Zed
by ZedZed suits developers looking for a code editor with Git tools, extensions, and options for remote development.
Free plan Free trial From $10 a month WindowsMacLinux
- Home
- Developer Tools
- Code editors
Best Code Editors 2026
Facts read 28 Sep 2026 – 15 Oct 2026
This page covers code editors and the fields shown for them, including editor type, supported platforms, pricing and development features. It helps US buyers narrow tools for writing and changing code.
The standings: top 10
| Name | In a line | Record score | Price from | Try it free | Runs on | Facts read |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 Zed | Zed suits developers looking for a code editor with Git tools, extensions, and options for remote development. | 8.3 | $10 a month | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 02 Visual Studio Code | It suits developers who want a free editor with built-in tools, extensions, remote development, and optional AI agent workflows. | 7.6 | Free plan | Free plan | Web, Windows, Mac, Linux | 29 Sep 2026 |
| 03 GNU Emacs | GNU Emacs is a free extensible code editor running on GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and other systems. | 7.5 | Free plan | Free plan | Android, Windows, Mac, Linux | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 04 Neovim | Neovim suits users who want a Vim-based editor with Lua plugins, API-driven extensions, and built-in language-server tools. | 7.4 | Free plan | Free plan | Android, Windows, Mac, Linux | 30 Sep 2026 |
| 05 VSCodium | VSCodium suits desktop users who want a community-driven VS Code distribution with telemetry disabled. | 7.0 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 28 Sep 2026 |
| 06 Vim | Vim is a free extensible code editor available for Windows, macOS and Linux. | 7.0 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 7 Oct 2026 |
| 07 Kate | Kate suits people editing text or code who want split document views, language-aware editing, and extensible tools. | 6.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 4 Oct 2026 |
| 08 BBEdit | BBEdit suits writers, web authors, and developers working on macOS who need text and HTML editing tools. | 6.9 | Free plan | Free plan | Mac | 4 Oct 2026 |
| 09 Pulsar | Pulsar suits developers and other text-editing users who want an open-source desktop editor with packages, language server support, and Git tools. | 6.7 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Mac, Linux | 8 Oct 2026 |
| 10 RJ TextEd | RJ TextEd suits developers who want code and text editing tools, particularly for web development. | 6.6 | Free plan | Free plan | Windows, Linux | 11 Oct 2026 |
The finder list orders releases by newest first, using figures that makers publish. It does not score the editors.
02
Visual Studio Code
It suits developers who want a free editor with built-in tools, extensions, remote development, and optional AI agent workflows.
WebWindowsMac+1 Record7.6 Visit
03
GNU Emacs
GNU Emacs is a free extensible code editor running on GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, Android and other systems.
AndroidWindowsMac+1 Record7.5 Visit
04
Neovim
Neovim suits users who want a Vim-based editor with Lua plugins, API-driven extensions, and built-in language-server tools.
AndroidWindowsMac+3 Record7.4 Visit
05
VSCodium
VSCodium suits desktop users who want a community-driven VS Code distribution with telemetry disabled.
WindowsMacLinux Record7.0 Visit
6
Vim
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record7.0 Visit Vim is a free extensible code editor available for Windows, macOS and Linux.
7
Kate
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record6.9 Visit Kate suits people editing text or code who want split document views, language-aware editing, and extensible tools.
8
BBEdit
Mac Free plan Record6.9 Visit BBEdit suits writers, web authors, and developers working on macOS who need text and HTML editing tools.
9
Pulsar
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record6.7 Visit Pulsar suits developers and other text-editing users who want an open-source desktop editor with packages, language server support, and Git tools.
10
RJ TextEd
WindowsLinux Free plan Record6.6 Visit RJ TextEd suits developers who want code and text editing tools, particularly for web development.
11
Notepad++
Windows Free plan Record6.5 Visit Notepad++ is a free extensible code editor for Windows.
12
CudaText
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record6.5 Visit CudaText suits developers and advanced or desktop users who want a free editor with language-aware features and configurable extensions.
13
Helix
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record6.4 Visit Helix is free software for writing code on Linux, macOS, and Windows, with multi-selection and recorded macros.
14
EmEditor
Windows $5 a month, billed yearly Record6.4 Visit EmEditor suits Windows users who work with text, code, large files, or CSV data.
15
UltraEdit
WindowsMacLinux — Record6.4 Visit UltraEdit is a paid code editor for Linux, macOS, and Windows with extensions, macros, and column editing.
16
Geany
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record6.4 Visit Geany suits developers who want a free, lightweight coding environment across Linux, macOS, or Windows, with plugins and an embedded terminal.
17
Sublime Text
WindowsMacLinux — Record6.1 Visit Sublime Text is paid coding software for Linux, macOS, and Windows with extensions and multi-selection.
18
Lite XL
AndroidWebWindows+2 Free plan Record6.1 Visit Lite XL suits people who want a small, customizable text editor with built-in file and project navigation.
19
ICEcoder
AndroidWebWindows+4 Free plan Record6.0 Visit ICEcoder suits developers who want a browser-based editor for website work and have access to an Apache-like server with PHP 7.0 or newer.
21
Bluefish
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record5.7 Visit Bluefish suits programmers and web developers who want a desktop editor for code and websites, with support for many languages, projects, and remote files.
22
SciTE
WindowsMacLinux Free plan Record5.7 Visit SciTE is free software for coding on Windows, macOS, and Linux, with extensions, multi-selection, and macros.
Before you choose
Match your platforms
Check supported-platform listings against where you plan to work. The comparison covers macOS, Windows, Linux, web, API and Android support.
A platform listing can help you rule out an editor that does not fit your computer or workflow.
Review free access and trials
Compare free-plan status, paid-from pricing and free-trial availability before you commit.
Editors such as Neovim, Lite XL, ICEcoder and Visual Studio Code are listed with free plans.
Check editor features
Use editor type, extension support and language server support to compare how a tool fits your coding workflow.
These fields describe different parts of the editing experience, so check the ones tied to your work.
Consider debugging and remote work
Built-in debugger support can matter when you need to find problems in code. Remote development support can matter when code runs on another machine.
Compare both fields with the way you plan to develop.
Read the licence details
Open-source status is a comparison field. If you need to read or change the code, check the editor's licence.
Pulsar is marked open source in its listing.
Questions
Which platforms does the list cover?
The comparison covers macOS, Windows, Linux, web, API and Android support.
Can I find an editor with a free plan?
Yes. Free-plan status is compared, with entries such as Neovim, Lite XL, ICEcoder and Visual Studio Code marked with free plans.
Are free trials included?
Yes. Free-trial availability is compared alongside free-plan status and paid-from pricing.
Does the list include open-source editors?
Yes. Open-source status is a comparison field, and Pulsar is marked open source.
Which coding features can I compare?
The list compares extension support, built-in debugger, remote development and language server support.
Is editor type included?
Yes. Editor type is one of the fields used to describe and compare the tools.
More in Developer Tools
Accessibility Testing Software 169Log Management Software 111AI Coding Assistants 103Package Managers 93AI Agent Platforms 73Reverse Engineering Tools 73Integrated Development Environments 65Software Composition Analysis Software 65Artifact repository software 64Browser Automation Tools 62Version Control Software 62Container Registries 60Code Playground Software 58Continuous Integration Software 58Network Monitoring 55Kubernetes Monitoring 54Database Client Software 53IDE Software 53