Windows Notepad Alternatives

Windows Notepad is described as 'Fast, lightweight editor bundled with Windows since 1985. Supports plain text, UTF-8, Linux newline, over 100 languages, with improved features' and is a very popular Text Editor in the os & utilities category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Windows Notepad for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD and Web-based apps. The best Windows Notepad alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Windows Notepad are Sublime Text, Vim, Kate and gedit.

filter to find the best alternatives

Windows 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 Open Source, Windows + Free, Text Editors, Windows, Linux and Windows + Lightweight. You can also filter by region, for example EU-based alternatives if you prefer software developed in the European Union. These are just examples - use the filter bar below to find more specific alternatives to Windows Notepad.
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Windows Notepad alternatives page was last updated

Alternatives list

  1. BowPad icon
     10 likes
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    BowPad is a small and fast text editor with a ribbon user interface and syntax highlighting.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  2. Plain Text icon
     2 likes
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    Simple text editor, and text utils (powered by AI).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Online
    • Web Browser
    • WebApps
     
  3. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    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.

    82 Online Notepad alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  4. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    DocPad is a superior alternative to Notepad. Although it fills the same role, plain text editing, it has many advantages.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  5. TextPad icon
     58 likes
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    TextPad is designed to provide the power and functionality to satisfy the most demanding text editing requirements. It can edit files up to the limits of virtual memory, and it will work with the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, Server 2003 and 2008.

    125 TextPad alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  6. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Basic Notepad is a plain and simple text editor. You can use this wonderful too to process your plain text documents easy without any text formatting.

    Cost / License

    • Pay once
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  7. NoteTab icon
     22 likes
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    NoteTab is a leading text editor, popular Windows Notepad replacement, and powerful code-based HTML editor for Windows.

    Cost / License

    • Freemium
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  8. NFOPad icon
     21 likes
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    NFOPad is a small, fast and flexible combined text editor and nfo viewer. It is a clone of Microsoft's Notepad but much more customizable and with some additional features. NFOPad fully supports Unicode as well as nfo files with ASCII art.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
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    1
    Comments about NFOPad as an Alternative to Windows Notepad
    Guest
    Positive
    0

    Looks the same and just as fast.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    Windows Notepad Icon
    NFOPad icon
    • NFOPad is Free and ProprietaryWindows Notepad is also Free and Proprietary
  9. Thunderpad icon
     10 likes
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    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

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application types

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  10. FoldingText icon
     8 likes
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    FoldingText makes you productive in easily formatted plain text. Turn your ideas into plans. Your to-dos into results. Your writing into clear, focused documents.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
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