replacement, rich in innovative features, text-processing functions, tools and hot-keys.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2012

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  5. Thunderpad icon
     10 likes

    Thunderpad (formerly Textpad) is a simple, general-purpose and cross-platform text editor written in C++ using the Qt libraries. Thunderpad aims to be faster and more lightweight than most text editors, but as useful as them.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2015

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  6. Scribes icon
     24 likes

    A text editor for GNOME that combines simplicity with power.

    Scribes focuses on streamlining your workflow. It does so by ensuring common and repetitive operations are intelligently automated. And also by eliminating factors that prevent you from focusing on your tasks.

    The res.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  7. skEdit icon
     2 likes

    Simple, Flexible, Powerful Text Editor for the Web. Handles most common features you want; code completion, saved snippets, subversion support, remote connections, extensible language support, browser preview and much more.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2009

    Platforms

    • Mac
    Good alternative?
     
  8. A lightweight, distraction-free notepad with instant access, no registration or ads, auto-saves notes locally, supports manual export, and works seamlessly on modern browsers and mobile devices while prioritizing privacy with a clean interface and dark mode.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2025

    Platforms

    • Online
    Good alternative?
     
  9. TotalEdit icon
     2 likes

    TotalEdit is a powerful notepad replacement and text editor. Packed full of features to help everyone from office workers, journalists through to programmers and web site editors.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2010

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  10. TeraPad icon
     1 like

    TeraPad is very light-weight text editor which supports styling for css html js and other major languages.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2011

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Scribe icon
     1 like

    Vim-flavoured modal editor with the parts a writer actually needs and a few features vim never had. Single static binary, sub-10 ms startup, soft-wrap by default, Claude Code in the editor, syntax highlighting, hunspell spellcheck, Goyo-style reading mode, persistent registers...

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Since

    • Since 2026

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Rust
    Good alternative?
     
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