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.
KompoZer - A free WYSIWYG editor that is designed to be easy for people to use. Microsoft Expression Web - An easy and now free to use program that allows you to do everything within a WYSIWYG interface. Expression Web also includes search engine optimization tools and the ability to preview in multiple web browsers. RapidWeaver - Apple Mac all-in-one web design software. SiteSpinner Cloud - A good free WYSIWYG HTML editor.
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.
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.
Free Code Editor For Mac
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.
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.
The Notepad++ is widely used in Windows operating systems, however, the programming software is not available to the Mac OS. There is no need to fret if you move from a Windows environment as the OS X has a native Unix environment that is compatible for html editors, and a simple text editor called TextEdit. There are other programming software for Mac that can best NotePad++ if you are in need of more functionality that is not present with TextEdit.
People who ask the question“What is the best source code editor for OS X?”, or continually look for the best notepad++ alternatives, either free or paid for Mac OS, look no further than to refer to this article. Here listed are the next best text editors and Notepad++ alternatives for Mac. In this article, we will certainly reveal you a few of the most effective code editors readily available for Mac and Windows customers.
1. Light Table (Free)
Table of Contents
An open-source text editor, it’s main feature is the real-time feedback allowing instant execution, access to documentation and debugging. This reduces the programming time by showing the results of the code as your write it. It has “watches” which can keep track of high priority values in your code, built-in plugin manager, and inline evaluation which does away with printing to the console to see the results of your code.
2. TextMate (Paid)
One of few exclusive code editors for Mac, it uses features both from Emacs and OS X into a single text editor, for designers and programmers alike that seek to replace the full IDE. With features such as auto-pairing of brackets, Regex and Grep support, visual bookmarks for jumping in between locations in a document make TextMate a viable alternative to Notepad++. It works well with the Xcode environment, you can take advantage of these features while still using the built-in OS X IDE.
TextMate is offered for $58. It is additionally available as a cost-free download.
3. Sublime Text (Paid)
An elegant design welcomes you with this text editor, with features such as GoTo Anything, which can open any files with only a few keystrokes, full screen mode, split editing, a command palette to automatically switch between specific parts without navigation to menus. It has a Python console which you can experiment with in real-time, and a customizing function to just customize key bindings, menus, macros, completions, basically anything with JSON files.
Superb Text is available on test as well as a single permit will cost you $70.
4. Atom (Free)
A code editor made by the GitHub developers, it’s main selling point (although it’s free), is that it was made to be customized by developers. Featuring packages, these add-ons can be made by other developers to add more functionality to your Atom code editor. The program can be used in conjunction with HTML and Javascript, so you don’t have to learn complicated languages.
5. TextWrangler (Free)
If the fee of $49 isn’t justifiable for purchasing a text editor like BBEdit, then it’s little brother TextWrange will be enough for you. It includes features like syntax highlighting, Unix scripting integration. It functions like other similar simple text editors, with features such as multi-file search, unicode viewing and spellcheck.
6. BBEdit ($49)
The big brother of TextWrangler it offers many more features in addition to what was included in TextWrangler such as HTML tools, Clippings system, GitHub integration, and adapting Automator. You can also develop your own language module using the BBEdit SDK to add syntax coloring and navigation without writing any code.
Html Editor For Mac Osx
7. Chocolat (Free)
Best Free Html Editor For Mac
Chocolat is a native text editor for Mac, that means it utilizes the advantages of the latest features of the OS and strictly is not a port from Windows, so you should be able to comfortable right away as it focuses on the Mac experience. It works with every programming language such as Ruby on Rails, PHP, C++, and Haskell. Boasting user friendliness and no steep learning curve, projects are easy to start, and you can even view two files at once with their split editing feature.
Free Html Editor For Mac
8. Komodo-Edit
A light version of Komodo IDE, it’s integrated development environment (IDE) is used by those who don’t need an entrie IDE, but just the essentials. Core features include multi-language support, autocomplete, tracking, and Markdown viewing. It’s also integrated with Kopy.io, an alternative pastebin to Github. You can add more functionality by integrating extensions you can download from Github repositories.
9. Brackets (Free)
Adobe’s answer to a Notepad++ alternative, it is deemed as one of the most viable alternatives for Mac. The best feature it has is called Extract, which extracts the color, gradient, font and measurements from a PSD file automatically which can dramatically reduce the time to turn a PSD file into a website. There are extensions being released every 3 weeks, so Brackets is always improving.
10. Aquamacs (Free)
A user-friendly version of the famous Emacs text editor, it combines the Mac functionality with the ergonomics and extensibility of the features of Emac into one single editor. It boasts a range of proportional and mono-spaced fonts, and basically a standard Mac interface with the functionality of a text editor.