Jump to Key Sections
As a writer, your choice of text editor impacts your workflow massively. With the numerous options available, it can be challenging to decide which editor is perfect for you. Getting a text editor with the right features and customization options will make writing easier, quicker, and more efficient.
In this article, we will be discussing the top seven text editors for Windows to help you streamline your writing workflow. We will take a deep dive into each editor’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and ease-of-use. By the end of the article, you will be well-informed to make the best decision on which editor is right for you.
Video Tutorial:
What is a Text Editor?
A text editor is a piece of software that enables you to create, edit and modify text files. It allows users to enter plain text, develop source code, write scripts or any form of text-based content. Unlike word processors, text editors do not include formatting, making them ideal for developers, programmers, and writers who prefer plain text.
Top 7 Best Text Editors for Windows
1. Atom
Atom is a free, highly customizable, and open-source text editor developed by GitHub. Its vast plugin library enables users to personalize their experience to their liking and needs. The editor is user-friendly and packs powerful features such as autocomplete, multiple panes, find and replace, and code folding.
Pros: Atom is highly customizable, thanks to its vast plugin library. It is also free and open-source, making it an excellent choice for developers on a budget.
Cons: Atom is somewhat slow compared to other text editors; this is due to its use of web technologies. Additionally, it can be a resource hog, making it unsuitable for low-end machines.
Price: Free
Ease-of-use: 4/5
Value-for-money: 5/5
2. Visual Studio Code
Visual Studio Code is a powerful and popular free code editor developed by Microsoft. It comes with an extensive list of features, including an intelligent editor, interactive debugging, source control, and more. It’s built on top of the Electron framework, making it highly customizable with extensions and plugins.
Pros: Visual Studio Code has a clean and intuitive user interface that makes it easy to use. Its powerful debugging and intelligent code editor make it an excellent choice for developers.
Cons: Extensions can slow down the editor, and they do not always work well together. It’s also relatively heavy compared to other text editors.
Price: Free
Ease-of-use: 5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5
3. Sublime Text
Sublime Text offers a lot of features and customization options. It offers a distraction-free mode that helps you focus on your writing. Additionally, it has command palette (a feature that helps you to access all the available commands) and allows for split editing.
Pros: Sublime Text has a clean and minimalist UI, and it’s quite fast, even when working with large files. It also supports different integration tools that make the workflow easier.
Cons: The software is not free and can be expensive for some users. Also, it lacks some features compared to other text editors.
Price: $80 for a single license
Ease-of-use: 4/5
Value-for-money: 4/5
4. Notepad++
Notepad++ is one of the most popular text editors and an excellent choice for beginners. It’s lightweight and supports multiple languages, making it a top choice for developers and programmers. Its powerful search and replace feature helps you identify and replace text quickly.
Pros: Notepad++ is free, efficient, and has a straightforward user interface. Also, it has many plugins that help to improve its functionality.
Cons: The software lacks certain features compared to more advanced text editors.
Price: Free
Ease-of-use: 5/5
Value-for-money: 5/5
5. Brackets
Brackets is a free, lightweight and modern text editor that is highly suitable for front-end developers. The software provides live previews while you write code and offers a robust set of extensions that makes working with HTML, CSS and JavaScript very intuitive.
Pros: Brackets has a live preview feature that helps to speed up front-end development. The software is also free and lightweight.
Cons: Brackets might not have all the advanced features some users require.
Price: Free
Ease-of-use: 4/5
Value-for-money: 5/5
6. Emacs
Emacs is one of the oldest and most powerful open-source text editors available. It is highly customizable and comes with a broad set of features, including syntax highlighting, file managers, and much more.
Pros: Emacs is an incredibly powerful text editor that allows for high customization. It is free and open-source, and it comes with powerful features that make coding efficient.
Cons: Emacs has a steep learning curve and might be too complicated for some users.
Price: Free
Ease-of-use: 3/5
Value-for-money: 5/5
7. UltraEdit
UltraEdit is a powerful and popular text editor that supports multiple languages. It comes with robust syntax highlighting, code-folding, multi-caret editing, and smart templates, among other features. Ultra Edit gives you access to hex-editing capabilities, making it an excellent choice for reverse-engineering and forensics.
Pros: Ultra Edit offers a wide range of features that make development work efficient. Its hex editing capability means that it is not limited to text-only editing.
Cons: It’s relatively expensive compared to other text editors. It might also take some time to get used to all the features the editor offers.
Price: Starting at $79.95 for a single user license.
Ease-of-use: 3/5
Value-for-money: 4/5
Comprehensive comparison of each software
| Software | Free Trial | Price | Ease-of-use | Value-for-money |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atom | None | Free | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Visual Studio Code | None | Free | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Sublime Text | Unlimited | $80 for a single license | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Notepad++ | None | Free | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Brackets | None | Free | 4/5 | 5/5 |
| Emacs | None | Free | 3/5 | 5/5 |
| UltraEdit | 30 Days | Starting at $79.95 for a single user license. | 3/5 | 4/5 |
Our Thoughts on the Seven Best Text Editors for Windows
After reviewing these text editors, it is clear that each of them has unique strengths and weaknesses. However, it’s essential to consider your workflow and development needs when choosing a text editor.
For developers on a budget, Atom, Visual Studio Code, and Notepad++ are great choices. If you require an advanced set of features, then Sublime Text and UltraEdit are worth considering. Emacs is ideal for developers who need a highly customizable option but is not recommended for beginners.
Ultimately, the choice of text editor will depend on your specific needs and preferences.
FAQs
Q1: Is it essential to purchase a text editor?
A: Not necessarily. There are many free text editors that you can use. However, paid editors tend to offer more advanced features than free ones.
Q2: Which text editor is perfect for beginners?
A: Notepad++ and Brackets are recommended for beginners due to their simplicity and excellent user interface.
Q3: Which text editor is suitable for coding?
A: All of the text editors in this article are suitable for coding. However, Visual Studio Code and Sublime Text are most recommended for developers due to their robust functionality.
Q4: Which text editor has the most advanced features?
A: Sublime Text and UltraEdit offer some of the most advanced features. They come with robust syntax highlighting, code-folding, multi-caret editing, among other features.
Q5: Is it possible to customize the editors to my preference?
A: Yes, most of the text editors in this article can be customized to your requirements. Visual Studio Code, Atom and Sublime Text have the most completed extension libraries, which allow you to customize even the most granular parts of the UI.
Final Thoughts
Choosing a text editor can be challenging, but the right one can make things easier, quicker, and more enjoyable. We hope this article helps you to pick the best editor suitable for your workflow. It’s important to consider your specific needs and preferences when making your choice. Compare the seven best text editors mentioned above, read reviews and identify the text editor that fits your workflow.