Text editors (and IDEs) are probably the most important tools when it comes to software engineering. They help to improve your productivity, and they can make your job easier by implementing text predictions, plugins, git integrations and so on. The best code editors offer a fast, flexible interface that allows you to be more efficient at writing code and developing software, and they offer functionality to help you examine code for mistakes and see where edits need to be made. Nowadays there are plenty of available text editors and IDEs on the market, some of which are even free to use, some may be specialized to a certain programming language or framework, or they may be universal.

Depending on your preferences, you can use your text editor of choice, but we are here to recommend you some of the best text editors for software engineering, and show you their abilities. Some of them are excellent for experienced developers, while others are more for beginners or writers. You will also find some great editors for collaboration, real-time code sharing, and much more.

However, the most important thing is to find the one that you feel the most comfortable with. Happy coding!

1. Notepad++

Although this may seem like an obvious one, Notepad++ is one of the best universal text editors, that can be used for any programming or scripting language. It is just a text editor, meaning it has no compiling or interpreting possibilities, but still, it is by far one of the most popular ones. It is a great editor for beginners and newbies to start using, but also it is widely used by the more experienced developers, and even writers.

Features:

• Open source, and free to use
• Lightweight
• Syntax highlighting for plenty of languages
• Multi language support
• Runs on Windows
• Has autocomplete settings

2. Visual Studio Code

VS Code is a product by Microsoft and it is also one of the most used editors nowadays. It is generally intended for text editing, and front end development, as it has a command line tool incorporated, as well as built-in support for Typescript, Javascript and Node.JS. It has IntelliSense features, which provide smart completitions. It is widely used by developers and teams, and is also good for beginners to start.

Features:

• Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux
• Free to use
• Has built-in Git plugins
• Has a store for installing extensions
• Offers debugging plug-ins
• Has command line interface built in
• It works as an IDE for front-end development

3. Codespaces

If you like Visual Studio Code, or are comfortable working with it, you will most certainly love Codespaces. It is made by Microsoft and Github, and it is basically VSCode in a web environment, including everything from the editor, terminal, debugger, GitHub Copilot, version control, settings sync, and the entire ecosystem of extensions. It offers powerful processing power, and its price is based on which server configuration you choose, although there is a free trial too. It works in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari, and it works much faster than on your own laptop. There is also a possibility to download it and use it on your own machine.

Features:

• Free trial and paid plans according to server configuration
• Works in browser, but there is a desktop version too
• You can work from anywhere
• Fast
• Customizable

4. Vim

Vim is an advanced open source text editor which is also considered to be an IDE in its way. It’s designed for use both from a command-line interface (CLI) and as a standalone application in a graphical user interface (GUI). The code editor has a dedicated and large community of its users that create useful updates and new scripts for the platform. Vim is also highly extensible and customizable. You will probably enjoy Vim if you are an experienced developer who might like an older interface or prefer something via the command line.

Features:

• Free to use
• Works on Windows, Linux and Mac
• Not the most simple one - has its learning curve
• Customizable and integratable with other tools
• Support for hundreds of programming languages and file formats

5. Sublime Text

Sublime Text makes the most sense for experienced coders, and it is lightweight with low resource usage. It is a powerful editor with some of the more advanced features you would expect from a top editor. It has shortcuts and search tools, supports many programming languages, but also has a Python API, which means a variety of plugins can be integrated with it.

Features:

• Free test version, and then it costs $99 per licence
• Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux
• Offers a lot of plugins, Python API, and split editing
• User friendly and powerful shortcuts

6. Atom

Atom is an editor developed by Github, and it is a cross-platform, open-source application. An experienced developer should have no problem working with Atom, since it offers clean collaboration tools, a sleek editor, and some great organization tools for keeping your projects in check. All of your projects can be shared and edited in real-time, which makes it easier for remote teams to work together. Atom also has a GitHub package already included, so you can create everything from branches to stages in one interface.

Features:

• Free to use and open-source
• Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux
• Real time code editing and sharing
• Native Github integrations

7. Brackets

Brackets is a text editor by Adobe and it is a modern, open source solution for developers creating websites. The interface is simplistic, but the text editor has a wide range of features. This is a free text editor, with good visual tools for previewing your work and allowing for frontend developers to examine the changes. Writing code is the main focus in Brackets, and it’s done with the help of inline editors, live previews, and nicely organized files.

Features:

• Free to use and open-source
• Runs on Windows, Mac and Linux
• Can connect to Github
• Has integration for PSD (Photoshop) files

8. CoffeeCup

Creating and editing HTML is made really simple with CoffeeCup. It takes your web design to the next level, especially with the tools for tag references and code completion. There are plenty of components to take advantage of that instantly update various elements across your entire website, and the text editor even comes with several responsive website themes. It has a free version with less functionalities, and a paid one, with mode advanced features.

Features:

• Free and paid version ($49 one-time fee)
• FTP connection which allows you to go live with your website
• Visual text editor with a live preview
• Useful for HTML, CSS, and PHP

One Pager Cheat Sheet

• Finding the right text editor or IDE can help you become a much more productive software engineer, and there are plenty of good options available, from free ones to specialized editors - it all depends on your preference.
• Notepad++ is a lightweight open-source text editor that offers syntax highlighting, multi language support, autocomplete, and is free to use on Windows.
• VS Code by Microsoft is a text editor that is widely used by developers and teams with IntelliSense features, and support for Typescript, Javascript and Node.JS, with a store for installing extensions and debugging plug-ins.
• With Codespaces, you can enjoy the same features of Visual Studio Code in a web environment, with powerful processing power and total flexibility regarding accessibility, pricing, and settings.
• Vim is a free, highly extensible and customizable open source text/code editor with a dedicated community and support for many popular programming languages and file formats.
• Sublime Text is an editor suited for experienced coders, boasting features such as a Python API, split editing, and a variety of plugins, making it a powerful and user-friendly development environment.
• Atom is an open-source, cross-platform editor developed by Github, which provides clean collaboration tools, a sleek editor, and organization tools for keeping your projects in check - with native GitHub integrations for real-time code editing and sharing.
• Brackets is a free and open-source text editor with modern features like inline editors, live previews, a range of integrations and support for Windows, Mac and Linux that is ideal for frontend developers and those working with GitHub or Photoshop (PSD) files.
• CoffeeCup offers an easy to use visual editor with great features for both free and paid users, allowing for quick HTML, CSS, and PHP edits with a live preview, FTP connectivity, and tag references.