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Top Alternatives to GNU Emacs

Looking for GNU Emacs alternatives? We've curated 36 top alternatives that offer similar functionality. Whether you need options, free plans, or open source solutions, explore our comprehensive list to find the perfect fit for your needs.

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Notepad++

Notepad++

Open Source

Notepad++ is a widely-used free and open-source text and source code editor for Windows. Built on the Scintilla editing component, it offers a rich set of features for programmers, including syntax highlighting for multiple languages, code folding, macro recording, and a tabbed interface for managing multiple files efficiently. Its lightweight design ensures fast performance even with large files.

Key Features

  • Free and Open Source
  • Highly Customizable (Themes, Shortcuts, Syntax Highlighting)
  • Lightweight and Fast Performance

vs GNU Emacs

Free and Open Source compared to GNU Emacs
Sublime Text

Sublime Text

Freemium

Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose. It's known for its speed, powerful features, and extensive customization options. With features like multiple cursors, GoTo Anything, and a robust plugin ecosystem, it's a favorite among developers and writers alike for boosting productivity and creating a tailored editing environment.

Key Features

  • Exceptional performance and speed
  • Highly customizable interface and behavior
  • Powerful features like multiple cursors and GoTo Anything

vs GNU Emacs

Exceptional performance and speed compared to GNU Emacs
Eclipse

Eclipse

Open Source

Eclipse is a powerful, open-source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) widely used for Java development, but also supporting a variety of other programming languages through its extensive plugin ecosystem. It provides a robust set of tools for coding, debugging, testing, and deployment.

Key Features

  • Highly extensible with a vast plugin ecosystem
  • Strong support for Java development with robust tools
  • Open source and free to use

vs GNU Emacs

Highly extensible with a vast plugin ecosystem compared to GNU Emacs
Atom

Atom

Open Source

Atom is a highly customizable and extensible open-source text editor developed by GitHub. Built on Electron, it provides a modern, hackable platform for developers, offering robust features like syntax highlighting, Git integration, and a vast ecosystem of packages to enhance productivity and tailor the editing experience to individual needs.

Key Features

  • Highly customizable and extensible through a vast package ecosystem.
  • Strong integrated support for Git and GitHub.
  • Open-source and free to use.

vs GNU Emacs

Highly customizable and extensible through a vast package ecosystem. compared to GNU Emacs
gedit

gedit

Open Source

gedit is a free and open-source text and code editor for the GNOME desktop environment. Known for its simplicity and clean interface, gedit provides essential features for both general text editing and basic code development, making it a popular choice for users seeking a straightforward and efficient tool.

Key Features

  • Very user-friendly and easy to learn
  • Excellent performance and lightweight
  • Good syntax highlighting and basic coding features

vs GNU Emacs

Very user-friendly and easy to learn compared to GNU Emacs
Geany

Geany

Open Source

Geany is a powerful yet lightweight text editor that bridges the gap between basic editors and full-fledged IDEs. It provides essential development environment features like syntax highlighting, code navigation, and a built-in terminal, making it suitable for a wide range of programming tasks.

Key Features

  • Lightweight and fast performance, even with large files.
  • Excellent balance of text editor simplicity and IDE features.
  • Highly customizable interface and behavior.

vs GNU Emacs

Lightweight and fast performance, even with large files. compared to GNU Emacs
TextMate

TextMate

Commercial

TextMate is a robust and feature-rich graphical text editor for macOS, specifically designed for developers. It offers syntax highlighting, powerful macros, bundles for extensibility, and a highly customizable interface to streamline coding workflows.

Key Features

  • Highly extensible with the Bundle system for language-specific support.
  • Native macOS application, offering a smooth and responsive experience.
  • Powerful features like macros, snippets, and robust search and replace.

vs GNU Emacs

Highly extensible with the Bundle system for language-specific support. compared to GNU Emacs
PSPad

PSPad

Free

PSPad is a versatile, freeware text and code editor designed for Microsoft Windows. It offers a rich set of features for developers, including syntax highlighting, a built-in FTP client, project management, and a hex editor, all within a lightweight and portable package.

Key Features

  • Free and open-source.
  • Lightweight and fast performance.
  • Integrated FTP client is highly convenient.

vs GNU Emacs

Free and open-source. compared to GNU Emacs
Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code

Open Source

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is a free, open-source, lightweight yet powerful source code editor developed by Microsoft. It supports a wide range of programming languages and offers robust features like debugging, intelligent code completion (IntelliSense), built-in Git control, and an extensive ecosystem of extensions for enhanced functionality. Available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, VS Code has become a popular choice for developers across various disciplines.

Key Features

  • Free and open-source, making it accessible to everyone.
  • Lightweight and fast performance.
  • Excellent built-in debugging capabilities.

vs GNU Emacs

Free and open-source, making it accessible to everyone. compared to GNU Emacs
GNU nano

GNU nano

Open Source

GNU nano is a user-friendly command-line text editor widely used on Unix-like systems. Known for its simplicity and quick startup, it provides basic editing functionalities for configuration files, scripts, and general text manipulation directly within the terminal environment.

Key Features

  • Very easy to learn and use, even for beginners.
  • Extremely fast startup time and low resource usage.
  • Displays common commands at the bottom of the screen.

vs GNU Emacs

Very easy to learn and use, even for beginners. compared to GNU Emacs
Kate

Kate

Open Source

Kate, the KDE Advanced Text Editor, is a powerful yet lightweight text editor popular among developers and advanced users. Offering robust features like syntax highlighting, built-in terminal, extensibility via plugins, and comprehensive customization options, Kate caters to a wide range of text editing and coding tasks across platforms.

Key Features

  • Feature-rich with advanced tools like built-in terminal and regex support.
  • Highly customizable interface, themes, and keyboard shortcuts.
  • Extensive syntax highlighting with support for custom languages.

vs GNU Emacs

Feature-rich with advanced tools like built-in terminal and regex support. compared to GNU Emacs
UltraEdit

UltraEdit

Commercial

UltraEdit is a powerful and versatile text, hex, and code editor designed for Windows, Mac, and Linux. It offers a comprehensive feature set for developers, programmers, web designers, and general users working with text files, code, and binary data.

Key Features

  • Handles extremely large files efficiently.
  • Excellent Hex editing features.
  • Extremely customizable interface and functionality.

vs GNU Emacs

Handles extremely large files efficiently. compared to GNU Emacs
SciTE

SciTE

Open Source

SciTE is a free and open-source text and code editor built on the SCIntilla editing component. It's designed to be a lightweight yet powerful tool for programmers and web developers, offering syntax highlighting, code folding, autocompletion, and extensibility across multiple platforms.

Key Features

  • Extremely lightweight and fast performance.
  • High degree of customization through configuration files.
  • Good syntax highlighting and features for many languages.

vs GNU Emacs

Extremely lightweight and fast performance. compared to GNU Emacs
Bluefish Editor

Bluefish Editor

Open Source

Bluefish is a powerful yet lightweight code editor designed for web developers and programmers. It offers a wide array of features for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and many other programming languages, focusing on efficiency and ease of use for building dynamic websites and applications.

Key Features

  • Very lightweight and fast, ideal for quick editing and less powerful systems.
  • Integrated FTP/SFTP client simplifies remote file management.
  • Strong syntax highlighting and code completion for many languages.

vs GNU Emacs

Very lightweight and fast, ideal for quick editing and less powerful systems. compared to GNU Emacs
Leafpad

Leafpad

Open Source

Leafpad is an exceptionally lightweight and straightforward text editor designed for Linux, BSD, and Maemo environments. It prioritizes speed and efficiency, offering basic text editing functionalities without the complexity of feature-rich editors.

Key Features

  • Extremely lightweight and fast startup.
  • Simple and intuitive user interface.
  • Minimal resource consumption.

vs GNU Emacs

Extremely lightweight and fast startup. compared to GNU Emacs
VSCodium

VSCodium

Open Source

VSCodium is a community-driven, freely licensed distribution of Microsoft's VS Code editor. It removes proprietary telemetry and tracking, providing a truly open-source alternative for developers who prioritize privacy and freedom.

Key Features

  • Completely free and open source
  • Removes Microsoft telemetry and tracking
  • Familiar and intuitive user interface

vs GNU Emacs

Completely free and open source compared to GNU Emacs
TextPad

TextPad

Commercial

TextPad is a robust and lightweight text editor designed for Windows systems. It offers a comprehensive set of features for editing plain text files, source code, and HTML documents. With support for syntax highlighting, macros, and a tabbed interface, it provides a productive environment for programmers and general users alike.

Key Features

  • Lightweight and fast performance
  • Robust search and replace with regex support
  • Effective syntax highlighting with customization

vs GNU Emacs

Lightweight and fast performance compared to GNU Emacs
Haroopad

Haroopad

Open Source

Haroopad is a discontinued markdown-enabled document processor designed for creating web-friendly content. It offers a distraction-free writing environment with live preview and syntax highlighting, making it suitable for bloggers, writers, and developers.

Key Features

  • Excellent Markdown support with live preview
  • Distraction-free writing mode available
  • Clean and intuitive user interface

vs GNU Emacs

Excellent Markdown support with live preview compared to GNU Emacs
Orwell Dev-C++

Orwell Dev-C++

Open Source

Orwell Dev-C++ is a free, portable, and lightweight Integrated Development Environment (IDE) specifically designed for C and C++ programming. It provides a comprehensive set of tools including a compiler, debugger, and code editor, making it an accessible option for beginners and experienced developers alike. Its portability allows developers to carry their development environment on a USB drive.

Key Features

  • Free and Open Source, making it accessible to everyone.
  • Highly portable, allowing development on the go.
  • Lightweight with low system resource requirements.

vs GNU Emacs

Free and Open Source, making it accessible to everyone. compared to GNU Emacs
TeXnicCenter

TeXnicCenter

Open Source

TeXnicCenter is a free and open-source IDE for LaTeX, designed specifically for creating and managing complex documents. It offers a range of features to streamline the LaTeX workflow, including syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and an integrated PDF viewer.

Key Features

  • Dedicated IDE for LaTeX, optimizing the workflow.
  • Integrated PDF viewer with synchronization for efficient previewing.
  • Includes essential text editor features like syntax highlighting and auto-completion.

vs GNU Emacs

Dedicated IDE for LaTeX, optimizing the workflow. compared to GNU Emacs
RJ TextEd

RJ TextEd

Free

RJ TextEd is a powerful freeware text and source code editor for Windows, offering comprehensive features for web development, programming, and general text editing.

Key Features

  • Comprehensive feature set for a freeware editor.
  • Highly customizable and extensible.
  • Portable and lightweight.

vs GNU Emacs

Comprehensive feature set for a freeware editor. compared to GNU Emacs
MacVim

MacVim

Open Source

MacVim is a robust, open-source text editor specifically tailored for macOS users, bringing the power and extensibility of Vim with a native graphical interface. It seamlessly integrates Vim's renowned modal editing and command-line power with the familiar macOS windowing environment.

Key Features

  • Powerful and efficient modal editing.
  • Highly customizable through .vimrc and plugins.
  • Native macOS graphical interface.

vs GNU Emacs

Powerful and efficient modal editing. compared to GNU Emacs
SynWrite

SynWrite

Open Source

SynWrite is a comprehensive and free source code editor for Windows, serving as an excellent Notepad replacement with robust features for various programming and web development tasks. It's designed for performance and extendibility, making it suitable for both novice and experienced developers.

Key Features

  • Free and open-source with no licensing costs.
  • Portable, enabling use on various machines without installation.
  • Highly customizable with extensive theme and configuration options.

vs GNU Emacs

Free and open-source with no licensing costs. compared to GNU Emacs
Textadept

Textadept

Open Source

Textadept is a powerful, free, and open-source text editor designed for programmers. Focusing on speed and extensibility, it offers a minimalist interface while providing robust features like syntax highlighting, code formatting, and a built-in terminal, all heavily customizable through Lua scripting.

Key Features

  • Extremely lightweight and fast performance.
  • Deeply customizable through Lua scripting.
  • Integrated terminal is highly convenient.

vs GNU Emacs

Extremely lightweight and fast performance. compared to GNU Emacs
Lime Text

Lime Text

Open Source

Lime Text is a community-driven, open-source text editor designed for programmers and web developers. It provides a clean and customizable interface with rich features for efficient coding, including syntax highlighting, distraction-free mode, and extensibility through plugins.

Key Features

  • Free and open-source: Accessible to everyone and modifiable.
  • Clean and distraction-free user interface.
  • Syntax highlighting for multiple languages.

vs GNU Emacs

Free and open-source: Accessible to everyone and modifiable. compared to GNU Emacs
Neovim

Neovim

Open Source

Neovim is a modern, extended version of the Vim text editor, focusing on usability, extensibility, and integration. It's designed for developers and power users seeking a highly customizable and efficient text editing experience, particularly within the terminal environment.

Key Features

  • Extremely efficient workflow through modal editing.
  • Highly customizable and extensible through configuration and plugins.
  • Excellent performance, especially for large files.

vs GNU Emacs

Extremely efficient workflow through modal editing. compared to GNU Emacs
Caret

Caret

Free

Caret is a robust and feature-rich text and code editor designed for the Chrome platform, offering advanced editing capabilities, syntax highlighting, and offline functionality for developers and writers.

Key Features

  • Excellent syntax highlighting for multiple languages.
  • Reliable offline functionality for uninterrupted work.
  • High degree of customization for personalized workflow.

vs GNU Emacs

Excellent syntax highlighting for multiple languages. compared to GNU Emacs
Editra

Editra

Open Source

Editra is a robust, cross-platform text editor designed with developers in mind. It's open-source, highly customizable through plugins, and features essential tools for coding like syntax highlighting, code completion, and an embedded terminal.

Key Features

  • Highly customizable through plugins.
  • Seamlessly works on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
  • Includes an integrated terminal for convenience.

vs GNU Emacs

Highly customizable through plugins. compared to GNU Emacs
wxMEdit

wxMEdit

Open Source

wxMEdit is a versatile cross-platform text and hex editor, serving as a powerful alternative to the discontinued MadEdit. Built on C++ and wxWidgets, it provides developers and advanced users with robust features for editing text files and binary data.

Key Features

  • Seamlessly integrates text and hex editing.
  • Lightweight and performs well with large files.
  • Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux).

vs GNU Emacs

Seamlessly integrates text and hex editing. compared to GNU Emacs
Aquamacs Emacs

Aquamacs Emacs

Open Source

Aquamacs Emacs is a robust, free, and open-source text editor specifically tailored for the macOS environment, built upon the powerful Emacs framework. It provides a familiar Mac experience while leveraging Emacs' extensive customization and feature set, making it ideal for developers across various programming languages.

Key Features

  • Excellent macOS integration reduces friction for Mac users.
  • Inherits the extensive power and flexibility of Emacs.
  • Highly customizable through Emacs Lisp and a vast package ecosystem.

vs GNU Emacs

Excellent macOS integration reduces friction for Mac users. compared to GNU Emacs
JOE

JOE

Open Source

JOE (Joe's Own Editor) is a venerable, full-featured terminal-based text editor known for its ease of use and extensive feature set, making it suitable for both casual editing and complex programming tasks within the command line environment.

Key Features

  • User-friendly for a terminal editor
  • Feature-rich
  • Lightweight and fast

vs GNU Emacs

User-friendly for a terminal editor compared to GNU Emacs
CotEditor

CotEditor

Open Source

CotEditor is a free and open-source text editor designed specifically for macOS. It offers a clean and intuitive interface, making it a lightweight yet powerful tool for plain text editing, coding, and more.

Key Features

  • Excellent performance and lightweight.
  • Native macOS application with deep system integration.
  • Clean and intuitive user interface.

vs GNU Emacs

Excellent performance and lightweight. compared to GNU Emacs
Zed Code Editor

Zed Code Editor

Open Source

Zed was a powerful, open-source code and text editor designed for developers who prioritized keyboard-centric workflows and offline capabilities. It aimed to provide a fast, responsive editing experience with advanced features like syntax highlighting, code completion, and integrated tools.

Key Features

  • Works completely offline.
  • Lightweight and performant.
  • Keyboard-centric for efficient editing.

vs GNU Emacs

Works completely offline. compared to GNU Emacs
GNOME Builder

GNOME Builder

Open Source

GNOME Builder is a modern, powerful, and user-friendly Integrated Development Environment (IDE) designed specifically for the GNOME desktop. It offers a comprehensive suite of tools for developing applications, websites, and other projects, with a strong focus on simplicity and integration within the GNOME ecosystem.

Key Features

  • Seamless integration with the GNOME desktop environment.
  • Clean, modern, and user-friendly interface.
  • Good performance and lightweight compared to some other IDEs.

vs GNU Emacs

Seamless integration with the GNOME desktop environment. compared to GNU Emacs
MadEdit

MadEdit

Open Source

MadEdit is a discontinued, cross-platform text and hex editor designed with developers in mind. It offers syntax highlighting, a hex editing mode, and various customization options within a lightweight, tabbed interface. While no longer maintained, it provided a range of features useful for coding and binary file manipulation.

Key Features

  • Integrated text and hex editing reduces the need for multiple applications.
  • Lightweight and responsive, even with larger files.
  • Cross-platform support allows for a consistent experience.

vs GNU Emacs

Integrated text and hex editing reduces the need for multiple applications. compared to GNU Emacs
HippoEDIT

HippoEDIT

Commercial

HippoEDIT is a robust yet lightweight text editor for Windows, designed for programmers and power users. It offers syntax highlighting for numerous languages, extensive customization options, and a feature set aimed at enhancing coding and text editing efficiency.

Key Features

  • Extremely lightweight and fast.
  • Comprehensive and customizable syntax highlighting.
  • Deep customization options for appearance and behavior.

vs GNU Emacs

Extremely lightweight and fast. compared to GNU Emacs

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