GNU Emacs Alternatives

GNU Emacs is described as 'Extensible, customizable text editor—and more. At its core n interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a dialect of the Lisp programming language with extensions to support text editing. The features of GNU Emacs include:' and is a very popular Code Editor in the development category. There are more than 100 alternatives to GNU Emacs for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD and Flathub apps. The best GNU Emacs alternative is Notepad++, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like GNU Emacs are Obsidian, Visual Studio Code, Sublime Text and VSCodium.

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Alternatives list

  1. UltraEdit icon
     161 likes

    UltraEdit is the ideal text, HTML and HEX editor, and an advanced PHP, Perl, Java and JavaScript editor for programmers. An industry-award winner, UltraEdit supports disk-based 64-bit file handling (standard) on 32-bit Windows platforms (Windows 2000 and later).

    211 UltraEdit alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  2. Athas icon
     10 likes

    Lightweight, open-source code editor for Windows, Mac, and Linux featuring Vim keybindings, built-in Git support, agentic AI editing with multiple models, syntax highlighting, LSP for intelligent completion, fast performance, and efficient workflows.

    56 Athas alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  3. PSPad icon
     204 likes

    PSPad is a freeware programmers editor in 8 languages for Microsoft Windows operating systems. Some features are highlighted syntax, ftp, projects and so on. Code explorer for Pascal, C/C++, INI, HTML, XML, PHP and more in development, internal web browser with APACHE support.

    172 PSPad alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
     
  4. SciTE icon
     150 likes

    SciTE is a SCIntilla based Text Editor. Originally built to demonstrate Scintilla, it has grown to be a generally useful editor with facilities for building and running programs. It is best used for jobs with simple configurations - I use it for building test and demonstration...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Xfce
     
  5. Lumen AI icon
     9 likes

    Minimalist productivity platform offers centralized notes, task management, meeting capture with audio summaries, inbox processing, and Markdown editing, all enhanced by AI prioritization, custom prompts, backlinks, and flexible workflows, supporting multiple methodologies.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  6. CotEditor icon
     42 likes

    Syntax Highlighting: Colorize more than 50 pre-installed major languages like HTML, PHP, Python, Ruby or Markdown. You can also create your own settings.

    161 CotEditor alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
  7. Squircle CE icon
     14 likes

    Squircle CE is a fast, lightweight code editor and file manager with support for over 30 programming languages, remote file access via SFTP/FTP(S) and Git VCS integration. Whether you're a student, hobbyist, or professional developer, Squircle CE lets you write, manage, and...

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Android
    • Android Tablet
    • F-Droid
     
  8. Textadept icon
     39 likes

    Textadept is a fast, minimalist, and ridiculously extensible cross-platform text editor for programmers. Written in a combination of C and Lua and relentlessly optimized for speed and minimalism over the years, Textadept is an ideal editor for programmers who want endless...

    93 Textadept alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
     
  9. Kakoune icon
     20 likes

    Vim inspired text editor with support for multiple selections and scores of other "out of the box" features.

    85 Kakoune alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • Cygwin
     
  10. Xed icon
     23 likes

    A text editor forked from Pluma and Gedit. Xed is the default text editor of Linux Mint. It can be customized and is available in multiple languages.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
  11. RustRover icon
     5 likes

    Enjoy full support when running your code inside the Rust IDE, be it for testing purposes, debugging, benchmarking, profiling, or targeting different platforms.

    66 RustRover alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free Personal
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak
     
  12. Leafpad icon
     68 likes

    Leafpad is a lightweight text editor that emphasizes simplicity. As development focuses on keeping weight down to a minimum, only the most essential features are implemented in the editor.

    104 Leafpad alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • Cygwin
    • MacPorts
     
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