- List Of Text Editors
- Most Populare Web Development Text Editor For Mac
- Best Web Editors
- Free Text Editors For Mac
We have evaluated over 20 free HTML editors for Macintosh against over 40 different criteria relevant to professional web designers and developers. The following applications are the best free HTML editors for Macintosh, both WYSIWYG and text editors, rated from best to worst. Each editor listed will have a score, percentage, and a link to more information.
20 of the Best Free Coding Editors. Written by Editorial Team on December 9, 2016. Great editors, however, can help you code faster, find syntax errors, and much more. Coda is a $99 commercial web development application for Mac OS X, developed by Panic. Features of Coda: Plugins; Open quickly. SkEdit is a text editor for Mac OS X.
Best Value: Komodo Edit
What We Like
Lots of add-ons available.
Built-in FTP client.
Auto-complete and syntax checking features.
What We Don't Like
Slow to load.
Feels cluttered.
Difficult to install color schemes.
Komodo Edit is hands down the best free XML editor available. It includes a lot of great features for HTML and CSS development. Plus, if that isn't enough, you can get extensions for it to add on languages or other helpful features (like special characters).
Komodo Edit is not the best HTML editor out there, but it is great for the price, especially if you build in XML. I use Komodo Edit every day for my work in XML, and I use it a lot for basic HTML editing as well. This is one editor I'd be lost without.
There are two versions of Komodo: Komodo Edit and Komodo IDE.
Best for JavaScript Developers: Aptana Studio
What We Like
Integrated debugger.
Build-in Code Assist feature for tags.
Built-in terminal emulator.
What We Don't Like
No longer in development.
Minimal support for PHP.
Some dependencies.
Aptana Studio offers an interesting take on website development. Instead of focusing on HTML, Aptana focuses on the JavaScript and other elements that allow you to create rich internet applications.
One thing I really like is the outline view that makes it really easy to visualize the document object model (DOM). This makes for easier CSS and JavaScript development.
If you are a developer creating web applications, Aptana Studio is a good choice.
A Full Featured Java IDE: NetBeans
What We Like
Version 9.0 released by Apache after acquisition.
Supports the Jigsaw Module system.
Supports Java Shell, new in JDK 9.
What We Don't Like
Needs high-memory computer to run quickly.
Not many plug-ins.
Auto-completion is buggy.
NetBeans IDE is a Java IDE that can help you build robust web applications. Like most IDEs, it has a steep learning curve because they don’t often work in the same way that web editors do. But once you get used to it you’ll be hooked.
One nice feature is the version control included in the IDE which is really useful for people working in large development environments. If you write Java and web pages this is a great tool.
Best for LAMP Developers: Bluefish
What We Like
Auto-completion and auto-tag closing.
Powerful search and replace.
Quick to start and load files.
What We Don't Like
Not for novice programmers.
User interface looks intimidating.
Too many tabs and toolbars.
Bluefish is a full-featured web editor for Linux. There are also native executables for Windows and Macintosh. There is code-sensitive spell check, autocomplete of many different languages (HTML, PHP, CSS, etc.), snippets, project management, and auto-save.
It is primarily a code editor, not specifically a web editor. This means that it has a lot of flexibility for web developers writing in more than just HTML, but if you’re a designer by nature you might not like it as much.
List Of Text Editors
A Powerful Multi-Language IDE: Eclipse
What We Like
Robust debugging and profiling profile.
Code-completion feature.
Fast deployment and implementation.
What We Don't Like
Slow when working with large files.
Not recommended for large businesses.
Steep learning curve for novice programmers.
Eclipse is a complex, Open Source development environment that is perfect for people who do a lot of coding on a variety of platforms and with different languages.
Eclipse is structured as plug-ins, so if you need to edit something just find the appropriate plug-in and go.
If you are creating complex web applications, Eclipse has a lot of features to help make your application easier to build. There are Java, JavaScript, and PHP plugins, as well as a plugin for mobile developers.
A Swiss Army Knife IDE from Mozilla: SeaMonkey
What We Like
Tabs for WISIWYG editing, HTML tags, HTML code, and browser views.
Suitable for building simple, basic websites.
What We Don't Like
Composer element no longer being maintained.
Generates HTML 4.01 Transitional code.
SeaMonkey is the Mozilla project all-in-one internet application suite. It includes a web browser, email and newsgroup client, IRC chat client, and Composer, the web page editor.
One of the nice things about using SeaMonkey is that the browser is built-in, so testing is a breeze. Plus it's a free WYSIWYG editor with an embedded FTP client to publish your web pages.
A Basic HTML Writer: Amaya
What We Like
Useful for up to HTML 4.01.
Supports SVG and MathML.
Most Populare Web Development Text Editor For Mac
What We Don't Like
Last updated in 2012.
No longer in development.
Amaya is the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web editor and web browser. It validates the HTML as you build your page and displays your Web documents in a tree structure, which is useful for learning to understand the DOM.
Amaya has a lot of features that most web designers won’t ever use, but if you want to be certain that your pages follow the W3C standards, this is a great editor to use.
Straightforward and Stable: BBEdit 12
What We Like
Supports HTML5.
Opens large files.
Great customer support.
Rock-solid software.
What We Don't Like
Advanced features require paid version after 30-day free trial.
Must search menus for features and options.
BBEdit is a paid program that has a set of free capabilities (the same capabilities that the now-defunct TextWranger had. While Bare Bones Software, the makers of BBEdit do offer a paid version, you may find the free version does everything you need. You can review a feature comparison here.
Note
If you're using TextWrangler, it is not compatible with macOS 10.13 (High Sierra). However, the free (and paid) version of BBEdit is.
Two recent articles here on SitePoint talked about how people set up their development environments. Zack Wallace talked about setting up a Windows development environment, and Shaumik Daityari talked about his experience working with Ubuntu Linux.
In this article, I want to talk about how I set up a development environment on Mac OS X. But first, a little bit of background.
I’m a freelance software developer and technical writer. Given that, I need a wide variety of tools on a regular basis, whether they’re for software development, research, writing or experimentation.
It definitely is demanding having to cover everything from managing code, accessing remote servers and managing databases to writing and reviewing content. However, the great thing about the Mac is that there are so many tools available for it.
The Basic Tools
New Macs come with the iWork suite, Safari, Preview and The Unarchiver, amongst a range of other GUI tools. On the command line, they come with various open source tools, such as SSH, Wget, and cURL. However, these alone aren’t enough. To do proper web development, and technical writing, we need a number of others. Specifically, I regularly use a combination of the following:
- Dropbox and Google Drive
- Firefox, Google Chrome and Chromium
- Pixelmator and Skitch
- Colloquy, Skype and Slack
- Evernote and Wunderlist.
These tools are pretty much indispensable on a day-to-day basis.
Dropbox and Google Drive allow me to share files with clients. I could use the in-browser versions, but installing the apps makes syncing even simpler.
And no web development environment would be complete without all of the modern browsers. As Internet Explorer isn’t supported on the Mac, like Zack, I use a range of tools – such as BrowserStack – for testing sites in IE.
Pixelmator and Skitch make it simple to edit and make annotations to images. Pixelmator isn’t free, but isn’t that expensive either. You could use GIMP instead, but I find its interface leaves a lot to be desired.
For making and storing notes, I use Evernote. It’s definitely got that space nailed. And all I need for project management is Wunderlist. With it, I can stay on top of all the work I have to do for each client, as well as keep notes about conversations we’ve had and what I still have to do.
The Editors
But now let’s get in to the more serious stuff: editing. I do two types of editing – content and code – so my discussion of editors will reflect that. Regardless of which one you’re doing, there are several very good editors available for the Mac.
When I write, I write in Markdown format. It lets you write structured content in any text editor, without the need for special software (such as Microsoft Word) which can leave you at the behest of one vendor or another. Using tools such as Pandoc, you can export your content to nearly any other file format.
Writing Apps
For writing in Markdown, there are several great native apps available, including MacDown, iA Writer and Writer Pro and Mou. Heck, you could even use TextEdit, though it’s not really well suited to the task. In addition, there are various online Markdown editors, including Gingko, Draft and Bruno Škvorc’s favorite, StackEdit.
I’ve tried and can vouch for all of these, though I don’t use them on a regular basis. For me, the best tool to use is Vim, ideally MacVim. It does take a little bit longer to set up and configure. But once done, it’s amazing. What’s more – it’s free. If you’re keen, or struggling, checkout my Vim configuration repository on GitHub.
Coding Apps
Next there’s code. The Mac has a number of code editors available, irrespective of whether you’re a PHP, Python, Ruby, Go, Haskell or C++ developer.
There’s the ever present, excellent quality Sublime Text 3, which I’ve used often and happily attest to. There’s also TextMate 3, which is light, simple and extensible. But for me, my go-to editor of choice is PhpStorm. Based on IntelliJ, it just does so much; and what it doesn’t do natively, there’s likely a plugin for. Having said that, it’s not free. But the price really isn’t that much, especially when you weigh up the benefits.
Version Control
Next, let’s look at version control. Whether I’m writing or coding, I always use version control. And my version control system of choice is Git. To me, that’s a no-brainer. However, you may be equally as comfortable using Mercurial. If you’re using Subversion, OK. But I can’t honestly support CVS.
Using Git as my frame of reference, there are several good tools for Mac to choose from. Firstly, there’s the more simplistic GitX. Open-source and free, and a Mac clone of Linus Torvolds’ GitK, it provides the key functionality required to manage a Git repository and provides a nice built-in diff viewer.
Then there’s the powerhouse SourceTree. If you’re looking for one app that does it all, one actively developed by a large corporate focused on developer tools, Atlassian, then don’t go past SourceTree. I used it for ages (before I committed to Git from the command line) and it’s excellent.
I’ll also give an honorable mention to SmartGit as well.
Of these three, the one that I’ve used the most, and highly recommend, is SourceTree. However, as with MacVim being my text editor of choice, I manage my Git repositories from the command line. (I’m not going to suggest that you should use the command line too. But I will say that it’s worth the investment of time to learn how to use it, as it does help you become a lot more productive. That being said, if you’re not a command line person, SourceTree is the way to go!)
Best Web Editors
The Server
For servers, I take one of two options. I either use built-in servers, such as those with Ruby and PHP, and run without the overhead of much additional software, or I run up a virtual machine. I’ve used VirtualBox and Ubuntu Linux for this, but increasingly I create my own using Ansible and Vagrant.
There’s a whole series of tools that you can call on, and by default there are lots of language libraries and extensions that don’t come with binaries installed on the Mac, and even the versions that are installed may not be new enough. To get around this, I use Homebrew, one of two excellent package managers for the Mac.
Free Text Editors For Mac
Homebrew works similarly to APT and yum on Linux, in that you can search a package repository and install, upgrade, and configure packages using it. For a good understanding of how it works and what it offers, check out Homebrew’s online documentation.
The Database
For database work, I mostly use MySQL. I guess you could put that down to my PHP heritage. But I also regularly work with both PostgreSQL and SQLite as well. To install any of these databases, you can download them from their respective vendors, via the links.
Whilst I’d like to think of myself as a hardcore command line guru, I’m not when it comes to databases. For that I’ve been using Navicat Lite for some years. It’s an excellent tool that provides uniform access to a wide number of databases.
Navicat not only supports MySQL, PostreSQL and SQLite, but also Oracle and SQLServer. It allows for painless creation of any schema element, creating and running queries by hand, searching, creating and updating records – everything you’d expect from a database management tool.
Outside Access
For outside access, I regularly use the SSH library of tools, whether that’s SSH-ing to a remote server, or copying files to or from my development environment. In addition to that, I also regularly use cURL and Wget for grabbing files and for running requests against APIs and performing website interaction.
But if you’re not so command line inclined, there are some really good GUI tools. There’s the venerable FileZilla, as well as the more slick looking Cyberduck and Transmit. Each of these three tools will allow you to manage files remotely with just your mouse.
Wrapping It Up
And that’s how I get my environment set up with all the tools I need. I admit that I do use the command line and command line-type tools quite heavily. But I’ve also covered a number of GUI tools that you can use in their place as well, if that’s your preferred style.
Despite the derisive comments people often make about the Mac, be in no doubt – there is an abundance of software available for it. And because of its BSD heritage, it has access to the open source and Posix-compliant tools as well. So no matter which way you go, you have a wide array of tools at your disposal when working and developing on the Mac.
So, how does my setup compare with yours?