Text editors are an important part of our daily life and we use it regularly. From note taking to programming, there is a wide range of things we do on text editors. Almost all operating systems come with a pre-installed Text editor. Windows has Notepad, Mac has Text Edit and iOS has Notes. These text editors serve the same purpose.

Also see: Print Screen Mac

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 language syntax support, helpful code snippets, expandability, and integration with the OS X terminal. Brackets is a lightweight, yet powerful, modern text editor. We blend visual tools into the editor so you get the right amount of help when you want it. With new features and extensions released every 3-4 weeks, it's like getting presents all year long. TextMate is a versatile plain text editor for mac with unique and innovative features. The tool offers support for many programming languages, writing prose in structured formats such as blogging, running SQL queries, writing screenplays, etc. 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. By default, a good text editor provides a fresh approach to web coding. MacUpdate’s 10 best text editors for macOS include: Sublime Text is perhaps the most popular choice when it comes to sophisticated text editors for code, markup, and prose. It is cross-platform, so you can use it on your Mac, Windows or Linux computer.

When we talk about text editors, we generally focus on text editing and ignore the document editing thing. Yes, both are not the same. In this article, I am writing about 10 best text editors for Mac OS. Most of these are not just text editors but code editors as well. So, you also do not need to download a separate code editor if you are into coding.

Best Text Editors for Mac

Here is the list of best text editors for Mac. If you own a Macbook or Mac desktop, you can download any of these text editors for Mac.

1. Brackets

Brackets is a free and open source text editor by Adobe. I don’t think Adobe needs any introduction. The notable feature of the Brackets is called as “Extract”. This cool feature allows you to grab different fonts, measurements, colors and gradients from any PSD file into a clean CSS ready for web usage. It also supports extensions.

It supports W3C Validation, Beautify for JS, HTML and CSS, Git Integration and more. So, it is more useful as a code editor than a text editor. So, you must try this if you are looking for a good code editor for Mac OS.

2. BBEdit

BBEdit is another popular text editor for Mac devices. Along with simple text editing, it also supports rich text editing and HTML. This text editor has also been developed for developers to give then advanced editing, search and replace options. It allows users to command files, folders and servers from a single software.

It offers several nice features including grep pattern matching, search and replace across multiple files, syntax coloring for numerous programming languages, code folding, FTP and SFTP open and save.

It comes with various packages and you can pick one based on your neds.

3. TextWrangler

TextWrangler is also a popular text editor for Mac users. It is considered to be the lightweight version of BBEdit we added in the list just before this. It is from the same development company.

Unlike other text editors in the list, TextWrangler focuses on people who would need a general editing. So, it is not a programming tool or editor but a text editor. You think it as Notepad++.

TextWrangler is available for free. So don’t forget to download and try it. In case you were looking for mac text editor for coding , this one should be considered.

4. Text Mate Editor

Text Mate Editor is another nice text editor for Mac OS. It comes with neat and easy to use GUI and supports code editing. It is one of the known mac text editor for coding. It offers features like search, replace, column selection, word completion from recent documents, auto-indentation, support for regular expressions, Foldable code blocks and more. It supports more than 50 languages.

It also in incorporates full Xcode support and allows users to build Xcode projects within TextMate. You can download this text editor for free and try it in your Mac OS.

5. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a popular code editor among developers. Along with simple text editing, it comes with powerful code editing capability. It claims to have the fastest search engine and offers impressive features. This tool is also considered to be the best text editor for programming on Mac OS.

It also claims to come with powerful plugin API, that makes it highly customizable to suit the needs of anyone using it.

This tool is paid, but you can enjoy the free version of the tool that offers unlimited usage with limited features. I personally use the free version of this software on Macbook.

6. Atom Text Editor

Atom Text Editor is new but advanced text editor for Mac. It has already proven itself to be powerful. The tool is a free and open source text editor for Mac OS.

Notable features of the tool are the fuzzy search of text, multiple pane support for editing, file system browser and code folding. It supports cross-platform editing, has a Built-in package manager, offers Smart autocompletion, and more. With support to packages, you can get new features and functionality easily. It also comes with four UI and eight syntax themes in both dark and light colors. It is also considered to be the best text editor for mac python.

7. Textastic

Textastic is a cross-platform text editor that is also available for iPad and iPhone. It comes with cloud syncing. So, you can easily switch your device and still keep working on the same text from exactly where you left off. This is the reason this is the best suitable for on-the-go edits.

Programming Text Editor For Mac Windows 7

It supports more than 80 coding and markup languages. It supports code completion for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, C, and Objective-C. This tool is paid and you need to purchase it from App Store.

8. UltraEdit

UltraEdit is also a notable code editor cum text editor. It comes with editing capabilities for HTML, PHP, javascript, C/C++, Perl, Python, and a wide variety of other programming languages. This tool also features syntax highlighting, file sorting, data sorting, block editing, and has integrated ftp client as well as SSH/telnet support.

This tool is paid.

9. MacVim

MacVim is the free text editor for Mac OS. It comes with support to standard shortcuts of OS X keyboard. It allows you to choose from any transparent background themes available and supports full screen mode to give you distraction free editing. It also supports multiple windows and tabs.

The MacVim is available for free to download from GitHub repository.

10. CodeRunner 2

CodeRunner 2 is also a premium text editor for Mac. It is a hardcore “code” editor that doesn’t really suit well for people who’re just looking for prose writing. So, consider this only if you need something for managing your code. It supports TextMate theme to give you most customizable options.

This tool supports advanced code-completion for most of the languages. It can run code in 23 languages out-of-the-box, and this support can be extended easily to any other languages. So, this one is also a good mac text editor for coding .

Final Words

There are many other nice text editors and code editors available for Mac devices. But this long list of text editors for Mac has already covered most of the text editors you should know about. These are suitable Not just for normal text editing but for hardcore code editing. Try any of these.

Also see: Task Manager Mac

If you want to recommend any text editor to be the part of this list, you can comment below.

Seasoned programmers often eschew an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) in favor of a lightweight, barebones text editor. The reasons are obvious enough: text editors place little strain on system resources, are very versatile, and provide hardcore developers with the thrill of writing a program from scratch in a focused, bloat-free environment. For sheer simplicity and ease of use, nothing can beat a solid programming text editor.

The default Notepad app in Windows might be suffice for making to-do lists or jotting down ideas, it falls woefully short for development purposes. So, here is a list of the best programming text editors for Windows, Mac, and Linux:

Windows

1. Notepad++

Notepad++ has been the go-to choice since 2003 for Windows users who want to upgrade from the default Notepad to a more powerful, feature rich, yet lightweight text editor. It was one of the first Windows applications to support multiple tabs within the same window (a boon to all multitaskers — and coders usually are). It also includes a multi-item clipboard, which streamlines coding and increases efficiency.

The list of programmer-specific features is long: it supports syntax highlighting and code collapsing. A built-in FTP browser makes uploading files onto your server effortless. With support for split-screen editing, file-compression, and auto-completion, there is nothing not to love about Notepad++. And since this text editor has been around since 2003 with a devoted developer community supporting it, there are now dozens of plugins that can extend its functionality beyond this already impressive base.

To round up the pros, Notepad++ is also free. While it may not be the best-looking text editor out there (which shouldn’t be a concern if your primary use is coding) or the most user-friendly, it is powerful, free, and offers the key features that all programmers need.

2. SublimeText

Best Text Editors For Mac

SublimeText picks up where Notepad++ leaves off. It is a gorgeously designed, powerful, feature-rich text editor built specifically for coding. Besides basic features such as syntax highlighting, code collapsing, etc., it also supports macros and snippets to automate coding and increase your efficiency. Whereas Notepad++ has a UI that can leave even experienced users scratching their heads, SublimeText uses a minimalistic UI with little to come between you and your code.

The only downside of this text editor is its price: at $59, it isn’t cheap. You can download a copy for evaluation purposes, but you’ll have to shell out 59 dollars to use it beyond the evaluation period.

Besides Windows, SublimeText is also available for OS X and Linux.

3. UltraEdit

UltraEdit prioritizes ease of use and efficiency over any other feature, and the result is a userfriendly, feature-rich text editor that runs blazingly fast with ample support for programmers.

Built-in FTP support, file comparison, and automation through macros are just a few among its long list of features.

On the price front, a single license costs $59 — the same as the easier-on-the-eye SublimeText.

OS X

1. TextMate

TextMate has become the de-facto choice of programmers on the Mac platform over the past couple of years, courtesy of its lengthy list of developer-oriented features. Auto-indent, advanced search-and-replace, foldable code blocks, column selection, clipboard history, visual bookmarks, and support for recordable macros are just some of its features.

The end result is a product bred thoroughly in the Apple spirit of simplicity that, nevertheless, holds the heart of a true programming text editor.

Price: $58.

Linux

1. Emacs

Of the three major computing platforms (Windows, OS X, Linux), Linux boasts of the largest selection of powerful text editors designed specifically to fit the needs of programmers (who also happen to form the platform’s largest user base). Emacs is programming text-editor royalty — an extremely powerful (albeit complicated) piece of software that has been ported to virtually every platform imaginable (including Windows, OS X, BeOS, etc.). Like all Linux software, Emacs too is free and can be downloaded in multiple flavors, of which GNU Emacs happens to be the most popular.

In terms of features, Emacs is heavily inclined towards hard-core programming with extensive support for automation through powerful macros. A content-sensitive editing module, a large library of extensions, and a fully customizable interface round up the list of impressive features.

2. Kate

Kate can almost come across as Emacs-lite. It’s UI is very easy to use (compared to the almost draconian Emacs) and the text editor is extremely easy to get started with. Hidden beneath the user-friendly interface, though, is a very powerful text editor that can make a programmer smile in delight.

It has support for all the features you’d expect: syntax highlighting, macros, code collapsing, code automation with argument hints, session support, etc. and then some more.

Conclusion

There are dozens of text editors on the market, and this list barely scratches past the surface of this niche industry. Finding a programming text editor that fits your needs is a matter of trying out the different editors and poking around for a few hours until you get a good feel of the product. Programmers tend to be creatures of habit; once you get used to a particular text editor, you wouldn’t want to use anything else.

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