Text editors come in many different forms, but the main goal is the same: to provide an efficient way for text-based coding to be inputted and edited.
To do this, they often combine features of WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) applications like Microsoft Word with sophisticated programming tools. These are the best text editors for Windows computers, which each have their own strengths and weaknesses.
Light Table
Light Table is an integrated desktop environment for evaluating software. It works as a text editor, but its main feature is live feedback on code. Light Table is available on most operating systems.
Pros: Light Table’s features include in-line code evaluation, which lets you test code without compiling. It also runs the code as you’re entering it, allowing you to debug on the fly. Many plugins are available to expand Light Table’s functionality. It is also reasonably fast, even without a high-end system.
Cons: Light Table is still in the early stages of development, meaning it doesn’t support all programming languages. It also has a moderate learning curve – the commands are not displayed on the screen. Also, Light Table is based on a web browser, which limits its usability on text-only systems.
Vim
Almost all Linux distributions, even older versions, come with the Vim editor installed. Vim stands for Vi Improved, meaning that Vim is a modified and improved version of the old Vi text editor.
Pros: Vim supports automatic commands, digraph inputs (useful in programming), split and session screens, tabs, colored schemes (color-coded by function), and tagging. It can be configured with plugins and comes with a tutorial (invoked with the vimtutor command). When you master the commands, Vim is very efficient.
Cons: It does not have a GUI. The only way you can initiate Vim is from the command line. The interface is user-unfriendly, while some commands are not intuitive. Coding a file from scratch would be too complicated. The learning curve can be steep, but Vim is very popular in the Linux community.
CodeShare
CodeShare is the first of its kind which allows the developers to share their code and programs in real time. Therefore it has proved to be helpful for those who work remotely and during due debugging sessions. It also brings a fantastic benefit of allowing the users to talk over the video call as well which helps to enhance the communication between the people further.
Brackets
A team of web developers produced brackets for the other developers. There are several versions of Brackets which supports Linux OS, Windows, and even the Mac OS. The UI is simple and does not seems to be sophisticated, but you will be proved wrong because it brings with it some of the best features with itself. It is one of the best text editors in the year 2021.
It supports split screen mode and even the Live Preview feature. So you get fantastic multitasking abilities and real-time features which makes the usage of the application more intuitive.
Notepad++
Notepad++ is just the upgraded version of the notepad that we can see in the Windows OS. It surely is capable of doing much more than the ordinary Notepad. You can now open your documents in different tabs and also edit several files at the same time without having to close anyone.
You get more flexibility in controlling the tabs simultaneously. Even though it is not the best ide available in the market, it surely is a good alternative to the basic version. This application is only compatible with Windows OS.
TextMate
Another great text editor who has been developed for only the Mac OS users and has been awarded several accolades because of several excellent features. It also supports you to edit and modify the Xcode projects.
Vim
Vim has been one of the oldest and most versatile text editors who was launched back in 1991. It has undoubtedly stood the test of time, and that is why developers still work on this excellent platform. Vim is capable of running on all the major platforms like Window, Linux and Mac.
Vim, or Vi IMproved, is an advanced text editor that aims to deliver a more powerful performance and extend the capabilities of de-facto Unix editor ‘Vi.’ It’s a highly configurable text editor that’s built to serve the needs of a developer. That’s why it’s often called a ‘programmer’s editor.’
It’s designed to be used both as a command-line interface and as a standalone application in a GUI. While beginners complain that it’s tough to use, they also learn that it’s one of the most powerful text editors around. Its main highlights are automatic commands, digraph input, split-screen, session screen, tab expansion, syntax coloring, and tag system. Vim is written in C and Vim script.
Vim 8.2 is the latest stable version of this popular text editor for Linux. You can find more information and download it on Vim’s website.
Installing Vim
sudo apt-get install vim
Komodo Edit
Komodo edit comes with friendly features which have fetched itself a spot on the list of the best text editor, and it’s UI offers a wide range of other benefits. One of the features is the Focus Mode which helps you to hide all the other Windows apart from the one you are working on so that you can concentrate even better. The debugging and Cursor Locator are some of the other features which come handy with the Komodo Edit application.
Best Paid Text Editors Available in the Market
Sublime Text
Sublime Text is a lightweight application which makes it easier for the developers to work on it and in spite of being lightweight; it is a lot of lighter on the number of features it offers. It was majorly built with a Python API for the development teams who are slogging hours on coding all today.
It has several keyboard shortcuts which makes it more flexible for the developer to use the different functions. It supports cross-platform integration and has been optimized for quick speed and easy to use interface. It is available for a free trial period after which the developers have to pay $80.
Sublime Text is a feature-packed text editor built for “code, markup, and prose.” It natively supports tons of programming languages and markup languages. Using plugins that are maintained under free software licenses, one can extend its functionality.
“Goto Anything” is a popular feature of the Sublime Text that lets you quickly navigate files, lines, or symbols. The other main features of Sublime Text are command palette, Python-based plugin API, simultaneous editing, project-specific preferences, etc.
The interested users can find download links and further details about Sublime text on its website.
Installing Sublime Text
wget -qO - https://download.sublimetext.com/sublimehq-pub.gpg | sudo apt-key add -sudo apt-get install apt-transport-httpsecho "deb https://download.sublimetext.com/ apt/stable/" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/sublime-text.listsudo apt-get updatesudo apt-get install sublime-text
The installation processes for other Linux distributions are mentioned on the official Sublime website.
Codeanywhere
Codeanywhere comes with a plethora of handful features which makes it one of the best IDE in 2021 editor for coding. The advanced editor comes with remote access and also an inbuilt console terminal which helps to provide revise the previously carried out tracks. You can fetch the editor for as less as $2/month to $40/month depending on the kind of features which you have opted for.
CodePen
CodePen is famous as a collaborative platform among people. With the help of this editor, you will be able to produce pens inside the CodePen platform very quickly. The CodePen also comes with a Collab Mode feature which is the best to edit a pen at the very time. You can use this feature without having to pay for the PRO version but you if you do subscribe for the PRO version, you get a myriad of other features which makes it one of the best IDE.
We have talked about the best collaborative text editors, and now we will shift our focus to the top text editors who were available in the year of 2021. Before you decide any one of them to buy, make sure to read all the features and benefits they can bring to your work.
Atom
Atom was released in the year of 2015, and since then it has been an open source text editor for the MacOs platform and also supports Linux and Microsoft Windows. Atom is highly customizable and allowed the people to join a community of users who have been using this editor for various purposes.
They also get exclusive access to hundreds of tools and plug-ins which are essential for editing texts and codes in software and websites. The Atom has been made with the exceptional help of JavaScript, HTML and even the CSS which makes it user-friendly. It is undoubtedly one of the best text editors in 2021.
Atom is a free and open-source text editor that’s developed by GitHub. Based on Electron (CoffeeScript, JS, Less, HTML), it’s a desktop application built using web technologies. Often being called the text editor of the 21st century, it’s a modern text editor that’s hackable to the core.
The major features of Atom are cross-platform editing, built-in package manager, file system browser, multiple pane support, find and replace function, and smart autocompletion. You can select from 1000s of open source packages and add new features to Atom. It’s also customizable to suit your needs and style
Since Microsoft acquired GitHub, the pace of Atom’s development has slowed down (Probably because Microsoft owns Visual Studio Code). However, it’s still one of the best text editors for Linux out there.
Installing Atom
sudo apt install atom
You can also download the .deb and .rpm files from the official Atom website
Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is another text editor which was released in the year of 2015 just like the previous application Atom. It has been popularly used and is still very much favorite among many. The editor has been designed to support cross platforms and runs on MacOs, Windows and even Linux.
It comes with a wide range of features which include inbuilt GIT commands, IntelliSense Technology, and even the feature to debug directly. The Visual Studio Code has also proved to be faster and more efficient when compared to the other applications.
CoffeeCupHTML
This text is majorly used to edit, modify and create new HTML documents which you can understand from the name itself. So several developers are a fan of this editor. The application is available for a 21 day trial period, on expiring which you have to switch to the pro version for $49 and get access to all the features the editor comes with which makes it one of the best IDE.
Coda
It has almost been 10 years since Coda has been released and it is feature rich to the brim. It is however accessible only for Mac users. So you will need an iPad or a MacBook to use this text editor. It does not come for free, and the developers who want to use it will need to pay the price of $99 for the premium version.
Pico
Pico stands for Pine Composer. It’s a text editor that comes with the Pine email application. Pico is the precursor to the Nano text editor.
Pros: Pico displays commands on the screen, making it easier to use without memorizing key combinations. It includes most basic text-editor functions, including find/replace (in a single document). Users like Pico because it’s simple to use. Many plugins are available to add functionality and customization.
Cons: There is no support for working with multiple files, copying/pasting between files, or searching/replacing them on multiple files.
Lime Text
The Lime text editor was a project designed as an alternative to the Sublime editor. Some prefer it because the Sublime text editor isn’t open-source.
Pros: Lime aims to duplicate all the features of Sublime, in an open-source format.
Cons: Support and development for the Lime Text project are spotty. You can install it with instructions from the Github page, but it appears to still be under development.
Kate / Kwrite
Kate stands for KDE Advanced Text Editor. KDE is a desktop environment (graphical interface) for Linux. The KDE desktop isn’t required to use Kate – you can install it on Windows, Linux, and Mac.
Pros: Kate allows you to edit multiple documents at the same time. It supports color-coded syntax, customization, and plugins. Kwrite is a lighter utility, used to open and edit a single file quickly. If you use the KDE desktop environment, Kate / Kwrite is a solid editor to use.
Cons: Not many users have complaints about the Kate editor.
JED Editor
JED is a command-line text editor that acts as a graphical interface. It is available on most platforms.
Pros: JED uses drop-down menus, making it more intuitive for people familiar with word processors. It supports color-coded syntax for many different programming languages and has broad support for plugins. JED is also light on system resources, making it an excellent choice for older systems.
Cons: Very few users have complaints about the JED editor.
Leafpad
Leafpad is a Linux-based text editor designed to be simple and lightweight.
Pros: Leafpad uses minimal system resources, making it a great choice for older systems. It provides a decent feature set sufficient for simple editing. Leafpad would make an excellent secondary editor for quick, simple jobs.
Cons: Leafpad is not intended to be a full-featured text editor. It contains some of the more advanced features, such as multiple documents, for speed and efficiency.
Conclusion
These days, to get into programming or programming language such as PHP, ASP.NET then the first thing that you need to learn is how to use a text editor then it will help you to write code in that specific language.