Side by side
jEdit vs Kate
Both stand on text editors. Which one you can start free with, which one lets you read the code, and what each costs once you pay.
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.
Visit jEdit
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.
Visit KateThe facts
| jEdit | Kate | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | Not published | Not published |
| Runs on | Linux, Mac, Windows | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| Lowest paid plan | Free or on request | Free or on request |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Maker | Not published | Not published |
| Website | jedit.org | kate-editor.org |
| On text editors | #12 of 82 | #8 of 82 |
jEdit: what it does well
- Syntax highlighting for 233 languages and file types.
- Searches open files or a directory.
- Supports multi-cursor and column editing.
- Plugins can add debugging and code completion.
What to know first
- Requires Java 11 or later from version 5.6.
- Many installed plugins slow startup.
Kate: what it does well
- Syntax highlighting covers more than 400 languages.
- Search supports regular expressions and multiline queries.
- Can edit multiple documents in split windows.
- Backups and swap files support crash recovery.
- Available on Linux, macOS, Windows and BSD.
What to know first
- Nightly packages may be unstable or incomplete.
- No free trial is listed.