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Notepad++ Alternatives for Windows

Looking for Notepad++ alternatives? We've curated 38 top alternatives that offer similar functionality. Whether you need Windows options, free plans, or open source solutions, explore our comprehensive list to find the perfect fit for your needs.

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Notepad++ Alternatives

Below you'll find the best alternatives to Notepad++. We've analyzed these options based on features, user ratings, and compatibility to help you find the right solution. Each alternative offers unique advantages that might better suit your specific needs and budget.

Sublime Text

Sublime Text

Freemium Development Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Exceptional performance and speed compared to Notepad++
Commercial software (requires purchase for continued use after evaluation) unlike Notepad++
Vim

Vim

Open Source Development Text Editor

Vim is an advanced, highly configurable text editor designed for efficiency, particularly favored by developers. Operating primarily in the terminal, it offers powerful editing capabilities through keyboard commands, syntax highlighting, and extensive plugin support, making it a cornerstone tool for programming and advanced text manipulation.

Unique Features

  • Extremely efficient for text editing once mastered.
  • Highly customizable and extensible with a vast plugin ecosystem.
  • Lightweight and available on almost all platforms.

Compared to Notepad++

Extremely efficient for text editing once mastered. compared to Notepad++
Steep learning curve requires significant time investment. unlike Notepad++
Atom

Atom

Open Source Development Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Highly customizable and extensible through a vast package ecosystem. compared to Notepad++
Can be less performant compared to some native editors, especially with many packages or large files. unlike Notepad++
gedit

gedit

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Very user-friendly and easy to learn compared to Notepad++
Lacks advanced features of full IDEs (debugging, robust project management) unlike Notepad++
Geany

Geany

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Lightweight and fast performance, even with large files. compared to Notepad++
Debugging features are less integrated compared to full IDEs. unlike Notepad++
Brackets

Brackets

Open Source Development Code Editor

Brackets is a modern, open-source code editor specifically designed for web development. Built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, it prioritizes a streamlined workflow with its innovative features like Live Preview and inline editors, making front-end development more intuitive and efficient.

Unique Features

  • Excellent Live Preview feature for real-time visual feedback.
  • Inline Editors improve workflow by keeping related code together.
  • Specifically designed and optimized for front-end web development.

Compared to Notepad++

Excellent Live Preview feature for real-time visual feedback. compared to Notepad++
Primary focus is on front-end web development; less feature-rich for other languages. unlike Notepad++
GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs

Open Source Development Text Editor

GNU Emacs is a highly extensible and customizable text editor, renowed for its powerful features and ability to serve as a complete development environment. It is based on the Emacs Lisp programming language, allowing for deep customization and a vast ecosystem of packages.

Unique Features

  • Highly customizable and extensible through Emacs Lisp.
  • Vast ecosystem of packages for added functionality.
  • Can serve as a comprehensive development environment.

Compared to Notepad++

Highly customizable and extensible through Emacs Lisp. compared to Notepad++
Steep learning curve. unlike Notepad++
Komodo Edit

Komodo Edit

Open Source Development Text Editor

Komodo Edit is a powerful yet lightweight text editor specifically designed for dynamic programming languages. It offers a comprehensive suite of features for developers working with languages like Python, PHP, JavaScript, and Perl, providing smart editing tools, a customizable interface, and extensibility through plugins.

Unique Features

  • Free and open source with no licensing costs.
  • Optimized with rich features for dynamic programming languages.
  • Lightweight and performant, suitable for various system configurations.

Compared to Notepad++

Free and open source with no licensing costs. compared to Notepad++
Lacks the deep integrated debugging found in full IDEs. unlike Notepad++
PSPad

PSPad

Free Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Free and open-source. compared to Notepad++
User interface feels somewhat dated. unlike Notepad++
Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code

Open Source Development Source Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Free and open-source, making it accessible to everyone. compared to Notepad++
Can become resource-intensive with a large number of extensions installed. unlike Notepad++
Kate

Kate

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique 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.

Compared to Notepad++

Feature-rich with advanced tools like built-in terminal and regex support. compared to Notepad++
Initial learning curve for users new to highly configurable editors. unlike Notepad++
UltraEdit

UltraEdit

Commercial Development Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Handles extremely large files efficiently. compared to Notepad++
Can be expensive compared to free alternatives. unlike Notepad++
SciTE

SciTE

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Extremely lightweight and fast performance. compared to Notepad++
User interface can feel dated compared to modern editors. unlike Notepad++
Bluefish Editor

Bluefish Editor

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique 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.

Compared to Notepad++

Very lightweight and fast, ideal for quick editing and less powerful systems. compared to Notepad++
Debugger is relatively basic compared to full IDEs. unlike Notepad++
WriteMonkey

WriteMonkey

Freemium Development Distraction-Free Writing

WriteMonkey is a portable, full-screen writing environment designed for distraction-free composition. It emphasizes a minimal user interface to help writers focus solely on their text.

Unique Features

  • Excellent for focused, distraction-free writing.
  • Highly customizable appearance despite its minimalist design.
  • Portable, no installation required.

Compared to Notepad++

Excellent for focused, distraction-free writing. compared to Notepad++
Plain text editor limitations for complex formatting. unlike Notepad++
jEdit

jEdit

Open Source Development Text Editor

jEdit is a mature, feature-rich text editor written in Java. It's highly extensible via plugins and suitable for programmers and general text editing tasks across various operating systems.

Unique Features

  • Highly extensible through a large plugin ecosystem.
  • Excellent cross-platform compatibility due to being written in Java.
  • Powerful search and replace functionality, including regular expressions.

Compared to Notepad++

Highly extensible through a large plugin ecosystem. compared to Notepad++
Steeper learning curve compared to simpler text editors. unlike Notepad++
VSCodium

VSCodium

Open Source Development Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Completely free and open source compared to Notepad++
Extension availability may differ from official VS Code Marketplace unlike Notepad++
Programmer's Notepad

Programmer's Notepad

Open Source Development Desktop Software

Programmer's Notepad is a fast and lightweight text editor designed specifically for programmers and developers. It offers extensive syntax highlighting for numerous programming languages, a powerful search and replace engine with regular expression support, and a highly customizable environment. Ideal for those seeking a free, open-source, and portable code editing solution.

Unique Features

  • Very fast and lightweight, loads quickly.
  • Excellent syntax highlighting for numerous languages.
  • Powerful search and replace with regular expressions.

Compared to Notepad++

Very fast and lightweight, loads quickly. compared to Notepad++
User interface feels somewhat dated compared to modern editors. unlike Notepad++
TextPad

TextPad

Commercial Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Lightweight and fast performance compared to Notepad++
Lacks integrated debugging and advanced IDE features unlike Notepad++
Light Table

Light Table

Open Source Development Code Editor

Light Table is an innovative code editor designed to provide developers with instant feedback and a deeper connection to their code. It offers a clean and customizable interface, focusing on interactive development and visualizing data flow.

Unique Features

  • Provides instant feedback on code changes.
  • Visualizes data flow and values within the editor.
  • Highly customizable interface and workflow.

Compared to Notepad++

Provides instant feedback on code changes. compared to Notepad++
Development can be inconsistent at times. unlike Notepad++
EditPad Lite

EditPad Lite

Free Personal Development Text Editor

EditPad Lite is a free text editor designed for Windows, offering essential text editing features and serving as an excellent replacement for Notepad. It supports large files, multiple languages, and a tabbed interface, making basic text manipulation simple and efficient for non-commercial users.

Unique Features

  • Excellent replacement for Notepad with enhanced features.
  • Handles large text files effectively.
  • Tabbed interface improves multitasking.

Compared to Notepad++

Excellent replacement for Notepad with enhanced features. compared to Notepad++
Limited advanced features found in full-featured editors. unlike Notepad++
ReText

ReText

Open Source Development Text Editor

ReText is a straightforward yet effective text editor designed primarily for authoring documents in Markdown and reStructuredText. It provides essential features like live preview and syntax highlighting, making it a suitable choice for writers and developers who prefer lightweight, plain text formats.

Unique Features

  • Excellent Live Preview for Markdown and reStructuredText
  • Lightweight and Fast Performance
  • Clear and Effective Syntax Highlighting

Compared to Notepad++

Excellent Live Preview for Markdown and reStructuredText compared to Notepad++
Limited Feature Set Compared to General Purpose Editors unlike Notepad++
NINJA-IDE

NINJA-IDE

Open Source Development IDE

NINJA-IDE is a free and open-source, cross-platform integrated development environment specifically designed for Python development. It offers a range of features to improve productivity, including syntax highlighting, code completion, debugging tools, and a built-in terminal. Its extensible architecture allows for customization through plugins and themes.

Unique Features

  • Lightweight and performs well
  • Strong focus on Python development
  • Highly customizable through themes and plugins

Compared to Notepad++

Lightweight and performs well compared to Notepad++
Plugin ecosystem may be less mature than larger IDEs unlike Notepad++
EditPlus

EditPlus

Commercial Development Text Editor

EditPlus is a versatile text editor for Windows, designed for programmers and web developers. It offers robust syntax highlighting, FTP/SFTP connectivity, and tools for HTML editing, making it a solid choice for a wide range of coding tasks.

Unique Features

  • Lightweight and fast performance
  • Robust syntax highlighting
  • Integrated FTP/SFTP functionality

Compared to Notepad++

Lightweight and fast performance compared to Notepad++
User interface is less modern than some newer editors unlike Notepad++
RJ TextEd

RJ TextEd

Free Development Text Editor

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

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Comprehensive feature set for a freeware editor. compared to Notepad++
User interface might appear dated compared to newer editors. unlike Notepad++
Textadept

Textadept

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Extremely lightweight and fast performance. compared to Notepad++
Requires some familiarity with Lua scripting for deep customization. unlike Notepad++
SynWrite

SynWrite

Open Source Development Code Editor

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.

Unique 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.

Compared to Notepad++

Free and open-source with no licensing costs. compared to Notepad++
Primarily focused on the Windows operating system. unlike Notepad++
Lime Text

Lime Text

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Free and open-source: Accessible to everyone and modifiable. compared to Notepad++
Still under active development, may lack some advanced features found in mature editors. unlike Notepad++
Neovim

Neovim

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Extremely efficient workflow through modal editing. compared to Notepad++
Steep learning curve for new users. unlike Notepad++
QOwnNotes

QOwnNotes

Open Source Backup & Sync Note-Taking

QOwnNotes is a powerful yet simple open-source plain-text note-taking and to-do list application with Markdown support, designed for seamless integration with ownCloud and Nextcloud instances while also offering standalone functionality.

Unique Features

  • Uses plain-text for maximum compatibility and future-proofing.
  • Excellent Markdown support with live preview.
  • Seamless and private synchronization with ownCloud/Nextcloud.

Compared to Notepad++

Uses plain-text for maximum compatibility and future-proofing. compared to Notepad++
Requires manual configuration for advanced features like cloud sync. unlike Notepad++
HTML-Kit

HTML-Kit

Commercial Development IDE

HTML-Kit is a robust HTML editor for Microsoft Windows, designed for web developers who need a feature-rich environment for coding in HTML, XHTML, PHP, and JavaScript. It offers a blend of essential tools and extensibility through plugins.

Unique Features

  • Extensible through a robust plugin system
  • Strong focus on HTML and XHTML editing
  • Good set of core code editing features (syntax highlighting, completion, indentation)

Compared to Notepad++

Extensible through a robust plugin system compared to Notepad++
Development status or support might vary depending on the specific version. unlike Notepad++
Editra

Editra

Open Source Development Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Highly customizable through plugins. compared to Notepad++
Plugin quality and availability can vary. unlike Notepad++
wxMEdit

wxMEdit

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Seamlessly integrates text and hex editing. compared to Notepad++
Plugin ecosystem is not as extensive as some larger editors. unlike Notepad++
JOE

JOE

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

User-friendly for a terminal editor compared to Notepad++
Learning curve if new to terminal editors unlike Notepad++
TweakStyle

TweakStyle

Commercial Development Code Editor

TweakStyle is an advanced code editor meticulously crafted for web developers. It simplifies the process of creating and fine-tuning web projects with a focus on HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, offering powerful features like live preview, code completion, and integrated tools.

Unique Features

  • Excellent live preview for instant feedback.
  • Strong support for HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
  • Integrated FTP client streamlines deployment.

Compared to Notepad++

Excellent live preview for instant feedback. compared to Notepad++
Focus is primarily front-end; may require other tools for full-stack. unlike Notepad++
Zed Code Editor

Zed Code Editor

Open Source Development Code Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Works completely offline. compared to Notepad++
Project is discontinued, no future updates or support. unlike Notepad++
MadEdit

MadEdit

Open Source Development Text Editor

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.

Unique 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.

Compared to Notepad++

Integrated text and hex editing reduces the need for multiple applications. compared to Notepad++
Development is discontinued, meaning no future updates or bug fixes. unlike Notepad++
HippoEDIT

HippoEDIT

Commercial Development Text Editor

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.

Unique Features

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

Compared to Notepad++

Extremely lightweight and fast. compared to Notepad++
User interface feels dated compared to modern editors. unlike Notepad++

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