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Best Text Editors in 2026

Text editors can support anything from focused changes to configurable editing workflows. Compare column editing and multi-cursor editing with macro recording, extension support, and large-file handling to see which capabilities fit your work. Supported platforms, free-plan availability, and paid-from pricing add practical points of comparison. Visual Studio Code, Neovim, and Zed are among the options shown by name. Consider whether you need extensions or automation, how you handle larger files, and where you want to edit. The listed features make it easier to weigh editors with different approaches against your workflow and the devices or systems you use.

  1. 1

    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.

    9.1 Free plan Visit site
  2. 2

    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.

    9.0 Free plan Visit site
  3. 3

    FocusWriter

    Free plan Open source LinuxMacWindows

    Choose FocusWriter if you want a free Linux or Windows word processor with hidden controls, writing goals, and automatic return to your last position.

    8.6 Open source Visit site
  4. 4

    Avidemux

    Free plan Open source LinuxMacWeb+1
    8.5 Free plan Visit site
  5. 5

    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.

    7.7 Free plan Visit site
  6. 6

    Neovim

    Free plan AndroidAPILinux+3

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

    7.7 Free plan Visit site
  7. 7

    GNU Emacs

    by GNU Emacs
    Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+1
    7.7 Free plan Visit site
  8. 8

    Kate

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Kate combines text editing, programming features and plugins at no listed cost. Choose stable packages rather than nightly builds if you want to avoid versions that may be unstable or incomplete.

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  9. 9

    Vim

    by Vim
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

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

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  10. 10

    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.

    7.5 Free plan · paid from $10/user/mo · 14-day trial Visit site
  11. 11

    Microsoft Editor

    Free plan ExtensionMacWeb+1

    Editor covers basic proofreading for free and adds clarity, style, and similarity assistance. Consider the language-selection limit and Edge's cloud-processing option when choosing how to use it.

    7.5 Free plan Visit site
  12. 12

    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.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  13. 13

    SciTE

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Choose SciTE if you want a free editor with syntax styling and built-in commands for running or compiling source files, particularly for simple configurations.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  14. 14

    KWrite

    by KWrite
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Pick KWrite if you want a free editor with syntax highlighting, multi-cursor editing, and plugin support across desktop platforms.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  15. 15

    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.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  16. 16

    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.

    7.4 Free plan Visit site
  17. 17

    Fresh

    Free plan LinuxMacSelf-hosted+1

    Fresh brings editing, Git review, terminal agents, and remote workspaces into a terminal-oriented environment.

    7.4 Open source Visit site
  18. 18

    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.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  19. 19

    gedit

    by gedit
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    Pick gedit for a free, open-source editor that handles notes, documents, code, and remote files on three desktop platforms.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  20. 20

    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.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  21. 21

    TeXworks

    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    TeXworks brings TeX-family editing and PDF preview into one desktop application, with synchronization and configurable typesetting tools.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  22. 22

    CKEditor 4

    by CKEditor 4
    Free plan APISelf-hostedWeb

    CKEditor 4 provides an extensive set of HTML editing features and customization options for browser applications.

    7.3 Free plan · pricing on request Visit site
  23. 23

    EditiX

    by EditiX
    Free plan LinuxMacWindows

    EditiX offers broad XML and schema tooling at no cost under GPL-3.0. Commercial licensing and optional extensions provide alternatives for organizations with different requirements.

    7.3 Free plan Visit site
  24. 24

    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
  25. 25

    Calmly Writer

    Free plan AndroidLinuxMac+2

    Calmly Writer offers writing tools and offline apps alongside a limited browser editor.

    7.3 Free plan · paid from $16.99 · 14-day trial 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

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