Nova AlternativesCode & Text Editors like Nova

Nova is described as 'The beautiful, fast, flexible, native Mac code editor from Panic' and is a Code Editor in the development category. There are more than 100 alternatives to Nova for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Mac, Linux, Web-based and iPad apps. The best Nova alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Nova are Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text, VSCodium and Vim.

More about Nova

Nova alternatives page was last updated May 20, 2025

Notepad++
4926 likes
Notepad++ is a free, open-source code editor supporting several languages, offering features like syntax highlighting, plugin support, dark mode, portability, privacy, and efficient resource usage, making it highly customizable and suitable for various programming needs.
248 Notepad++ alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
Code Editor
Text Editor
Origin
France
EU
Platforms
Windows
PortableApps.com
+9
Is Notepad++ a good alternative to Nova?
Notepad++ is the most popular Windows alternative to Nova.
Notepad++ is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Nova.
Notepad++ is Free and Open SourceNova is Paid and Proprietary
Notepad++ is Privacy focusedNova is not according to our users
Visual Studio Code
1376 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.
202 Visual Studio Code alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Proprietary (MIT)
Application types
Code Editor
IDE
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Online
Chrome OS
Snapcraft
+2
Is Visual Studio Code a good alternative to Nova?
Visual Studio Code is the most popular Web-based, Mac & Linux alternative to Nova.
Visual Studio Code is Free and ProprietaryNova is Paid and Proprietary
Visual Studio Code is CustomizableNova is not according to our users
Sublime Text
2043 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.
192 Sublime Text alternatives
Cost / License
Freemium (Pay once)
Proprietary
Application types
Code Editor
Text Editor
Origin
Australia
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Flathub
Flatpak
Snapcraft
+2
Is Sublime Text a good alternative to Nova?
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VSCodium
402 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.
196 VSCodium alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application types
Code Editor
IDE
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Flathub
Electron
Snapcraft
Homebrew
Chocolatey
Is VSCodium a good alternative to Nova?
Vim
1343 likes
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.
214 Vim alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application types
Code Editor
Text Editor
Origin
Netherlands
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Haiku
AmigaOS
OpenSolaris
MorphOS
Flathub
Flatpak
Snapcraft
Is Vim a good alternative to Nova?
Eclipse
1147 likes
Eclipse is an extensible development platform with runtimes and application frameworks for building, deploying and managing software across the entire software lifecycle. Many people know Eclipse as a Java IDE, but it is much more than that- Eclipse actually consists of over 60...
147 Eclipse alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
IDE
Code Editor
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
Is Eclipse a good alternative to Nova?
Kate
312 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.
144 Kate alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-2.0)
Application types
Code Editor
Text Editor
Origin
Germany
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
BSD
KDE Plasma
Flathub
Flatpak
Snapcraft
Is Kate a good alternative to Nova?
Edit
19 likes
Open-source command-line text editor for Windows with a modern interface inspired by MS-DOS Editor, featuring key bindings, lightweight build under 250KB, multi-file handling with ctrl + P, keyboard-optimized navigation, and direct file editing for developers.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application types
Text Editor
Code Editor
Origin
United States
Platforms
Windows
Linux
Is Edit a good alternative to Nova?
Notepad3
63 likes
Notepad3 is a fast and light-weight text editor with syntax highlighting for programming jobs. Auto-completion, Multi-language, Dark mode more.
211 Notepad3 alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Application types
Text Editor
Code Editor
Origin
South Africa
Platforms
Windows
+1
Is Notepad3 a good alternative to Nova?
PhpStorm
258 likes
Enjoy productive PHP and web development with PhpStorm. Take advantage of deep code understanding, top-notch coding assistance, and support for all major tools and frameworks.
42 PhpStorm alternatives
Cost / License
Subscription
Proprietary
Application types
IDE
Code Editor
Origin
Czechia
EU
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
+3
Is PhpStorm a good alternative to Nova?
PhpStorm is the most popular commercial alternative to Nova.
PhpStorm is Paid and ProprietaryNova is also Paid and Proprietary
Adobe Dreamweaver
329 likes
Advanced web authoring tool supports designing and coding tasks from a visual perspective and backs it up with robust coding. Offers live preview, customizable templates, endless design options, and tools like drag-and-drop visual design capabilities, FTP/SFTP transfer, and supports multiple monitors.
92 Adobe Dreamweaver alternatives
Cost / License
Subscription
Proprietary
Application types
Website Builder
Code Editor
Origin
United States
Platforms
Mac
Windows
+1
Is Adobe Dreamweaver a good alternative to Nova?
TextMate
270 likes
TextMate brings Apple's approach to operating systems into the world of text editors. By bridging UNIX underpinnings and GUI, TextMate cherry-picks the best of both worlds to the benefit of expert scripters and novice users alike.
163 TextMate alternatives
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (GPL-3.0)
Application types
Code Editor
Text Editor
Origin
United Kingdom
Alerts
Discontinued
Platforms
Mac
Is TextMate a good alternative to Nova?