Following is a curated list of Top 15 source code and text editor software for Windows and Mac platforms. All the editors in the list are Free to use. The code editor could be standalone or integrated into an IDE. Best Free Code Editors for Windows & Mac 1) Notepad. Notepad is a popular free to use code editor written in C. A modern, open source text editor that understands web design. Download Brackets 1.14.2. Other Downloads. With focused visual tools and preprocessor support, Brackets is a modern text editor that makes it easy to design in the browser. It's crafted from the. There is no shortage of options for text editors geared towards developers on the Mac, but TextMate is our top pick. Despite its high price tag, it wins out thanks to its massive programming. A text editor is a program that is used for the purpose of editing plain text files. In the context of this question, a programming text editor is used for writing code and has features that help developers with their tasks, such as auto-indentation or automatic code formatting. Text editors are often mixed up with Integrated Development Environments (IDE) so it’s important to make the.
Python as a programming language finds application in many sectors like Business Intelligence, Database management, Data Science, Machine Learning and Deep Learning, etc. This language makes life easy for every coder around the globe. The codes that are written in this language are general English words that we use in our day to day life. Now, to decorate these codes we have written and get fancy colors in our texts along with code suggestions, there are many text editors present on the internet. These text editors help in making programs more attractive and easily understandable along with easy execution of the same.
Some best free and open-source text editors for Python coding along with their download links:
Pycharm- All Python Tools in one place
The first one of the best text editor to start programming with Python is Pycharm. It is IDE which contains all the essential libraries of python and one just needs to import the same from its environment. This text editor is very user friendly in nature. The OS platforms that it supports are Windows, MAC, and Linux. The text editor was built with the help of two programming languages namely Python and Java. It comes in two versions that are, a full-fledged version which is a paid version, and a community version that is free for users to download and work on. Other frameworks that this text editor supports are HTML, CSS, Javascript, Angular JS, etc. Also, there is a provision for debugging, testing, profiling, deployments in this text editor. The manufacturer of this amazing text editor is Jet Brains and the downloadable version of this IDE is present on their website.
- Platform: Supports Windows 10/8/7, macOS, and Linux
- Price: Free (open-source community version) and Professional cost $199.00/first year
Download PyCharm open source code editor
Spyder code editor
Spyder (Scientific Python development environment) is an amazing text editor that comes inbuilt with Anaconda installation that is a virtual Python installation. This text editor was built to make scientific Python related work easy. The editor is built using pyqt and therefore it can be used as an extension as well. It comes with some amazing features like editing, debugging, and data exploration within its environment. The text editor also provides a syntax highlighting feature that makes code very beautiful and understandable by the user. It also provides suggestions while writing codes and helps in code completion as and where necessary.
- Platform: Windows 10/8/7, macOS, and Linux
- Price: Free
Download Spyder Code editor for Python
Jupyter Notebook
JupyterLab is the most used open-source web-based text editor for carrying out Data Science related work and very good IPython editor where data visualization and Machine Learning related work can be performed. Also, the code written in this editor is very user friendly because of its cell provision feature. We can write a full code in different cells and can run the selected parts of it or delete the selected parts. The notebook is pip installable and is a part of the Jupyter Lab. You can extend its functionality using the plugins.
- Platform: Web + Windows 10/8/7, macOS, and Linux
- Price: Free
Install JupyterLab or access via web
Google Colab IPython console
Another one of the best web-based text editor or an IPython console that is available in the cloud. This is similar to the Jupyter notebook in its feature. The only difference that is present and is very unique is the provision of free GPU and TPU. People who don’t have a good GPU laptop can use Google Colaboratory’s free GPU and can run various Deep Learning programs. The GPU service available to the user is valid for 12 hours and after that, the user needs to again start his work. This cloud editor also contains all the important libraries of python like Numpy, Pandas, Scikitlearn, Tensorflow, Pytorch, etc. So, with this notebook being used there is no need to download Python packages separately.
- Platform: Web-based, thus support all available operating systems via the browser.
- Price: Free
Download Google Colab
Sublime Text – Code editor
This is a very lightweight and cool text editor that is free to all. This editor can be used for various programming languages like Python, Java, Perl, C#, C++, and many more. The user just needs to select his/her desired language he wants to work in from the dropdown options given in Sublime text and then start coding. This text editor also provides color highlighting to our codes. Because of this, the code looks beautiful and interactive. This text editor also has features like code auto-completion and syntax correction. This is one of the most used text editors by all Python developers.
- Platforms: This editor is compatible with all OS platforms like Windows 10/8/7, Linux, and Mac, etc.
- Price: Free
Visual Studio Code IDE
This is the standard widely used and one of the top free source-code editor for Python or carrying out any type of code development using various programming languages. It has plugins for various languages that we need to download and start our work. This text editor has Intelli sense property and helps in completing syntax based on function definition, types of variables, etc. Also, there is a syntax highlighting feature present in this editor. The interface is very interactive and provides multi-language support within its console. It is compatible with Git and one can easily commit operations in Git with the help of this text editor. Also, there is a multi-window split option in this editor which allows any developer to run different programs in parallel with others.
- Platforms supported: Windows 10/8/7, Linux, and macOS
- Price: Free
Download Visual Studio Code editor for free
Atom – Hackable code editor
Another free and open-source customizable text editor most preferred by Python developers. This web application is built using Node.js and supports various programming languages by downloading the respective plugins. Like all text editors mentioned above, this one also supports different OS and therefore possesses cross-platform functionality. It is also an open-source editor and can be downloaded from the website of Atom along with themes to change the look and feel of it.
- Platforms supported: Windows 10/8/7, Linux, and macOS
- Price: Free and open-source
Download Atom code editor
Conclusion
There are many more text editors that are present in the market and one can choose any text editor that he/she is comfortable with and can start their coding journey. So, before downloading please go through the proper documentation and the number of features the editor possess.
If you are a beginner and you want to learn a programming language, use a text editor. If you are really interested in learning, never use IDE at least in your initial phase of learning.
For more, you can read my previous article- the advantages of using the text editor over IDE for programming.
I did not say it blindly. Being a professional Python developer and having good sense and experience of programming I have my two cents of it.
If you are the novice programmer and if you really want to learn to program, here is the list of text editor you should use.
Best FREE Text Editors C/C++, Python, Java
If you Goole it, you can see the huge list of Text Editors available to download. It’s like creating more confusion for newbies. There are always pros and cons to each text editor. To avoid the confusion of new programmers, I am just listing 3 text editors which I personally use.
Listing here some of my favorite text editors you should start with, without giving any other thoughts.
1. Notepad / Notepad++
Notepad comes preinstalled on Windows. It is the most simple text editor. It does not have a syntax highlight feature.
Notepad++ comes with basic syntax highlight features.
The best think about Notepad++, it resumes the last job. If you missed saving any file in Notepad++, it will be resumed when you open the notepad++ editor.
You can download install Notepad++. It is available free.
Download Link: Notepad++
2. Sublime Text Editor
When it comes to windows, it is my first choice. This text editor is specially built for coding and has good support. Again, it is available for free to use.
It supports syntax highlighting features for most basic programming languages like C/C++, Python, Java…
The portable version of the sublime editor is also available. You can download it and use it without installing it on your system.
Download Link: Sublime Text
3. vi / vim
Best Free Mac Text Editor
If you are using any of the Linux distribution, Vim comes preinstalled with most of the today Linux distribution. It is my favorite. Even I use it for my project development purpose.
The vi and vim text editor also highlight the syntax. You can turn off or on highlighting the syntax in vim.
What is the Best Text Editor for Linux?
If you are really interested in learning and mastering any programming language, move to Linux. Ubuntu is most suitable to start with. Ubuntu has vim preinstalled.
Other than vim, you can use the sublime text editor as well.
What is the Best Text Editor for Windows?
Windows is the most populate operating system and it is widely used.
On Windows, you can use Notepad++ or Sublime Text editor. It is difficult to realize the difference between two unless you use and feel it.
Mac Text Editor Default
The Sublime text editor comes with more programming features. I personally use it.
What is the Best text editor for Mac?
I am not a big fan of the iOS echo system when it comes to programming. If you are a Mac user, you can use a Sublime Text editor.
Note: Sublime text editor is available for Linux, Windows, and Mac. If you purchase the pro version, you need a single license to run it on any of the systems you own. Even, you can use the free version which is more than sufficient in your learning phase.
Online Simple HTML Editor
These all text editors I have mentioned are open source. And you are free to use them. If you are a front-end developer and looking for a simple text editor, you can use our simple online HTML editor for FREE.
Want to improve your programming skills?
Now you have installed the best suitable Text Editor on your system. Are you destined to learn some real programming stuff?
Here is the list of 50+ coding questions you should practice. It consists of all the coding questions you need to start learning and mastering any programming language. Most of the questions are already asked in many job interviews.
Create a directory in your system and start writing code for one question at a time.
You can only master any programming language by Practicing as much as you can. It does not matter how many programming books you read.
So, what’s stopping you now?
Fasten your seatbelts and go on log drive. I am waiting for you there… 😀
Wrapping Up
These are all my choices for Best FREE Text Editors for Programming.
IDE is built solely for programming. I am not denying this fact. When you want to build some projects, you need extra programming features to skyrocket your project development. For example, for developing the Python project, PyCharm is the best. I use it.
But if you are a novice to the programming, it is more about learning. And learning comes with an understanding of each programming aspects. The text editor is what you need.
What’s your experience and thought of learning to code using the text editor?