Side by side
CotEditor vs Lite XL
Both stand on editor software. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
Free plan Mac
CotEditor offers a broad set of text-editing tools at no cost, including language highlighting, scripting and encoding controls. Check the macOS 26 requirement for the listed current release before choosing it.
Visit CotEditor 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. Look elsewhere if project-wide find-and-replace or built-in language-server support is essential, or if you need an official binary for another platform.
Visit Lite XLThe facts
| CotEditor | Lite XL | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Mac | Android, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | coteditor.com | lite-xl.com |
| On editor software | #12 of 32 | #8 of 32 |
CotEditor: what it does well
- Free, with all features available
- Syntax highlighting for more than 70 languages
- Supports large files and column editing
- Includes scripting and a command-line tool
What to know first
- Available only for macOS
- Listed 7.1.1 release requires macOS 26 or later
Lite XL: what it does well
- Free software under the MIT license.
- Bundle is less than 5MB.
- Includes multiline editing, autocomplete and pane splitting.
- File browser, fuzzy file finder and project search are built in.
- lpm manages plugin installation, updates and removal.
What to know first
- Project-wide find-and-replace is not supported.
- Language-server support requires an optional plugin.
- Official binary releases are provided only for Windows, Linux and macOS.
- Community plugin safety, stability and quality are not guaranteed.
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