Every developer has to use Text Editor at least once in life. I’m using sublime text editor for coding and I recommend it for everyone. If you are a beginner, sublime is very easy to learn and it is plug-n-play, no extra configurations are required to make it work the way you want. If you are an advanced developer or programmer who works on web development, there are lots of things that sublimes allowed me to do.
This article might help you find out which text editor is actually best for your needs.
Vim
Best for Linux users and network security pros
| Pros | Cons |
| Free, open-source and available on almost all operating systemsShips with a tutorialPassionate online community | Hard to master Little to no user-guidance |
Vim is one of the most famous text editors in existence. Depending on your operating system of choice and programming experience, you’ll have likely heard of Vim within the context of the great Editor War – a longstanding rivalry that divides the open-source software community based upon their preference between the classic editors, Vim and emacs. Think Marvel versus DC, but somehow even nerdier. For the purposes of this article, we’re going to sidestep that particular argument, and assess Vim purely as an alternative to more recent IDEs.
Microsoft Visual Studio
We will start our list of IDEs with a premium JavaScript IDE, Microsoft Visual Studio. It is a piece of software with advanced functionality that covers a wide range of development tasks, including web applications. Visual Studio has an intuitive interface, convenient automation tools, and supports screen splitting.
Its various compatibility testing tools are handy for checking if your web app works on different devices and browsers, while its impressive flexibility makes it the best IDE for beginners as well as experienced developers.
Notice that Microsoft Visual Studio is quite expensive and can cost up to $2,900, depending on the edition you choose.
Pros:
- Impressive functionality
- Straightforward workflow
- Easy to use
Cons:
- Pricey
- Heavyweight IDE, needs a lot of resources to run
Atom
A modern editor launched by GitHub, Atom is an open-source JavaScript IDE that is customizable to the core. Thanks to a convenient built-in package manager, you can easily install new tools and themes to expand its functionality. Atom comes with several pre-installed syntax themes, has a clean and clear view, and works across different operating systems.
You can easily browse your files and projects, and open them in one window. Also, this web dev IDE comes integrated with GitHub, which you can access directly from your editor.
Pros:
- Flexible in use
- Extendable by various packages
- GitHub integration
Cons:
- Slow performance
- Limited functionality
Code::Blocks
Another popular option for web development is Code::Blocks, a free open-source software product. It creates a highly customizable environment with stable performance across various platforms. That’s why Code::Blocks is one of the best IDE for web development for people who need to switch frequently between workplaces.
It has an easy-to-navigate, tabbed interface, and supports many plugins. Other remarkable features of this IDE are a debugger with breakpoint support, compiler support, and the option to add customizable external tools.
Code::Blocks are also ideal for multi-user projects owing to its simple task management functionality.
Pros:
- Easy navigation
- Supports multi-user development
- Can be customized with numerous plugins and external tools
Cons:
- Lacks power for complex projects
Xcode
Among other examples of IDE, Xcode is worth a mention due to the wide range of tools created specifically for apps running on Apple devices. It is fully integrated with popular frameworks such as Cocoa and Cocoa Touch, allowing users to add Passbook, Game Center, and other services with a single click.
Using Xcode, developers can benefit from the Apple LLVM compiler that effectively determines possible performance issues, and Interface Builder that enables building a prototype without coding. Also, this IDE can automatically analyze and test code at any stage of development.
Pros:
- Impressive toolkit
- Great testing possibilities
- Intuitive interface
Cons:
- Limited to Apple devices
RubyMine
Another fantastic web development IDE created by JetBrains is RubyMine that primarily focuses on Ruby enthusiasts, but the extensive language support makes it useful for many web developers as well. RubyMine deserves attention due to its logical workflow organization, intuitive navigation, and great compatibility.
This IDE features all necessary functions like autocomplete and refactoring, and frequent updates guarantee stable performance.
It costs $199-649 annually and offers a free trial version so you can test the IDE’s functionality before buying it. We recommend giving a try to one of the best IDE for web development out there.
Pros:
- Smart code support
- Convenient navigation
- Frequent updates
Cons:
- High memory requirement
- Lack of customization
Bluefish
Bluefish is an advanced code editing tool designed for experienced programmers and web developers. The free program offers HTML editing features, but it also works with XHTML, CSS, and a wide range of other coding languages. Bluefish offers project management tools, auto-complete, automatic tag-sourcing, and more.
TextMate
TextMate is a powerful code editing tool for Mac OS X operating systems. The free program features all of the standard tools you’d expect, in addition to a powerful search function, bundles, snippets, and version control features. TextMate also features WYSIWYG-style live HTML previewing, amongst other helpful functions.» MORE: How to Use index.html
Eclipse
Eclipse IDE, or Integrated Development Environment, is a free text editor and development resource for programmers. The program provides a whole host of useful features, such as cloud storage, modeling tools, and GUI builders. Eclipse users can browse through dozens of packages and customize the editor to fit their needs.
BlueGriffon
BlueGriffon is a user-friendly and advanced HTML editor with lots of features. BlueGriffon shares its rendering engine with Firefox and traces its roots all the way back to Netscape. Due to its functionality, BlueGriffon is one of the best free WYSIWYG HTML editors available today.
Notepad++
Notepad++ is a free, functional, and no-nonsense HTML text editor for Windows. The program source code is C++, and it’s based on the Scintilla editing component. Notepad++ was developed as a higher-tech replacement for Microsoft Notepad, while retaining the simplicity of the original program. Notepad++ is a great basic text editing tool, and it’s available for free.
UltraEdit
Ranked #1 Best Text Editor by CNET, UltraEdit is a powerful and user-friendly HTML editing program. UltraEdit features Github Flavored Markdown compatibility, live preview and editing, themes, and much more. UltraEdit also permits FTP, SSH, and Telnet editing. This makes it easy to interact with servers and work with small sections of code.
WebStorm
Developed by JetBrains, WebStorm is a closed-source software product with a modern user interface that fits right into the best IDE for web development category. It allows you to enjoy intelligent code completion, with convenient navigation and efficient error detection. Not as pricey as some of the other listed IDEs, it costs $129 – $649 per year.
WebStorm has a powerful refactoring tool for style sheet languages and JavaScript and features an in-built debugger that will help you during web app development. WebStorm is also integrated with GitHub and Mercurial. All these features make it one of the best IDE for web development.
Pros:
- Code refactoring support
- Intelligent autocomplete
- Great customization
- Has numerous in-built tools
- Support for numerous plug-ins
Cons:
- High memory usage
IntelliJ IDEA
Another one of JetBrains’ projects, IntelliJ IDEA features a free Community Edition in addition to paid versions. This software has an extensive toolkit aimed to facilitate mobile app development.
This fantastic JavaScript IDE features a database editor, supports different build systems, and provides deployment and debugging tools. Additionally, there are a lot of plugins provided by JetBrains as well as third-party developers that can save you a lot of time.
However, this IDE is less intuitive and comes with a learning curve, so it may be hard to use it without experience.
Pros:
- Smart refactoring
- Supports multiple languages
- The fully functional free version
- Powerful debugger
Cons:
- May be too complicated for beginners
Now, let’s move on to the best IDE for web development you may want to give a try for HTML-based coding.
Brackets
Brackets is a robust editor with numerous practical features, but without unnecessary extras to hamper user experience. This program features the essentials, plus helpful tools like live preview. These features make Brackets ideal for a wide range of text editing projects.
Many developers prefer live preview features, like those offered by Brackets. As a result, changing the style or layout of a web page is interactive. This allows users to experiment with multiple designs before applying the text to their site.
Brackets is an open-source program, which many programmers prefer. It’s available for Mac, Windows, and Linux users, and offers a pleasant and functional interface for text editing. This premium HTML text editor is available for free.
GNU Emacs
GNU Emacs is a popular real-time Linux HTML editor. It runs on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and even BSDs. It’s completely free, and it features full Unicode support, supporting type in anything from Thai to Hebrew. It also has content-aware syntax coloring, a customizable Lisp interface, the ability to extend into a full IDE, and a built-in calendar.
The star feature of Emacs is its extensibility and the ability to customize and automate your work. The Lisp-based interface allows for an amazing amount of control over the software. It also features an open channel for writing extensions and tools to do everything from autocompleting code to playing Tetris.
Conclusion
There are a two major camps when it comes to text editors. The first are devs who prefer Notepad++ for coding, and the second are devs who prefer the sleek user interface of Sublime Text or Atom.