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Best Editor Software in 2026

Editor software lets you create and revise code or other text on desktop, web, mobile and API setups. This list is for people choosing a tool on a budget.

  1. 1

    Geany

    Free plan Open source LinuxMacWindows

    Geany offers a compact set of editing and terminal features, with plugin support and packages for its listed platforms. Developers who rely on multi-cursor editing should note that it is not included.

    8.9 Free plan Visit site
  2. 2

    Lapce

    Free plan Open source ExtensionLinuxMac+1

    Lapce combines code intelligence, remote development, and extension support in a free editor. The listed version is 0.4.2.

    8.9 Free plan Visit site
  3. 3

    Bluefish

    by Bluefish
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Bluefish offers a broad set of editing and project tools across desktop platforms at no cost. Users relying on external system tools should account for the official Flatpak’s integration restriction.

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  4. 4

    Cursor

    Free plan APIiPhoneLinux+3

    Cursor offers coding-agent workflows from a free entry plan through paid individual, team, and enterprise options.

    7.5 Free plan · paid from $20/user/mo Visit site
  5. 5

    CudaText

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    CudaText offers a wide set of editing and plugin options at no charge. Check the stated platform requirements if you plan to use Linux Qt builds or Python plugins.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  6. 6

    GNU Emacs

    by GNU Emacs
    Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+1
    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  7. 7

    GNU nano

    by GNU nano
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Choose GNU nano for a free editor with Pico compatibility, multi-file buffers, configurable settings, and regular-expression search.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  8. 8

    Lite XL

    Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+2

    Choose Lite XL if you want a free, lightweight editor with built-in project navigation and the option to customize it with Lua and plugins.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  9. 9

    BBEdit

    by BBEdit
    Free plan Mac

    BBEdit combines text editing, web authoring and development tools, with a continuing free mode and a paid license for advanced features.

    7.2 Free plan · 30-day trial Visit site
  10. 10

    jEdit

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    jEdit offers broad editing and customization features at no cost. Check the Java requirement and likely startup impact of a large plugin set before adopting it.

    7.2 Free plan Visit site
  11. 11

    Neovim

    Free plan AndroidAPILinux+3

    Neovim pairs Vim-style editing with a documented API, plugin options, and built-in language-server features.

    7.2 Free plan Visit site
  12. 12

    CotEditor

    Free plan Mac

    CotEditor offers a broad set of text-editing tools at no cost, including language highlighting, scripting and encoding controls.

    7.1 Free plan Visit site
  13. 13

    Micro

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Micro offers terminal editing with multiple cursors, plugins, language-server support, and broad configuration options.

    7.1 Free plan Visit site
  14. 14

    Kakoune

    Free plan LinuxMac

    Kakoune offers extensive selection-based editing and customization at no listed cost. Its steep learning curve is an important consideration for new users.

    7.0 Free plan Visit site
  15. 15

    Pulsar

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Pulsar combines configurable editing, package support, language server features, and Git tools in a free desktop editor. Check the platform requirements, and note the unsigned Windows downloads.

    7.0 Open source Visit site
  16. 16

    Visual Studio Code

    Free plan LinuxMacWeb+1

    VS Code offers a broad editor toolkit and optional agent workflows across desktop and web. Consider the web environment’s limits and extension permissions when deciding how to use it.

    7.0 Free plan Visit site
  17. 17

    Helix

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Choose Helix if you want a free terminal editor with multi-selection commands, syntax-aware navigation, and built-in language server support.

    6.9 Free plan Visit site
  18. 18

    Textadept

    by Textadept
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Textadept combines broad editing features with Lua-based customization and command-line tools. Check its platform requirements first, particularly for Linux and macOS.

    6.9 Free plan Visit site
  19. 19

    Notepad++

    by Notepad++
    Free plan Windows
    6.8 Free plan Visit site
  20. 20

    RJ TextEd

    Free plan LinuxWindows

    RJ TextEd pairs general code editing with a range of web-development and navigation tools. It is free for commercial use, though Linux support is described as possible through Wine rather than native.

    6.8 Free plan Visit site
  21. 21

    Textastic

    by Textastic
    Free plan iPhoneMac

    Textastic combines broad syntax support with remote file and terminal connections on iOS. Check the platform differences and separate Mac purchase before choosing a plan.

    6.8 Free plan · 7-day trial Visit site
  22. 22

    Vim

    by Vim
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Vim offers extensive editing and extension capabilities across Linux, macOS, and Windows, with no listed charge.

    6.8 Free plan Visit site
  23. 23

    VSCodium

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    VSCodium provides a free desktop editor distribution with telemetry disabled and support for extensions, debugging, and remote development.

    6.8 Free plan Visit site
  24. 24

    Zed

    by Zed
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Zed combines code editing with Git tools, debugging, remote development, extensions, and team collaboration. Check the Personal prediction limit and Pro token overage billing against your needs.

    6.8 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  25. 25

    PSPad

    by PSPad
    Free plan Windows

    PSPad combines core code and text editing with web tools, macros, extensions and external compiler support at no listed price.

    6.7 Free plan Visit site

#1Places #1, #2, #3, #4, #5 on this list can be bought by the makers of the software on it. See the price

Compare free plans, paid starting prices, trial terms and supported platforms. For code-reading or code-editing work, examine each licence and consider its AI coding help, extensions, debugging and collaboration features.

Questions

Do editor tools on this list have free plans?

Free plans appear among the entries, alongside freemium and software offered at no cost. Check the individual entry for its current terms.

Which platforms do these editors support?

The listed platforms are macOS, Windows, Linux, web, Android and API. Support differs by tool, so check the platform field for the editor you want.

Do any editors offer a free trial?

10x Editor lists a 30-day trial. A trial is separate from a free plan, so check the pricing note for the tool.

How much does Cursor cost?

Cursor offers a free plan, with paid pricing starting at $20 per user per month.

Can I inspect or change the source code?

Some entries provide open-source code. Check the licence for the specific tool before reading, changing or sharing its code.

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