TextEdit is the default text editor by Apple on Mac. It is open-source and comes pre-installed with macOS. You can use it to write and edit documents. However, it is limited in functionality when you compare it with other text editors out there. As a result, it is not the best solution to write code, nor is it any good at helping you manage application projects.
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So, if you need a more comprehensive experience out of a text editor, you need to look for some of the third-party text editors out there. To help you in this process, here are our picks for the best Mac text editors.
Text editors come in various forms, but you can broadly classify them as basic text editors (plain text or rich text) and source-code editors. The difference between both kinds, at large, lies in the functionality and purpose that they serve.
While text editors offer functionalities that solely focus on simplifying creating and editing documents, source-code editors provide additional features to speed up the code writing process. For instance, a source-code editor gives you syntax highlighting, autocomplete, indentation, and bracket matching, among other features, which you do not get to see on a basic text editor.
As such, you can use a source-code editor for general document writing and editing, but it is not wise to use a basic editor for writing code. For, even though you can do it, the lack of development-specific features on a basic text editor might not offer as good an experience as a source-code editor or an IDE (integrated development environment).
Besides customization, Atom offers you the usual slate of features, such as syntax highlighting, smart autocompletion, and file system browser. Additionally, it also comes with a built-in package manager to help you search and install new packages conveniently on your system and Git integration to store and manage your projects right from the editor.
Sublime Text is a shareware source code editor, meaning it offers most of its features for free but restricts a few to the paid offering, which you can upgrade to/purchase if you need the missing functionalities. It is designed with Python and web programming in mind and is one of the most preferred text editors on the Mac. But, you can also use it for other programming and markup languages.
Similar to Atom, Sublime Text also offers plugin support that lets you add missing functionality to your editor to enhance your experience. Some of the handy features of Sublime Text include command palette, snippets, code auto-completion goto anything, goto definition, and split editing. In addition, Sublime Text also provides you a built-in package manager to make finding and installing third-party packages on the editor easy.
BBEdit is a Mac-only text editor from Bare Bones Software. It is essentially a free version of the popular TextWrangler text editor, which got discontinued a few years back and is available exclusively on macOS.
Vim or Vi Improved is a clone of Vi with a series of improvements. Vi is a POSIX standard editor that comes pre-installed on most traditional Unix-compliant operating systems, including macOS. When put up against other text editors on this list, Vim has a completely different look and feel to it.
While most modern text editors focus on offering a nice-looking interface filled with a tonne of features and functionalities, Vim focuses on getting the basics right. And, it does that very well. You do, however, get extensive plugin support, with new plugins being developed continuously, to configure the editor to suit your coding style and workflow.
The lack of a graphical interface on Vim means all your interactions happen on the command line or terminal window. Plus, being a modal editor, there are different modes on Vim that might take you some time to get used to before you become comfortable using it. However, that said, once you learn Vim, you can do a whole lot more with it efficiently. And, you probably would not switch back to a regular text editor.
Emacs or Editor MACroS is another popular text editor for Mac. It is the preferred choice for many programmers. It shares its rivalry with Vim, with fans of both text editors not shying away from expressing the superiority of their favorite text editors.
In terms of usability, Emacs also takes some time to pick up, just like Vim. However, the offerings you get with it totally make it a promising text editor for those who want an environment that allows them to perform/control pretty much every aspect of their programming workflow. To give you a quick rundown, Emacs provides everything from text editing, project planning, built-in mail and newsreader, packaging system, and built-in IRC client, to name just a few.
Using the text editors listed above, you can write and edit documents on your Mac with greater control over the text. If you are planning on using them to write code, which is likely, as you are reading this, you can make the most out of it by taking advantage of their development-specific features.
Text editors are one of the most heatedly contested topics on the internet. As we mentioned earlier, users of Vim and Emacs editors can often be seen getting into arguments around which of the two editors is better. In reality, however, it simply comes down to what text editor you are comfortable working with and which one of them fits your workflow perfectly.
TextEdit is the default text editor on Macs, and it comes pre-installed with macOS. You will find it in the Applications folder and the app allows you to write either in RTF (rich text format) or plain text (txt).
Most text editors on this list are free and come with a host of features. We feel picking one text editor among these is greatly influenced by your preference: what exactly you want in a text editor, how you plan on using it, and most importantly, your workflow. That said, though, if you want a generalized answer, we recommend using Visual Studio Code, which will get you pretty much all the essential functionalities you will need in your workflow without any compromises. However, if you want a minimal text editor and are comfortable working on a terminal interface, we recommend going with Vim. Even though Vim might pose some difficulty when you start with it initially, once you get a hold of it, you can work quickly and efficiently with it than most text editors out there.
The last text editor we highly recommend getting for your Mac is Visual Studio Code, also known as VS Code. Boasting in-app debug options and a smart autocomplete system, VS Code aims not just to help new coders, but to increase the speed of advanced coders.
To us, VS Code is the best middle ground of a text editor being a tool and an instructor. That makes it best for the intermediate coder: someone looking to hone skills but who occasionally needs help with a bug. Is that you? If yes, check out VS Code for sure!
Deciding on the text editor you want will come down to your current coding skills and how much you want a program to help you code. If you want to push yourself and do everything manually, you want Vim or Emacs. If you want a program to guide you, you want Atom, Sublime Text, or VS Code.
Visual Studio Code also comes with support for extensions and a big extension library which can be used to not only enhance its features but also customize the interface to suit your workflow. Some of the popular extensions are Git Lens, Sublime Text Keymap, Azure Storage, Angular Essentials, Vim, and Debugger for Chrome. Also, the text editor is completely free to download and use.Pros:Support for most languages
Various plugins available
Good performance
Great UI
Free to use
Monthly updates
Cons:You have to install a lot of plugins to make it feature rich
A bit of a learning curve
Can be buggy at times
Download: (Free)
Textastic is one of the most affordable and user-friendly text editors for Mac that you can find. It is a powerful and fast text, code, and markup editor. Textastic supports syntax highlighting for more than 80 source code and markup languages. It also features auto-completion of code for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, C, and Objective-C languages. I also love that the text editor allows users to work in multiple tabs making it easier to review or consult your own code. Other features include the ability to quickly find files, print files, use symbol list to quickly navigate in a file, built-in Emmet support and more.It might not be the most powerful text editor for the Mac, however, it is fairly capable. Also, its easy to understand user interface ensures that you have a less of a learning curve here than with some of the other text editors on this list.Pros:Supports a number of script and markup languages
Simple to use
iCloud sync support
Multiple tabs feature
Cons:
Download: ($7.99)9. TextMate 2.0TextMate bridges UNIX underpinnings and GUI by cherry-picking the best of both worlds so that it can be used by experts and novices alike. It brings enough project management features to keep most users happy, but is otherwise very lightweight and has a clean and minimalist GUI. Features of TextMate include the ability to research and replace the code in projects, auto-pairing of brackets and other characters, column selection and typing, recordable macros with no programming requirement, syntax highlighting for multiple languages, and more.TextMate also works with Xcode and can build Xcode projects. One of the best things about TextMate is that it comes with extensive documentation and video library which should easily get users started. If you want a no-nonsense text editor, TextMate is the one for you.Pros:
Cons:Only macOS
Development not very reliable
Download: (Free Trial, $56.25)10. CodeRunner 2Just like Textastic, CodeRunner 2 is a very affordable text editor which has been specifically designed for Macs. CodeRunner 2 supports a large number of languages and delivers big IDE features while remaining lightweight and clutter-free. Some of its features include full-blown IDE-level code completion, support for 23 different languages, support for multi-file projects, breakpoints and debugging support, theme support, file and symbol navigator, automatic indentation support, intelligent bracket matching, and more. CodeRunner 2 brings a powerful text-editor in a simple to understand package which is good for beginners and experts alike.Pros: 2ff7e9595c
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