Whether you’re a self-confessed script kiddie or black hat, a hobby programmer or professional coder, you need to have an app that’s up to the task. If you choose to do your programming on a Mac rather than a PC, below is a list of the best code editing apps that could be mustered.
Test them out, see which one suits you, and dive on into the sublimely mathematical, perfectly logical world of Mac-based coding.
UltraEdit is an expensive code editor but rests assured it is also one of the best Notepad++ alternatives for Mac. You can use the features like multi-select, highlight syntax, block/column editing, scripting, cross file search and many more.
1. Vim
The number one choice for probably the majority of programmers these days, Vim is the most complete code-editing tool around. It uses much less memory than its rivals, it’s open source, and can be used remotely via SSH.
NotePad for Mac does not exist but if you’ve just switched to Mac from PC we’ve looked at the best NotePad alternatives for Mac. We’ve tried to focus on basic NotePad text editors here and avoided dedicated HTML editors for programmers such as NotePad++. It is an advanced, highly flexible and easy to use text-editor for Mac. The software features a full-blown IDE-level code completion for most languages. The app also supports multiple languages, twenty-three to be exact which includes languages like AppleScript, C, C++, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and more. The Best Free Text Editors for Windows, Linux, and Mac. Lori Kaufman April 28, 2012, 12:00pm EDT. Notepad and WordPad Replacements. Are you looking for more capabilities than the default Notepad in Windows? Would you rather use a graphical text editor in Linux, rather than the built-in vi? If you like the Vi editor in Linux.
Related: 3 Useful VIM Editor Tips and Tricks for Advanced Users
That’s not all. Vim works on all Unix platforms (so Windows and Linux as well), and is brimming with keyboard shortcuts that make writing long chunks of code a cinch. It may seem like a lot to take in, but all the shortcuts are designed to be memorable (so d for ‘delete,’ obviously), making Vim rather accessible.
With its vast community churning out a constant procession of plug-ins and add-ons, Vim is a vast, flexible tool that can be used for many of the most popular coding environments (C, Python, you name it). Vi editor for mac download.
It’s number one for a reason.
2. Atom
Atom is a fantastic code editor for users of all skill levels. Whether you want to tweak source code or play around with packages, you can do so here. It has a great collaboration tool in the form of Teletype, which lets you seamlessly work on code with fellow users.
You can work in the universal hosting service GitHub from directly within Atom too, doing every function from creating new branches to pushing and pulling code requests. Beyond that, Atom is filled with quality-of-life features like autocomplete, a robust search tool and file browser, and a powerful package manager.
On the downside, Atom is fairly memory-intensive, particularly when handling large files, so be sure that your computer is up to the task RAM-wise before jumping in.
3. Sublime Text
One of the best and simplest coding tools ever available to Mac users. Sublime Text is a notepad-like application that lets you write your code, highlight certain parts using its various syntax detecting algorithms and so on. The app has a number of features including Goto Anything, Multiple Selections, Command Palette, etc. If you think the other apps or things are distracting you while doing your coding work, then you can enable the distraction-free writing mode. It disables everything except for the area where you write your code.
Sublime Text is not free, though you can download the free trial version and it never seem to expires. Nevertheless, if you use and love Sublime Text, it is always good to purchase the license and support the development.
The app is available for Mac, Windows and Linux.
4. BBEdit
This is yet another nice tool for coding programs. BBEdit says it does not suck, and that probably means something good for the coders. The app has a nice interface identical to Sublime Text. The app seems to be inclined towards those who do a lot of HTML coding, and maybe that is why there are a number of options to manipulate webpages in the app. It contains FTP and SFTP support, so there is no issue with uploading your files to your server as soon as you are done writing them. Sounds cool, huh?
5. TextMate
Do you have a load of coding work that needs to be done in a short span of time? TextMate is available to help you out. The app makes coding much easier on your Mac than ever with a number of features it comes preloaded with. Syntax highlighting, Multiple Tabs, and Search and Replace are some of the salient features of the app. If you missed closing a bracket, that happens most of the time you are coding; it completes it automatically for you. So the next time you write a program, there is much less of a chance that it will have errors.
6. Brackets
What is it that you use most often while writing code? Yes, you are right. It is brackets. Brackets by Adobe brings a powerful tool for you to code the next big thing. The app is actually built for HTML coders who build hundreds of webpages a day, or maybe even more. It highlights the syntax making it easier for you to find your code blocks and errors and comes with a Live HTML Development that shows the output of your code without having you save or refresh the page. That is really something cool about this app, isn’t it?
7. Textastic
Textastic for Mac is a simple, yet faster, coding tool that delivers what it promises. With features like Auto Completion, it auto-completes some of your code that you would otherwise have to do yourself, saving you some time that you could use to do something else. While most of the other features remain the same as the apps above, it includes a new feature called iCloud syncing. What it does is let you sync your code across your various Mac machines so that you can pick up where you left off easily.
Conclusion
Coding has become a part of many people’s lives these days, and the apps above should help to get it done more quickly and more efficiently.
Notepad Editor Download
This article was first published in March 2014 and was updated in June 2019.
Image credit: Closeup coding on screen by oatawa/Shutterstock
NotePad for Mac does not exist but if you’ve just switched to Mac from PC we’ve looked at the best NotePad alternatives for Mac. Free image editor for mac lion. We’ve tried to focus on basic NotePad text editors here and avoided dedicated HTML editors for programmers such as NotePad++. The apps here are in the order of free to paid options – there’s really no need to pay for a simple text editing app on Mac unless you need special formatting features or if you are programmer writing HTML.
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Here then is our list of the best alternatives to NotePad for Mac in order of ranking.
1. TextEdit (Free in macOS)
The most obvious choice for those looking for a replacement for NotePad on Mac is TextEdit which is the default text editing app for Mac. It’s free with any version of macOS but is very basic and there are other free and paid options out there with a few more advanced features.
TextEdit is the Mac equivalent of NotePad and is free with all versions of macOS. To find it, simply search for TextEdit in Spotlight or CMD click on your desktop and select “TextEdit”. TextEdit is useful mainly as a simple text editing tool but you can even edit HTML in it. To open TextEdit in HTML mode, simply select “Ignore rich text commands in HTML files” from the File Menu. Alternatively, to open in Plain Text by default just ensure that “Plain Text” is selected from the Format menu.
2. TextWrangler (Free)
TextWrangler is a very popular simple text editing tool and an excellent alternative to Notepad on Mac. It’s made by the same team that make made BBEdit which is for more advanced HTML editing and coding. TextWrangler is better for basic note taking although it packs plenty of advanced editing features that make it a very basic word processor. TextWrangler is also ideal for checking prefs, html or xml files of all types. To see the full range of differences, check the TextWrangler v BBEdit comparison list.
3. Tincta (Free)
Tincta is a very simple text editor for Mac. Excellent for taking notes or making lists, it can also be used for basic HTML coding. The most unique thing about Tincta is it’s terms and conditions which actually request you to take steps to reduce global warming in order to use it!
4. NotePad ($0.99 Mac App Store)
Download Notepad For Mac
Although NotePad isn’t free (not to be confused with NotePad for Mac below or the original NotePad on Windows), NotePad TXT Editor is just 99 cents from the app store and is suitable for simple documents or notes without any formatting. You can also open and edit Windows .TXT files with it.
5. iNotePad ($19.95)
iNotePad for Mac is a slicker, more powerful solution which allows you to cut and paste snippets and drag text from other applications into it. It has various other useful features such as a Recents List and the ability to change fonts and text color. You can also protect notes with a password.
6. SubEthaEdit ($29.99 Mac App Store)
SubEthaEdit is a more powerful alternative to NotePad that’s fine for just taking notes but also offers the possibility to edit HTML too. One feature that’s a bit different with SubEthaEdit is the ability to collaborate on documents with other users over the web. SubEthaEdit also has a very slick interface for a note taking app that’s even won it an Apple Design award.