Notepad++ Alternatives

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, Windows, Linux, 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 Mac + Free. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to 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.

More about Notepad++
More about Notepad++
Notepad++ alternatives page was last updated Feb 13, 2025
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  1. Neovim icon

    Neovim

     177 likes
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    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.

    95 Neovim alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Neovim screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Configurable
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Lua scripting
    3.  Terminal-based
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Asynchronous
    6.  Sane defaults
    7.  Ad-free
    8.  No registration required
    9.  Autocompletion
    10.  Code Formatting

    Neovim VS Notepad++

     
  2. GNU Emacs icon

    GNU Emacs

     378 likes
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    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:

    166 GNU Emacs alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

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

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Lightweight
    3.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Extensibility
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Org-mode
    4.  Self-documenting
    5.  Terminal-based
    6.  Syntax Highlighting
    7.  Support for scripting
    8.  Command line interface
    9.  No Tracking
    10.  Works Offline
    11.  Spell Checking
    12.  Ad-free

    GNU Emacs VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about GNU Emacs as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Most Recent Comment
    Guest
    Positive •Jan 29, 2017
    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 •May 13, 2020
    1

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

    Guest
    Negative •Jul 3, 2021
    -2

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

    Notepad++ Icon
    GNU Emacs icon

    • Most users think GNU Emacs is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • GNU Emacs is the most popular Android alternative to Notepad++.

    • GNU Emacs is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU Emacs is CustomizableNotepad++ is not according to our users
  4. GNU nano icon

    GNU nano

     287 likes
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    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.

    142 GNU nano alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Haiku
    GNU nano screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  Terminal-based
    3.  Search and Replace
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  Automatic Indentation

    GNU nano VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about GNU nano as an Alternative to Notepad++
    johnhk
    Positive •Jun 13, 2022
    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.

    Notepad++ Icon
    GNU nano icon

    • Most users think GNU nano is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • GNU nano is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • GNU nano is LightweightNotepad++ is not according to our users
  5. Ad
    Screenshot
    Rapid PHP icon
    Rapid PHP

    Rapid PHP is a robust PHP code editor specifically designed for Windows operating systems. It merges the functionalities of a comprehensive PHP Integrated Development Environment (IDE) with the agility of Notepad, thus offering a...

    https://www.rapidphpeditor.com
    Learn More
  6. Zed Editor icon

    Zed Editor

     66 likes
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    Zed is a blazing fast, multi-user, productivity-focused text editor. From the creators of Atom, Electron and Tree-sitter, the editor features built-in Vim mode with tooltips for key-bindings, language-aware...

    74 Zed Editor alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
    Zed Editor screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Optimal performance
    3.  Support for Themes
    4.  Distraction-free

    Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Autocompletion
    3.  Dark Mode
    4.  Built-in terminal emulation
    5.  Team Collaboration
    6.  Rust
    7.  Real time collaboration
    8.  No registration required
    9. Git icon  Git Support
    10.  Ad-free
    11.  Works Offline
    12.  Multiple Cursors

    Zed Editor VS Notepad++

     
  7. Pulsar Editor icon

    Pulsar Editor

     46 likes
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    A Community-led Hyper-Hackable Text Editor, built on Electron. and based on everything we love about our favorite editors.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Chrome OS
    • BSD
    • Electron / Atom Shell
    Welcome tab

    Properties

    1.  Customizable
    2.  Clean design
    3.  Support for Themes
    4.  Distraction-free
    5.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    2.  Community-based
    3.  Hackable
    4.  Works Offline
    5.  No registration required
    6.  Multiple languages
    7.  Add-ons
    8.  Tabbed interface
    9.  Ad-free
    10.  Support for MarkDown
    11.  Dark Mode
    12. Git icon  Git Support

    Pulsar Editor VS Notepad++

     
  8. Notepadqq icon

    Notepadqq

     43 likes
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    Notepadqq is designed from developers, for developers. With its more than 100 supported languages, it is the ideal text editor for your daily tasks.

    30 Notepadqq alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • International

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Notepadqq screenshot 1
    Discontinued

    From the GitHub repository: "This project is not actively maintained anymore. New maintainers are welcome."

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Dark Mode
    2.  Raw test editor
    3.  Simple text editor

    Notepadqq VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about Notepadqq as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Top Positive Comment
    Guest
    Mar 3, 2018
    4

    For those looking to replace Notepad++'s UI and functionality with a similar editor but on Linux, this is by far the most similar to Notepad++. The other alternatives are similar in the sense that they are code/text editors but not that they look abnd work the same.

    Most Recent Comment
    david12345
    Positive •Oct 17, 2024
    0

    It is the program most like Notepad++ For Linux

    Guest
    Positive •May 12, 2020
    0

    A lots of common functions with Notepad++, but slower...

    Show more comments
    3 of 5 comments
    Notepad++ Icon
    Notepadqq icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Notepadqq is a great Notepad++ alternative.

    • Notepadqq is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Notepadqq is LightweightNotepad++ is not according to our users
  10. Micro icon

    Micro

     77 likes
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    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.

    37 Micro alternatives

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • FreeBSD
    • OpenBSD
    Micro screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  User friendly
    2.  Intuitive Interface
    3.  Lightweight
    4.  Distraction-free
    5.  Support for Themes
    6.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Terminal-based
    2.  Extensible by Plugins/Extensions
    3.  Zero configuration
    4.  Syntax Highlighting
    5.  Works Offline
    6.  No registration required
    7.  Command line interface
    8.  Plugin system
    9.  Lua scripting
    10.  Support for Keyboard Shortcuts
    11.  Multiple Cursors
    12.  Color Palette

    Micro VS Notepad++

     
    Comments about Micro as an Alternative to Notepad++
    Guest
    Positive •Sep 29, 2021
    0

    it has alot more features in unix because it has a terminal attatched to it simple easy to use also hackable

    Notepad++ Icon
    Micro icon
    • Micro is Free and Open SourceNotepad++ is also Free and Open Source
    • Micro is LightweightNotepad++ is not according to our users
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