Best Text Editors for Mac – In comes the evolution of Computing, from desktop to remote – mainframes have been converted to smart watches. Even the ambiguity of desktop computing from Microsoft is shifted to its hardcore competitor Apple. Personal Computers vs. MAC have had always been a scenario of competition. And in the recent times, usage of MAC have had comparatively increased; you will need some working applications in it. And the first thing that comes and pops in mind is Text Editors for MAC. If you are a hardcore user of computers or Mac, then definitely the need of text editor is something which would be inevitable for you. The functions these text editors for MAC play for you are universally needed for every Mac user. Whether it is a note taking or doing programming and coding, such kinds of functions are what a text editor does for you.

What you need is a good laptop that comes with Best Text Editors, which is a free writing tool that offers no distraction. Hence owning best text editors will do half of your work. Every operating system has in built text editor like for Windows OS it is Notepad; OS X has Text Edit whereas in iOS you have Notes. And when we talk about Mac, then we have huge options of Best Text Editors for MAC to choose from. The Best Free and Paid Text Editors for Mac are the ones that serve basic purpose or goal that is writing of codes and designing your own websites making our text editing work easy for us.

Plain text mode is not the default mode in TextEdit on your Mac. TextEdit was designed to be a rich text editor. In TextEdit, you can apply various fonts to your text, change the size and color of text, and apply another formatting like centering, line spacing, and bulleted lists. Evernote has apps for Windows 7 and 8, Windows 10, Mac, Android, iOS (both iPhone and iPad), Blackberry, and Windows Phone. It also has a fully functional web app and chrome plug-in. No matter what device or platform you're on, you will pretty much always be able to access Evernote. Install the Atom text editor, then install the Atom Notes extension. This is based on Notational Velocity and supports many of the same features. If you use Atom already, this is a great option that also works on Windows and Mac. Related: 6 of the Best Note-taking Apps for iOS in 2018.

What exactly is a Text Editor?

If we have to define a text editor, then it can be regarded as a program that basically serves the purpose of editing the plain text files usually. Apart from a normal text editor which normally is used for just for text editing and formatting, you will find another sort of text editors too and that is “Programming Text Editor” as well that are used for writing the codes and help an individual to develop their tasks of designing that includes indentation or code formatting. So in comes the Text Editors for Programming in MAC, which is used not only write and edit codes but are specialized in editing any programming languages that may even extend to debugging.

Best text editor for mac 2018

However you can go back to this preference window and select Rich Text instead if you want to go with mac default text editor. Of note, you can also use this preference window to set other default options like Mac built in text editor. If you ever make too many changes and want to revert to the original settings like mac textedit, just click Restore All Defaults settings. There are many 3rd party text editor mac download available dedicated to plain text and coding like BBEdit, TextWrangler, TextMate, Sublime Text and more. These are listed as best text editor for mac 2018.

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So, it becomes even more important to choose for text editors that are more capable and have a better potential for editing text. The best text editors are the ones which come with features like more and exceeded number of plug-ins that could increase productivity and speed as well, the ones that are fast, and portable and are extendable. So let’s pick up for you some out of the box 15 Best and Versatile Text Editors for Mac which are actually powerful. Follow this guide for text editor mac download for free,

Best Text Editors for Mac OS 2018

1 : BRACKETS

Bracket is one of the most commonly used text editor for Mac that comes for free, looks like mac default text editor. It is also simple text editor mac. It is an open source text editor which has till date maintained its big name in tech industry and amongst the users of MAC. The feature that makes this editor distinguished from others is its elegant interface with which it comes by default. Apart from that, it has a unique feature called as “Extract” that allows one to grab different fonts along with measurements, colors and gradients. This selection can be made from a PSD file into a clean CSS file that is already ready to use for web page. Some of the other features that Brackets are used for are the extension support that includes huge library, inline editors, and also gives preview option to view your texts and codes.

text editor for mac free download – To get this versatile text editor now, follow the link- http://brackets.io/

2 : Text Wrangler

After Brackets if there is a text editor which almost every MAC user know is -Text Wrangler. This text editor for MAC can be considered as the second most popular text editor that has come from the stores of Bare Bones. Though second popular in MAC, this text editor is comparatively more famous text editor for OS X. This text editor can be considered as the light weight version of BBEdit. Text wrangler stands apart from the other text editors as, instead of being a hardcore programming tool and editor that is needed by most of the developers, it focuses more on the people who would need general editing like to change the order of text to columns in a CSV.

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/brain-wave-app-mac.html. It is mostly used by a server admin that requires writing the script comes with the same features you find in mac built in text editor. Also if you are one of the geek who recently shifted from Windows PC to make, I will suggest you to go ahead with Text Wrangler. Now this is because of the similarities Text Wrangler shares in its functionalities with Notepad. This too like Bracket is a free tool and is a must try and a must have editor that serves basic function of text editing and manipulating of text. You can download this text editor from the link below- Get Text Wrangler

3 : BBEdit 11

How many times have you thought of a material or a product to be called as a Holy Grail? Well here it is! Geeks call this text editor – BBEdit 11 as the Holy Grail for Mac. It is designed by the same company Bare Bones and claims this text editor as the most potential one. This comes with extremely rich and powerful text and HTML editor and is specially developed for web developers. This tool offers features like editing at advanced level, searching, manipulation of text etc. Using this tool the user can command files, folders and other text from just single software. This tool has special feature of boasting the largest syntax text support and you can even provide color to your coding for easy doing of your work.

BBEdit 11 comes with various packages versions and you can pick one according to your needs. As just said, it’s one of those text editors for MAC which is treated as a programming virtue too along with a normal text editing sequence. You can get this product from- Get BBEdit

4 : Text Mate Editor

Text Mate is another great tool for People using text editors in MAC systems that actually bring approach of Apple towards operating system into the advanced world of text editors. This tool is more powerful for UNIX command and comes with neat and easy to use GUI. Text Mate editor tool is designed for both programmers and amateurs code users. It includes features like search and replace within your task or project, allows auto-indentation, column selection, word completion from recent documents, dynamic completion, along with regular expression support. With use of this text editor one can incorporate Xcode support and can even build complete Xcode projects. You can also select from various themes available which give this text editor a visual look. Don’t forget, if you need integration of UNIX commands along with MAC this tool can be just everything that you want.

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You can get this unique text editor from following link- Get Text mate

5 : Sublime Text Editor

Sublime Text Editor is another extremely powerful text editor that comes with one of the best and impressive interface. If you want a simple and easy to use Tet Editor which looks clean and simple, sublime is the one for you. It is included in those few text editors that support prose equally as codes and mark up. A sublime text editor comes with the fastest search engine and has many short cuts through which this software can be operated. This tool also has powerful plug in known as API, the plug in that is customized according to needs of user. If you want to use its full version you will have to pay a certain amount but still you can utilize its most of the features with its free version. Sublime is also one of the best text editor for mac programming.

You can get this tool from the link below- SubLime Download

6 : Atom Text Editor

This text editor named as Atom is one the newest one in the business and can be counted in as the most advanced text editor in recent times. Atom Text Editor has joined the list of best text editors for Mac and has already left its mark in being quite capable and powerful tool. Atom too is a free and open source text editing tool and is maintained through one of the well-known repository – GitHub. It also includes the huge and massive user submitted package library. Its main specs include file system browser, fuzzy search of text, provides multiple panes to do editing, can do code folding. It also allows multiple selection of quick editing and supports many themes that are built in with extension library. Atom is good for best text editor for mac python.

You can get this free text editing tool from following link- Get Atom

7 : Textastic

We were talking of Text editor being versatile is also something which is required. Well if you are looking versatility, for all the Apple users, this text editor has got some good news for you as this is not available only for Mac but is also available for iPhone and iPad. One of the most important feature of Textastic is, it is a cross platform code editor that comes for free. It has bunch of features in it for programmers like you can do cloud syncing for all your tasks, so that even if you are working on Mac you can easily switch to your other Apple devices and continue from exactly where you left off. If you want to perform on-the-go edits then this is the excellent tool for this purpose and even fixes your texts very quickly. It is a versatile tool that supports about 80 coding and mark up languages. Textastic is best web text editors for mac.

You can get this tool of text editor from the link below- Get Textastic

8 : Ultra Edit Text Editor

This text editor is designed by IDM Computer Solutions, the company which has already established its name when it comes for developing user friendly software. Its main highlighting feature lies in its capability of supporting HTML, PHP, JavaScript, C and C++, Perl, Python and many more other programming and coding language. This editing tool features syntax code, both column and block editing, and file or data storage as well. Not just this, you also get an Ultra edit tool that comes with an integrated ftp client and also supports SSH or telnet. Quite advanced no? Well if this is that advanced, you won’t get it for free and that is a normal virtue.

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You will have to pay some buck to use its features but trust me that would be worth paying. So to get this editing tool click the link below- Get Ultra Edit

9 : Code Runner 2

Well, let me tell you upfront that this text editor tool is not free for use but is a good looking editing tool that comes with a little amount to pay. If you are a dedicated code editor or programmer, then you must not look for something else but go for Code Runner Text Editor that is provided by Mac at its best. It offers feature like versatile themes to choose from like in Text mate, so that you can customize your text in best possible way. Its other specs include- navigation symbols, auto complete words, and if SQL is what you are working for then it gives you bracket matching, argument execution with in-built input texts, and lastly an interactive console to make your text editing work easy going. CodeRunner 2 is good programming text editors for mac.

You can get this tool from following link below- Get Code Runner 2

10 : Mac Vim Text Editor

It is a version of Vim text editor only that is now listed for Mac users especially for OS X. Though it comes with primitive graphical interface when compared to others but still is a tool with full package. Well, what will excite you more about this text editor is its unique thing of bringing standard shortcuts of OS X keyboard and hence lessens the learning curve. You can choose from any transparent background themes available and also supports screen mode for full free distraction coding and editing. Mac Vim is one such tool that supports multiple windows and tabs and comes with fully loaded ODB too.

You can get this tool for free and to own it download it from the following link- Get VIM

11 : Coda 2

Till now we have discussed very nicely about all the text editors that are free as well as paid, few were core text editors and few were programming and scripting oriented. And not just this, we have a further list to go. But let me make an addition in between and introduce you to another versatile Text Editor for MAC which can be used for websites development and provides you with a command line terminal as well. And the name is, Coda 2.

Well, in the list mentioned above were the editors that can be used for general purpose but if we talk about Coda 2, it is a hard core tool used by developers to develop their websites. This one is famous as horse of a different color tool that is specifically designed for website designers and ones who are involved in programming, hence cannot be used by amateur. It offers you with simplified way to write and edit your codes as it comes with combined features like FTP client, web preview of your engine and even access to command line terminal. Its other features include code folding, advanced UI, source code that is manageable with Git or SVN. This editor also has MySQL available within it. This is an easy to use interface tool that will make your web editing work easy.

This is a paid text editing tool but if you want your website designing done in best way possible, you can get this tool from- Get Code 2

12 : Smultron 8

From creating quick notes to edit any text document or designing of web page, a single tool that allows you to access to all its features is Smultron. Smultron 8 is the most advanced in series of Smultron and is easy to use, powerful and quick text editor. Using this tool will save your time and get your task done fast as it is very intuitive. It has many in-built tools, through which you can edit your text, get access to your documents, and even write codes in your own language along with available translations. You can also store your work in iCloud and sync to your Mac. It comes with syntax colors that offers 120 different coding language, regular expressions, and text snippets and supports commands and line numbers. Though it is not that famous and is still in more or less in its beta stage, but for me it is worth a use, so don’t wait up. Do try it once.

You can download this tool from- Get Smultron

13 : Emacs

A text editor, which is self-documenting and contains a powerful file manager and entirely keyboard customizable, this one can actually be something you were looking for so long. Emacs, the extensible and customizable text editor is a self-documenting and real time editor is made for all the Windows and OSX users. It comes with a wide variety of specifications with Emacs Lisp as its extension language. It has a powerful file manager that allows it to differentiate between two records. After its striking property of being customizable, one of its main pros is that it can be controlled entirely by keyboard. Even if you are a Vim user, Emacs allows you to move in its universe, with a thorough documentation and built in extensive support. It also provides its users with text objects and Visual selection, a feature of Vim. Emacs thus is a perfect combination of some great features of different text editors, and total customizability tops it all.

You can get Emacs from the blow link, and make changes according to your wish. Get Emacs

14 : Spacemacs

You are now familiar with Emacs, but a rather polished and sophisticated form of Emacs is Spacemacs, which focuses on mnemonics, ergonomics and consistency. Its cross editor platform allows it to run on Windows, Mac OS X and Gnu/Linux. Since space bar is by default used as the leader key over here, it is named as Spacemac. The responsive and user friendly community of Spacemacs allows usage by the users of both Vim and Emacs, while the two editing styles can also be mixed. Spacemacs is an awesome tool for pair programming as it can switch easily between two input styles. Its documentation is not only comprehensive but can also be accessed directly in Org format in this text editor, as it is arranged in various configuration layers.

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You can experience this new version of Emacs aka Spacemac by downloading it from the following link: Get Spacemacs

15 : Notepad++ – Best Open Source Text Editor for Mac OS

Notepad++ is an open source text editor, and comes for free for Windows Users. It is a powerful and extensive alternative of Notepad. But the features of the light and fast text editor can be enjoyed by only Windows user. For those who cannot even wait for a minute to start with the program, the GPL licensed Notepad++ is the best option. With syntax highlight it can select a wide range of programming language. The editor also proves to be helpful when you have to edit more than one line at a time; yes it comes with multi-line editing feature. Notepad++ can be configured at any computer and the way you want it to be, since its portable version is also available. For this you should need to have the editor in your drop box account or on your flash drive.

If you are looking for higher execution speed, then download Notepad++ from the below link: Get Notepad++

There is no lack of options for texteditors geared towards developers on the Mac, but TextMate is our top pick. It wins out because of its massive programming language syntax support, beneficial code snippets, expandability, and integration using the OS X terminal.

Conclusion: So here were the all-time-favorites, must use, versatile and powerful text editors available for your Mac Machine. You may get a bundle of such tools but these are our best picks and highly recommended Text Editors for Mac, that one must try for to fulfill their purpose of programming, web designing or another general purpose. Go on, try them, you will not be disappointed rather will have a smooth experience of text editing is your MAC device. Write to us if you need any further recommendation or any other info.

Text editors, sometimes called code editors, are an essential tool when working with code.

Modern text editors provide a host of tools and features to help you modify code such as syntax highlighting for multiple languages, built-in file uploads, error reporting, search and replace and more.

Whether you are a full time web developer, or a website owner that needs to make a few quick edits to a template, you will appreciate how useful text editors can be.

In this article, we would like to show you what we at Design Bombs consider to be the best text editors of 2020.

1. TextPad (FREE Evaluation / $27)

Platforms: Windows

TextPad is a flexible text editor for Windows that features a built-in file manager, a search and replace engine and a keystroke macro recorder.

It allows drag and drop editing between files and works well with large files too.

I have actively used TextPad since my University days in the 90s and it remains one of my favourite website applications. You can download TextPad free of charge for evaluation, but the developers ask that you upgrade for $27 if you decide to continue using it.

2. Atom (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Atom is an open source text editor that is available for multiple platforms. It is free to download.

It features a file system browser, find and replace and smart auto-completion. Atom also allows you to work with Git and GitHub directly within the editor.

New features and functionality can be added using its built-in package manager and it comes with eight dark and light themes.

3. Sublime Text (FREE Evaluation / $80)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Sublime Text is a gorgeous multi-platform text editor that has many useful shortcut commands to improve efficiency. It can be used to find code within files in seconds.

It has a dedicated package manager that helps you install thousands of community-created packages to add more features. Multi-window editing is supported too.

Sublime Text can be downloaded free of charge for evaluation. A premium license costs $80 and comes with three years of updates.

4. Espresso (FREE Trial / $99)

Platforms: Mac

Espresso is a versatile code editor for Mac that supports custom code snippets, multi-file editing and tabbed workspaces.

Dozens of plugin extensions and syntax themes are available to help you add functionality and improve the look and feel of the app. CSS editing tools are available too.

The application is available for $99.

5. Vim (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android

Evolved from the Atari ST’s popular ST Editor, Vim is flexible open source text editor that has 12 different editing modes. This includes a visual mode that highlights area of text, a command line mode and an easy mode.

Hundreds of programming languages are supported and there are a large number of plugin extensions available that add additional functionality.

6. Visual Studio Code (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor is a stylish multi-platform text editor that is free to download.

It features auto-complete, syntax highlighting and debugging.

Git commands are built into the editor so that you can push and pull requests. A number of extensions are also available so that you can add new languages, themes and tools.

7. Brackets (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Brackets is an open source text editor that features inline editing, live previews, quick edits and live highlighting.

A host of extensions are available that add functionality such as indenting, Git integration, W3C validation and JavaScript, HTML and CSS formatting.

8. Coda ($99)

Platforms: Mac

Designed for Mac users, Coda is an useful text editor that has a built-in file and SSH manager.

It has colourful syntax highlighting, CSS overriding and advanced syncing between devices. MacBook Pro users can also switch between editor and preview mode using their laptop touch bar.

9. Code Editor ($24.99)

Platforms: iOS

Designed for iPad and iPhone, Code Editor is a beautiful text editing solution from Panic, the same company behind Coda.

It features a dual file browser, SSH terminal support and unique editing modes for Shell, SQL, Swift and more.

Code Editor is available from the Apple app store for $24.99.

10. UltraEdit (FREE Trial / $79.95 Per Year)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

UltraEdit is a multi-platform text editor that has built-in FTP, SSH and Telnet managers.

A host of themes are included with UltraEdit and it boasts multi-code select and advanced file searching. It supports large files too and the editor has been designed to work with high resolution displays.

A 30 day free trial is available for UltraEdit. Once the trial has expired, it costs $79.95 per year.

11. BBEdit (FREE Trial / $49.99)

Platforms: Mac

Developed for Mac, BBEdit is a useful text editor that features an advanced search and replace engine and a built-in file manager and FTP manager.

A unix command-line tool is also available and there is integration support for Git, Subversion and AppleScript.

BBEdit retails at $49.99, however you can download it free of charge and test it for 30 days.

12. TextMate($56)

Platforms: Mac

Another text editor that Apple users should check out is TextMate.

It offers multiple caret editing, version control, code snippets, macro recording, folding sections and shell integration. Custom actions, custom themes and extensible bundles are also available.

Although TextMate is open source, the product is sold commercially for $56.

13. Codeshare (FREE)

Platforms: Online

Codeshare is a free online text editor that lets you write, edit and share code with friends and colleagues.

It can be used to teach code to others and share code. Many companies also use the tool to set coding tasks for interviewees.

14. CoffeeCup (FREE / $29)

Platforms: Windows

CoffeeCup is a popular HTML editor for Windows that has a large components library and a built-in W3C markup validation tool.

A split-screen preview pane allows you to see what your HTML and CSS code will generate. There is also a tags tab that has references for (X)HTML, PHP, and CSS tags.

A free version of CoffeeCup is available with less features, with the full version retailing at $29.

15. Komodo Edit & Komodo IDE (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Komodo Edit is a free text editor that features auto-complete, skins and icon sets and a change tracker.

Komodo IDE is a superior alternative from the same developers that has a visual debugger, version control, workflow management, syntax highlighting and a host of add-ons to extend functionality.

16. CodePen (FREE / $8 Per Month)

Platforms: Online

One of the largest coding communities online, CodePen is a free online code tool that allows users to share and test HTML, CSS and JavaScript code snippets.

The CodePen text editor looks great, highlighting syntax code with many colours.

The majority of CodePen features are free to use, however premium plans are available from $8 per month that remove advertisements and add features such as live view and unrestricted theme embedding with custom CSS.

Best Editor For Mac

17. Codeanywhere (FREE Trial / $2.50 Per Month)

Platforms: Online

Codeanywhere is a cloud code editing and sharing solution that lets you edit code remotely and move and copy files and folders across FTP, Google Drive, Dropbox and more.

Its text editor has syntax highlighting for over 75 programming languages and features split panes, grid mode, multiple cursors and custom themes. It also supports file revisions and has a built-in terminal console.

A 7 day free trial is available to help you test the service, with premium plans starting from $2.50 per month.

18. Notepad++ (FREE)

Platforms: Windows

Notepad++ is an open source Windows text editor that offers syntax highlighting, scripting, auto-complete, macro recording and split screen editing.

Over 140 plugin extensions are available that let you add functionality such as W3C validation, text sorting and quote handling.

The application is free to download.

19. WeBuilder ($59.95)

Platforms: Windows

Creators for Windows users, WeBuilder is a versatile code editing application that has syntax highlighting for many popular programming languages.

It features several themes, advanced search and replace, macro recording, split editing, shortcuts for code snippets and code templates, a built-in file upload manager and many code validation tools.

WeBuilder retails from $59.95. The developers are behind other text editors that are also worth checking out such as Rapid CSS Editor, HTMLPad and Rapid PHP Editor.

20. Spacemacs (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix

Despite its name, Spacemacs is not just for Apple users. It is a multi-platform text editing solution that brings Emacs and Vim tools together.

The application features graphical and command line user-interfaces and boasts key bindings. There are many community created plugin extensions too that add functionality.

As Spacemacs is open source, it is free to download.

21. PhpStorm (FREE Trial / $199 Per Year)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

PhpStorm is a premium text editor that provides code analysis and error prevention for programming languages such as PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other languages.

It works well with modern content management systems such as Drupal, WordPress, Magento and Joomla, and offers features such as version control, remote deployment, command line tools and advanced debugging.

PhpStorm retails at $199 for the first year, $159 for the second year and $119 for subsequent years. A 30 day free trial is available to help you test the application.

22. GNU Emacs (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

GNU Emacs is an open source multi-platform text editor that offers syntax highlighting and a customisable graphical user-interface.

A large number of plugin packages are available that add additional functionality such as code snippets, custom themes and HTML5 schemas.

You can download GNU Emacs free of charge.

23. Bluefish (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Our final recommendation is Bluefish. This lightweight editor offers search and replace, file uploads via FTP and SFTP, a snippets sidebar and code block folding.

An unlimited amount of undos and redos are permitted and Bluefish will show any mistakes you have in your code.

Bluefish is an open source application, so is free to download on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Final Thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed this look at the best text editors of 2020. If so, I encourage you to subscribe to Design Bombs. You can also get updates of our latest articles by subscribing by RSS or by following us on Facebook or Twitter.

Plain Text Editor Download

What’s your favorite text editor?

Best Plain Text Editor For Mac

Let us know in the comment area below 🙂

Kevin