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Code editors · 12 alternatives

Instead of GNU Emacs, try one of these 12.

Every alternative is lined up against GNU Emacs on what people actually switch for: price, open source, self-hosting, offline use and platforms. GNU Emacs sits in the first row, so you can see what you give up.

Show onlySorted by likes · 12 of 12
Alternative
Price
Open source
Self-host
Offline
Platforms
GNU EmacsWhat you have now
Extensible self-documenting editor with a Lisp-based plugin system.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · Android
Visual Studio Code#1
The most popular code editor, with a huge extension marketplace.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Obsidian#2
Private, local-first knowledge base built on plain Markdown files.
PriceFreemium
sync $4/mo
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux · iOS · Android
Sublime Text#3
Blazingly fast, minimalist text editor for code.
PricePaid
$99 license
Open sourceNo
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Vim#4
Modal text editor that never leaves your terminal.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Neovim#5
Modern, extensible rewrite of Vim.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
VSCodium#6
VS Code without Microsoft telemetry or branding.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Notepad++#7
Lightweight Windows text editor with plugins.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win
gedit#8
GNOME's simple editor with plugins, syntax highlighting, and remote file editing.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Geany#9
Lightweight IDE bundling a terminal, build tools, and language support.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Eclipse IDE#10
Veteran open-source IDE for Java and more.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
Kate#11
KDE's feature-rich editor with split views and sessions.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux
GNU nano#12
Small terminal editor with on-screen shortcuts, easy for newcomers.
PriceFree
Open sourceYes
Self-hostNo
OfflineYes
Platforms
Win · Mac · Linux

How to read this. “Yes” means fully supported by the maker. “Partial” means it works with caveats. Likes reflect community popularity; vendors can’t pay for them or for placement. How we compare.

GNU Emacs alternatives at a glance

GNU Emacs is a free code editors app. We compared 12 alternatives: 10 are open source, 10 are completely free, 0 can be self-hosted and 12 work fully offline. The most popular is Visual Studio Code, with 4.1k likes.

Most liked overallVisual Studio Code

The most popular code editor, with a huge extension marketplace.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best free optionVim

Modal text editor that never leaves your terminal.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best open-source optionNeovim

Modern, extensible rewrite of Vim.

Free · Open source · Works offline
Best for offline useObsidian

Private, local-first knowledge base built on plain Markdown files.

Freemium · Works offline

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