What is a code editor? It is a software application designed to edit computer source code. Some will be integrated with your system while some will be standalone, and these editors can help beginners and also professionals (located in our top list) to make their work easier and faster.
There are various code editors available in the market that makes the work of a developer easier. These code editors, including Sublime Text and Atom, help you come up with codes for your software and edit it easily. This will save a lot of time and effort for you. The developers can focus on other important tasks when using these best code editor 2021.
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a free and open source code editor for Windows. It is easy to use for beginners and highly powerful for advanced users. It comes with syntax highlighting for many languages including PHP, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. It also comes with a built-in FTP plugin that allows you to connect to your server and edit files directly without leaving the editor.
Komodo Edit
What We Like
- Extensible through plug-ins.
- Customizable appearance.
- Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Excellent for XML editing.
What We Don’t Like
- No WYSIWYG editor.
- Not the best editor for beginners.
There are two versions of Komodo: Komodo Edit and Komodo IDE. Edit is open source and free to download. It’s a trimmed-down version of IDE.
Komodo Edit includes many great features for HTML and CSS development. Additionally, it allows you to add extensions for more language support or other helpful features, such as special characters.
Komodo doesn’t shine as the best HTML editor. Still, it’s great for the price, especially if you build in XML, where it truly excels.
Atom
One of the most famous and useful code editors on this list is Atom. Used by millions of developers all over the world, it is an amazing application with a very simple UI that increases its usability.
One of the cool features of this best free code editor is that the developers can submit packages straight from the application. Atom is available for download at multiple platforms: Windows, Linux, and Mac devices. If you are a Mac OSX user, this is the perfect time for you to give this app a shot.
Key Features
- Package Manager Integrated for Plugins support
- Supports Command Palette
- The feature of smart autocompletion
- Cross-platform editing
- Built-in package manager
- File system browser
- Find and replace tool
- Smart autocompletion
- Multiple panes
- Packages and themes
Pricing
- Free
Kite
Kite is a Code Editor that automatically completes multiple line codes. This editor supports more than 16 languages. It helps you to code faster with no hassle.
Price: Free
Features:
- It offers documentation for various languages
- This editor provides a function signature as you type.
- You will get a tooltip on mouse hover.
- Provides support in email.
- Uses machine learning models for software development.
TextWrangler
TextWrangler came out of the popular BBEdit text editor. This powerful and feature rich text editor is a freeware. It comes with a very intuitive user interface that makes it super easy to browse files and work on projects. It has advanced search and replace tools, and it can directly edit and save files to FTP, SFTP servers. It offers syntax highlighting for many programing languages, fully supports utf-8, and even allows you to convert character encoding of text documents.
Aptana Studio 3
What We Like
- Good for JavaScript.
- Multiplatform support (Windows, Mac, and Linux).
- Plug-ins expand supported languages.
What We Don’t Like
- Lack of major updates over the last few years.
- Bulkier and sometimes slower than some other editors.
Aptana Studio 3 offers an interesting take on web page development. Instead of focusing on HTML, it focuses on JavaScript and other elements that allow you to create rich internet applications.
Aptana Studio 3 may not be the best fit for simple web design needs. But, if you’re looking more toward web application development, its toolset may be a great fit.
Visual Studio Code [VS Code]
Belonging from the Family of software developed by the tech giant Microsoft, Visual Studio Code is an excellent code editor we have on the list. The application is an amazing piece of software that offers deep built-in support for Node.js, TypeScript, and JavaScript.
One of the most effective and time-saving features of this application is its infusion with A.I.
That means that all of the code that the developer writes in the application is read by the software. As a result, it generates auto-responses for code writing. These responses are based on variable types, function definitions, and essential modules.
This application is available for download on Windows, Linux, and Mac OSX.
Key Features
- Code refactoring & debugging
- Easy working with Git and other SCM (Software Configuration Management) providers
- Easily extensible and customizable
- Visual Studio Code CLI
- Live Share
- Helpers (Intellisense, Context Menus)
- Plugins and Themes
- Debugging
- Split Views, Zen Mode
- Integrated Terminal
Pricing
- Free
NetBeans
NetBeans is an open-source code editor tool for developing with Java, PHP, C++, and other programming languages. With this editor, code analyzers, and converters. It is one of the best code editor for Windows that allows you to upgrade your applications to use new Java 8 language constructs.
Platforms: Mac Windows Linux
Price: Free
Features:
- Easy & Efficient Project Management
- This free text editor offers fast & Smart Code Editing
- Rapid User Interface Development
- Helps you to write bug-free code
Brackets
Although this list recommends some of the best code editors in the market, there is still no comparison to Brackets code editor. Yes, it is free, but what makes it really useful is the full barrage of extensive new features.
This application has a lightweight framework designed by the people over at Adobe. Believe me, those people know what they are doing. It is one of the best code editors that is completely open-source and you can modify it to your liking.
One of the most amazing features of this application is that you can choose between a browser view to look at how your code is doing or you can view the source code in its original form and modify it from there.
This application is available to be used on Windows, Linux, and Mac devices.
Key Features
- Offers live preview, pre-processor support, and inline editors
- Especially developed tool for macOS
- Quick Edit UI feature puts context-specific code and tools inline
- Pleasant looking UI
- It comes with the inbuilt extension manager for fast & effective extension management
- Quick Docs
- JSLint
- Live Preview
- LESS support
Pricing
- Free
Microsoft Visual Studio Community
What We Like
- Well-supported with updates and the addition of new features.
- Supports a range of programming languages.
- Nice, beginner-friendly design.
What We Don’t Like
- Premium features come with a high price tag.
- Heavy program that consumes significant memory and processing power.
- Bit of a learning curve for new users.
Microsoft Visual Studio Community is a visual IDE to help web developers and other programmers create applications for the web, mobile devices, and the desktop. You may have used it previously, but Visual Studio Community is the software’s latest version.
Microsoft offers a free download, as well as paid versions (that include free trials) for Professional and Enterprise users.
Microsoft Visual Studio Code is a free coding-only app that’s part of the Visual Studio suite but stands alone. It’s an excellent standalone code editor for dozens of coding and scripting languages.
Coda
Coda is perhaps one of the most loved web development and programming editor for Mac. It is famous for its ridiculously good looking interface, and smart powerful features. It allows you to edit local or remote files, manage projects, work on multiple files at once with easy switching between tabs. It has built in terminal, debugger, web kit preview and inspector, and so many awesome features.
Code costs $99 for a single license but it is totally worth the price.
Conclusion:
Editing your code can sometimes be a nightmare. There are some limitations to Microsoft’s own editor or notepad. Sometimes it can be difficult to edit big chunks of code especially if you’re just starting out. That’s why there are various free code editors on the market. These editors are widely used by programmers, website designers, students and various other people who spend time with code editing.