Best Text Editors for Markdown

VSCode: A revolutionary approach to code editing. It's completely free, open-source, and compatible with all platforms. Experience more than just basic syntax highlighting and autocomplete; with IntelliSense, you gain intelligent suggestions that are based on the types of variables, definitions of functions, and imported modules. You can also debug your code directly within the editor, allowing you to launch or connect to your active applications while utilizing breakpoints, call stacks, and an interactive console for deeper insights. Collaborating with Git and other source control management (SCM) systems is simpler than ever; you can review differences, stage files, and commit changes right from within the editor itself. Easily push and pull changes from any hosted SCM service without hassle. Looking for additional capabilities? You can enhance your experience by installing extensions that introduce new languages, themes, debuggers, and connections to various services. These extensions operate in their own processes, ensuring they won't hinder your editor's performance. Discover the endless possibilities with extensions. Furthermore, with Microsoft Azure, you can efficiently deploy and host a variety of sites built with React, Angular, Vue, Node, Python, and more, while also being able to store and query both relational and document-based data, and scale effortlessly using serverless computing solutions. This powerful integration streamlines your development workflow and enhances productivity.

IntelliJ IDEA by JetBrains is an IDE for professional Java and Kotlin development. It unlocks productivity and helps you write high quality code with ease. It is designed to get the job finished. It provides all the essential tools and support for cutting-edge technologies you need. It lets you code with ease and confidence thanks to a comfortable, smooth workflow and a strong emphasis on privacy and security.

A highly advanced text editor designed for coding, markup, and writing. With the Goto Anything feature, you can quickly access files using minimal keystrokes and effortlessly navigate to symbols, lines, or specific words. This editor allows you to make multiple edits simultaneously rather than repeating one change multiple times. Thanks to multiple selections, you can efficiently modify numerous lines at once, easily rename variables, and handle files more rapidly than you ever thought possible. The Command Palette provides access to less frequently used features, such as sorting, syntax adjustments, and indentation modifications. By entering just a few keystrokes, you can search for exactly what you need without the hassle of navigating through menus or remembering complex key commands. Additionally, Sublime Text boasts a robust Python API that enables the development of plugins to enhance its existing capabilities. With the ability to install Package Control through the command palette, you gain straightforward access to a wealth of community-created packages that can extend the editor's functionality even further. This makes it an invaluable tool for anyone looking to streamline their coding or writing process.

Obsidian serves as a robust knowledge management tool that operates using a directory of plain text Markdown files stored locally. Much like the way our minds shift from one concept to another, your second brain should mimic this non-linear pattern. In Obsidian, the process of creating and navigating "connections" between notes is seamless and intuitive. Cultivate your notes with care, and at the end of your day, take a moment to appreciate the intricate web of knowledge you've created. Personalization in note-taking is key, and if you've experimented with various applications but always felt something was amiss, Obsidian offers a refreshing alternative. Designed to be highly customizable, it features 22 essential plugins and 149 additional community-created plugins, allowing you to tailor your toolkit and get started in just a few minutes. Furthermore, when Obsidian reaches version 1.0, you'll have the option to integrate third-party plugins or even create your own, opening up endless possibilities. In today's landscape, where cloud services are vulnerable to sudden changes or shutdowns, relying on proprietary formats and facing potential data lock-in is the last thing you need. With Obsidian, your information remains securely within a local folder, giving you peace of mind and complete control over your data. This ensures that your knowledge remains accessible and safe, no matter what the future holds.

BlueGriffon® is an advanced Web and EPUB editor that utilizes the rendering engine originally developed for Firefox. With a rich legacy that includes notable predecessors like Netscape®, Mozilla® Composer, and Nvu, it stands out in the market. Powered by Gecko, the same engine that underpins Firefox®, BlueGriffon® boasts an array of robust features designed for both novice and experienced users. This editor has garnered a significant user base, with millions relying on it across various sectors, including educational institutions, governmental bodies, and even the European Parliament. Additionally, it has received official endorsement from the French Government, which recommends it as the Web Authoring Tool for its administration, highlighting the importance of promoting Free Software initiatives. Its widespread adoption and recognition underscore its effectiveness and reliability in web development.

TextMate is a robust and highly customizable text editor that supports a vast array of programming languages and is developed under an open-source license. The editor simplifies the process of making multiple edits simultaneously by allowing users to easily add several insertion points for quick code alterations. Users can specify their search criteria, and TextMate efficiently displays results, enabling quick navigation between matches, extraction of relevant text, or previewing intended replacements. It also features a file browser that highlights changes, an editor view that marks modified lines, and the ability to generate diffs for the current file's alterations, all while seamlessly integrating with major version control systems. Whether you're dealing with files that incorporate multiple languages, projects that utilize various build systems, or third-party code with different formatting styles, TextMate adeptly manages it all by linking comprehensive scope selectors to keyboard shortcuts and customized settings. Additionally, this flexibility ensures that developers can maintain their preferred workflows while efficiently navigating complex coding environments.

Geany stands out as a robust, efficient, and lightweight text editor designed specifically for programmers, offering a wealth of features that enhance productivity without slowing down the user experience. It is compatible with Linux, Windows, and MacOS, supports over 40 languages, and accommodates more than 50 programming languages natively. One of the main motivations behind creating Geany was the demand for a versatile, user-friendly, and cross-platform IDE/editor that combines flexibility with power. While various editors fulfill some of these criteria, many fail to adequately address others. Geany is distributed under the GPL v2 license, ensuring that users have the freedom to modify and improve the software, while also allowing the entire community to benefit from those enhancements. Its highly customizable components, such as color themes (known as Geany Themes) and the ability to add new file types, cater to diverse user preferences. Additionally, Geany is equipped with numerous settings that allow for extensive personalization, ensuring it meets the unique needs of its users, including support for popular programming languages like C, Java, PHP, HTML, and JavaScript. Ultimately, Geany appeals to developers looking for a reliable tool that combines simplicity with comprehensive functionality.

QuickEdit is a robust and efficient text editor designed specifically for Android devices, ensuring optimal performance on both phones and tablets. This advanced notepad comes equipped with a variety of enhancements, including a code editor that supports syntax highlighting for over 40 programming languages. It delivers exceptional performance and provides real-time feedback, even when handling large text files exceeding 10,000 lines. Users can easily undo and redo changes without any restrictions, manage line indents effortlessly, and enjoy smooth scrolling in both vertical and horizontal directions. The app allows users to jump directly to a specified line number and automatically detects character encoding for convenience. Additionally, it offers a preview feature for HTML and Markdown files, the ability to edit system files on rooted devices, and quick access to recently opened or added files. Furthermore, QuickEdit supports both light and dark themes, making it a versatile choice for various user preferences. With its extensive features, QuickEdit proves to be an indispensable tool for anyone needing a comprehensive text editing solution on their Android device.

UltraEdit has been the preferred text editor for over 2 million users and many Fortune 100/500/1000 customers for almost three decades. UltraEdit is a powerful and fast data processor that can handle large files. It also supports almost any syntax or source language. UltraEdit is often referred to as the "Swiss Army knife" of text editors. It's a powerful tool that can be used by users across many industries and responsibilities. UltraEdit is able to solve almost any problem in text editing, including project management and programming. It can also handle large file manipulations, remote (FTP/SFTP), data sorting, column/block editing, advanced file searching, and text data reformatting. UltraEdit is available on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It is supported by a professional team of developers and customer service personnel located in the USA.

Zed is an advanced code editor crafted for seamless collaboration between humans and AI, emphasizing high performance. Developed entirely in Rust to maximize the efficiency of multiple CPU cores and GPU resources, it allows for the integration of emerging LLMs into your coding workflow for tasks such as code generation, transformation, and analysis. The platform facilitates real-time communication with team members, enabling collaborative note-taking, screen sharing, and project management. With its multibuffer system, users can edit selected excerpts from the entire codebase on a single interface. It also supports inline code evaluation through Jupyter runtimes, allowing for joint notebook editing. Zed is compatible with numerous programming languages, thanks to Tree-sitter, WebAssembly, and the Language Server Protocol. Its quick native terminal is integrated with Zed's language-aware task runner and AI features, enhancing productivity. The editor offers first-class modal editing through Vim bindings, incorporating functionalities such as text objects and marks for efficient navigation. Built by a diverse global community of thousands of developers, Zed encourages users to enhance their experience with a wide array of extensions that expand language capabilities, provide various themes, and more. Furthermore, its user-friendly design aims to streamline development workflows, making it an ideal choice for programmers looking to elevate their coding efficiency.

AIEditor is a user-friendly, open-source rich text editor that accommodates an unlimited number of users and applications, all while boasting comprehensive documentation. This AI-powered tool enables rapid development of knowledge products by effectively recognizing and rendering basic Markdown syntax, displaying results in real time. Users can utilize AI functionalities to check for spelling and grammar mistakes, expand concise ideas into more elaborate content, or condense lengthy passages without leaving the editor. Additionally, it provides the capability for AI to summarize key points and offers seamless collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit the same document simultaneously while observing real-time changes made by others. This versatile tool is applicable in various fields, including software development, marketing strategies, legal document assessments, project management, educational purposes, news journalism, and medical research. Reviewers can conveniently insert comments or suggestions on specific document sections, as well as highlight questions, errors, or areas needing enhancement for future revisions, enhancing the overall editing process. Overall, AIEditor stands out as a powerful resource for collaborative and efficient content creation.

Kakoune is a remarkably efficient modal text editor that emphasizes real-time feedback and offers powerful, intuitive options for multi-selection. Drawing inspiration from Vim, it presents a unique perspective on modal editing by prioritizing a selection-based workflow, which enhances the natural fluidity of text manipulation. Unlike traditional editors where commands are executed on cursors, Kakoune empowers users by allowing commands to act on selections, thus facilitating precise and rapid editing and navigation. With features such as robust multi-caret editing, context-aware autocompletion, and extensive support for various programming languages, Kakoune is optimized for handling large files and intricate codebases with ease. Its design allows for scripting and extension using shell commands, ensuring seamless integration with UNIX tools and offering users a high degree of customization. Renowned for its remarkable responsiveness and adaptability, Kakoune is particularly well-suited for developers who favor a keyboard-driven interface and value immediate, real-time feedback throughout their editing tasks. This makes it an excellent choice for those looking to enhance their productivity in coding environments.

Typora offers a fluid experience for users, serving effectively as both a writing and reading tool. It eliminates the need for a preview window, mode switcher, or any markdown syntax symbols, thereby cutting out unnecessary distractions. Instead, it features a live preview option that allows you to focus solely on your content. The software also facilitates file management with an easily accessible file tree panel and an article list panel, enabling you to organize your files according to your preferences, including integration with sync services such as Dropbox or iCloud. You can effortlessly view the outline structure of your documents in the outline panel, making navigation throughout the document quick and intuitive, as you can jump to any section with just one click. Additionally, Typora allows you to export your work to PDF complete with bookmarks. You can further enhance your productivity by importing and exporting various other formats, such as docx, OpenOffice, LaTeX, MediaWiki, and Epub. To top it off, you can track your document’s length in terms of words, characters, lines, or estimated reading time, providing you with valuable insights into your writing. This comprehensive functionality makes Typora a powerful tool for anyone involved in writing or content creation.

Quiver is an innovative notebook designed specifically for developers, allowing for seamless integration of text, code, Markdown, and LaTeX all within a single note. Users can edit their code using a powerful code editor, enjoy live previews of their Markdown and LaTeX, and quickly locate any note through comprehensive full-text search capabilities. Each note in Quiver consists of various cells that can contain snippets of text, code, Markdown, LaTeX (utilizing MathJax), or diagrams, such as flowcharts and sequence diagrams, enabling a flexible approach to note-taking. Notably, you can incorporate multiple types of cells within one note and assign different programming languages to various code cells as needed. The notebook is engineered to simplify code editing, featuring the remarkable ACE code editor in its code cells, which supports syntax highlighting for over 120 programming languages, boasts more than 20 themes, and includes automatic indenting and outdenting functionalities. Quiver also allows users to format their Markdown with inline options and apply custom CSS styles, while a live preview window displays the rendered Markdown in real-time as you type. Additionally, Quiver employs MathJax to effectively typeset complex mathematical equations written in LaTeX, enhancing its utility for technical documentation. Overall, Quiver stands out as a versatile tool for programmers who desire an efficient and organized way to manage their notes and code snippets.

Developed entirely from the ground up, JetBrains Fleet draws on two decades of experience in creating integrated development environments (IDEs). It utilizes the robust IntelliJ code-processing engine, featuring a distributed architecture and a fresh user interface designed for modern developers. Our aim with Fleet was to create a swift and efficient text editor that allows for quick code browsing and editing. It launches almost instantaneously, enabling you to start your work without delay, and has the capability to seamlessly evolve into a full-fledged IDE, with the IntelliJ engine operating independently from the editing interface. Fleet encompasses all the beloved features of IntelliJ-based IDEs, such as code completion tailored to your project context, easy navigation to definitions and usages, real-time code quality assessments, and convenient quick-fixes. The architecture of Fleet is thoughtfully designed to accommodate various configurations and workflows, allowing it to run locally on your machine or to offload some processes to the cloud, showcasing its versatility and adaptability for different development needs. This flexibility ensures that developers can choose the setup that best fits their workflow requirements.

Helix Editor stands out as an advanced, contemporary text editor tailored for developers who desire a swift, customizable, and effective editing experience. Emphasizing productivity, Helix employs a modal editing approach reminiscent of Vim, enabling users to effortlessly navigate, select, and alter text through user-friendly keyboard shortcuts. Its extensive feature set encompasses syntax highlighting, multi-caret editing, and compatibility with programming languages such as Rust, Python, and JavaScript. Furthermore, Helix leverages the Tree-sitter parsing library to deliver precise syntax-aware editing, facilitating the management of intricate code structures. The editor's streamlined interface, combined with its strong emphasis on performance, makes Helix Editor an exceptional choice for programmers who value both speed and adaptability in their development processes. Overall, this editor fosters an efficient coding environment, empowering developers to focus on their projects with minimal distractions.

To be candid, Mac applications seem to be fading into obscurity. While there are valid motivations for developing cross-platform applications — primarily their versatility — it doesn't align with our core identity. Established as a Mac software developer in 1997, the team at Panic finds joy in creating products that embody the essence of Mac. Many years ago, we introduced Coda, a groundbreaking all-in-one web editor specifically for Mac users. However, as we began developing Nova, we reassessed the current landscape of the web and recognized the need for a new beginning. Hence, our journey commenced with a top-tier text editor that is not only brand new but also incredibly fast and adaptable, packed with all the essential features like intelligent autocomplete, multiple cursors, a Minimap, editor overscroll, and tag pairs and brackets, among many others. For those interested, Nova offers integrated support for a variety of languages including CoffeeScript, CSS, Diff, ERB, Haml, HTML, INI, JavaScript, JSON, JSX, Less, Lua, Markdown, Perl, PHP, Python, Ruby, Sass, SCSS, Smarty, SQL, TSX, TypeScript, XML, and YAML. This extensive support ensures that developers have the tools they need to work efficiently and effectively across multiple programming languages.

CodeRunner is an efficient, lightweight programming text editor and integrated development environment (IDE) tailored for macOS. This versatile application was crafted to accommodate a diverse array of popular programming languages and execute them without delay. By default, it can run code in 25 different languages, but users can easily configure it to support additional languages through their respective terminal commands. With a robust offering of over 200 syntax modes, an array of advanced editing capabilities, and thoughtful design elements, CodeRunner is sure to become your preferred editor for all types of text files. Its code completion functionality stands out as one of the finest available in any IDE, featuring intelligent text matching that goes beyond mere single-word suggestions. The extra-fuzzy search algorithm allows users to swiftly locate the right completion among thousands, supplemented by useful documentation snippets and a smart ranking system for results. Instead of cluttering your code with print statements for debugging, take advantage of CodeRunner's comprehensive built-in debugging tools, which allow you to set breakpoints and step through your code seamlessly. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, CodeRunner is ideal for both novice programmers and seasoned developers alike.

Spacemacs is a community-centric distribution of Emacs that revolutionizes the editing experience by integrating both Emacs and Vim's strengths. This innovative editor emphasizes ergonomic design, mnemonic organization, and consistency throughout its interface. Key bindings are thoughtfully categorized with mnemonic prefixes such as b for buffer, p for project, s for search, and h for help, making navigation intuitive. Users benefit from a unique real-time display that highlights available key bindings, enhancing usability. The platform also features a streamlined query system to effortlessly locate layers, packages, and more. With a standardized set of conventions, similar functionalities utilize the same key bindings across the board, promoting familiarity. Additionally, the community-driven configuration ensures that users have access to a curated selection of packages optimized by experienced users, while bugs are addressed promptly, fostering a reliable and efficient working environment. This makes Spacemacs not just an editor, but a vibrant community of users supporting one another in their coding journeys.

Buffer Editor is an innovative code and text editing tool designed for seamless software development, code viewing, or note-taking while on the move. Countless programmers rely on Buffer Editor for its swift, robust, and sophisticated coding capabilities on mobile platforms. It allows users to preview a variety of file types compatible with iOS, such as images, PDFs, videos, and documents. You can effortlessly toggle between your currently open files and even open several terminals in separate tabs. Additionally, you can preview content both on localhost and your own server, enhancing your workflow and productivity. With its user-friendly interface and extensive features, Buffer Editor truly stands out in the realm of mobile coding applications.

gedit serves as the text editor for the GNOME desktop environment, prioritizing user-friendliness through its default simple interface. Users can access more sophisticated functionalities by activating various plugins, thanks to a versatile plugin architecture that allows for the dynamic incorporation of new advanced features. This adaptability makes gedit a powerful tool for both casual users and those requiring more complex capabilities.

CotEditor is specifically designed for macOS and aligns perfectly with the expectations of macOS users. Its rapid launch time ensures that you can begin writing without delay whenever inspiration strikes. As an open-source project, CotEditor invites contributions from anyone interested in enhancing its capabilities. It supports syntax highlighting for over 50 popular programming languages, such as HTML, PHP, Python, Ruby, and Markdown, while also allowing users to create personalized settings. The interface enables you to split the window into several panes, facilitating the simultaneous view of various sections of your document. You can easily inspect the Unicode character data of any selected character, which is displayed conveniently in a popover. There is no need for complicated configuration files requiring technical expertise; all your settings, including syntax definitions and themes, can be managed through a straightforward preferences window. With CotEditor, the worry of losing unsaved changes is eliminated, as it automatically backs up your work during editing sessions. Additionally, it provides a feature to identify and list characters in your document that cannot be converted to the desired encoding, ensuring a smooth writing experience. This combination of user-friendliness and powerful features makes CotEditor a valuable tool for writers and developers alike.