Notepad++ for Mac, Free Alternatives Download

As a long time follower and admirer of Windows OS, I admire the commendable work poured into develop nifty utility like Notepad++. The default Notepad editor comes in very handy to quickly note down some important notes. However, the lack of potential features is realized when you are forced into the situation where you’ve to compare two text files or edit HTML document for instance. In such situations Notepad++ is a more than adequate alternative to native Notepad app.

Notepad++ is an open source project based on Scintilla and is completely written in C++ language. Not only does it provide simple text editing option but also wide range of native add-ins and third-party plugins to make it the best Notepad alternative on Windows PC. It has a large swathe of features that makes it a developers favorite alternative. It includes multi tab document support, easy comparison, syntax highlighting,syntax folding, document map, auto completion, macros support and many other.But how about such functionality on Mac. Is there any Notepad++ for Mac? The post revolves around the same question and puts tremendous amount of research to list some of the good alternatives of Notepad++ out there.

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Alternatives of Notepad++ on Mac

Since Notepad++ is not available on Mac, we will cover some of the worthy alternatives of Notepad++ for Mac.

jEdit:

jEdit is written in Java, so it virtually runs on any OS out there including Mac OS. There are already few paid text editors or advanced editors available on Mac, but unlike other jEdit is a free open source project. If you’re not much concerned about the vulnerabilities that comes along with Java then this is the best alternative available on Mac.

Features of jEdit

• Built on Java
• Unlimited undos/ redos
• Syntax highlighting for more than 200 languages
• Auto indent
• Plugin repository with more than 200 plugins
• Word wrap
• Kill ring
• Open any number of files simultaneously
• File system browser

Full features and download links could be found here

Komodo Edit

Komodo Edit is maintained and developed by ActiveState. It is a free open-source code editor available on Windows, Mac and Linux platform. While Komodo Edit is available for free, Komodo IDE 7 is availed at hefty price tag starting from $168.  It is supports most of the coding language like JS, CSS, HTML, XML, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby and Tcl. This is especially helpful for those who like to fiddle with PHP, Python and other scripts.

IT also has similar features that you would find in any basic code editor. Syntax coloring (highlighting), background syntax checking, auto indent, search and replace tools, multi tab support and many other features.

There are host of other add-ons available in the repository section that will help you to extend the functionality of the editor at will. Unfortunately, the program is not light-weight and as fast as other editors in the same category. But the tremendous support from the community and developers make it a must have app on your Mac.

Editra

Editra, an open source program build using wxWidgets supports major platform like Windows, Mac and Linux. It supports over 60 programming language and has all the features users crave to have in their favorite editor. The project is in early stage of development so you may encounter few hiccups during your journey. Editra is visually appealing editor which comes with icons themes and loads of plugins.

Editra could be the next big thing in code and text editor segment. Here are some of the features of Editra.

Editra Features

• Supports over 60 programming language
• Syntax highlighting
• Code folding
• Auto completion
• Auto indent
• Drag and drop feature
• Export to HTML/LaTeX/ RTF and other formats
• File history
• Multilingual interface
• Undo/ Redo
• Tabbed windows
• Plugins supports
• and more

Editra is a serious contender of ‘best code editor’ title on Mac. In fact, in our opinion it is arguably the best Notepad++ alternative on Mac. The community is extremely supportive and active. It won’t take before it breaks all the barriers and becomes people’s most loved code editor. The reason why we admire it just works. The sheer amount of features, support of languages and plugins makes it an obvious choice for any serious programmer as casual user alike.

Few more worthy alternatives

• Vim
• Sublime text
• TextWrangler
• Espresso
• Coda
• TextMate
• BBEdit
• Smultron
• CSSEdit

For more awesome alternatives and list you can read our tips section full of useful apps for both Windows and Mac users. Would you like to suggest your favorite Notepad++ for Mac or its alternatives? Sound off in comment section below.