1. Without any doubt, if you are looking for a free text editor, TextMate is the best text editor for Mac. You may find many free text editors for Windows but there are very few free applications which are available for Mac and TextMate is one of them.
2. Visual Studio Code is a lightweight but powerful source code editor which runs on your desktop and is available for Windows, Mac and Linux. It comes with built-in support for JavaScript, TypeScript and Node.js and has a rich ecosystem of extensions for other languages (such as C++, C#, Python, PHP) and runtimes.

EditRocket, a Text and Source Code Editor with support for over 20 programming languages, includes a powerful JavaScript editor and IDE that strives to make JavaScript development quick and easy.

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The JavaScript editor included in EditRocket includes many tools and features to aid in JavaScript development. See below for information on the JavaScript specific tools offered by EditRocket.

JavaScript Auto Completion

Code more quickly with the JavaScript Auto Complete Tool. The auto complete tool automatically brings up a list of applicable methods when typing a (.) after a variable name. Auto-complete is available for the built-in JavaScript objects, such as Array, String, Math, etc. and the DOM objects, such as document, location, window, etc. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Auto Completion

Text Editor For Mac

JavaScript Source Code Builder

With EditRocket, there is no need to memorize JavaScript APIs. The JavaScript Code Builder includes information on the functions contained in the JavaScript library, for example, Math, String, Document, and many more.

The Code Builder works by allowing users to select a function category, such as String, and then it displays function signature and function description information for all functions in the selected category. The user can copy the function name to the editor, and the signature will display as a tooltip. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Code Builder

JavaScript Validator

The JavaScript validator included with EditRocket uses the javascript lint validation tool. The validator checks for syntax errors and questionable coding practices. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Validator

JavaScript Compressor

EditRocket includes a JavaScript compressor that compresses scripts resulting in faster downloads. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Compressor

JavaScript Sidekick

Code more effeiciently with the JavaScript Sidekick. The sidekick gives users the ability to quickly enter many common JavaScript constructs into the text editor with the click of a button, or via customizable keyboard shortcuts. Some examples of code assistant options are for loop syntax, function syntax, and if, if else, and else syntax. The sidekick also includes a tab for the JavaScript Function Navigator. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Sidekick

JavaScript Function Navigator

Jump from function to function easily with the JavaScript Function Navigator. The navigator parses the editor contents for JavaScript functions and displays them in a clickable list. Clicking an option from the list takes the user directly to the point in the editor where the function is defined.

General Highlights

Additional Features

• Syntax highlighting for over 20 programming languages
• The programming editor behind RazorSQL, a popular database query tool, since 2004
• File tools such as head, tail, regular expression search, move, copy, and delete
• Customizable and pre-defined code templates
• Works with all major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, macOS, Linux, and Solaris.

Whether you’re a self-confessed script kiddie or black hat, a hobby programmer or professional coder, you need to have an app that’s up to the task. If you choose to do your programming on a Mac rather than a PC, below is a list of the best code editing apps that could be mustered.

Test them out, see which one suits you, and dive on into the sublimely mathematical, perfectly logical world of Mac-based coding.

1. Vim

The number one choice for probably the majority of programmers these days, Vim is the most complete code-editing tool around. It uses much less memory than its rivals, it’s open source, and can be used remotely via SSH.

Related: 3 Useful VIM Editor Tips and Tricks for Advanced Users

That’s not all. Vim works on all Unix platforms (so Windows and Linux as well), and is brimming with keyboard shortcuts that make writing long chunks of code a cinch. It may seem like a lot to take in, but all the shortcuts are designed to be memorable (so d for ‘delete,’ obviously), making Vim rather accessible.

With its vast community churning out a constant procession of plug-ins and add-ons, Vim is a vast, flexible tool that can be used for many of the most popular coding environments (C, Python, you name it).

It’s number one for a reason.

2. Atom

Atom is a fantastic code editor for users of all skill levels. Whether you want to tweak source code or play around with packages, you can do so here. It has a great collaboration tool in the form of Teletype, which lets you seamlessly work on code with fellow users.

You can work in the universal hosting service GitHub from directly within Atom too, doing every function from creating new branches to pushing and pulling code requests. Beyond that, Atom is filled with quality-of-life features like autocomplete, a robust search tool and file browser, and a powerful package manager.

On the downside, Atom is fairly memory-intensive, particularly when handling large files, so be sure that your computer is up to the task RAM-wise before jumping in.

3. Sublime Text

One of the best and simplest coding tools ever available to Mac users. Sublime Text is a notepad-like application that lets you write your code, highlight certain parts using its various syntax detecting algorithms and so on. The app has a number of features including Goto Anything, Multiple Selections, Command Palette, etc. If you think the other apps or things are distracting you while doing your coding work, then you can enable the distraction-free writing mode. It disables everything except for the area where you write your code.

Sublime Text is not free, though you can download the free trial version and it never seem to expires. Nevertheless, if you use and love Sublime Text, it is always good to purchase the license and support the development.

The app is available for Mac, Windows and Linux.

Photo Editor For Mac

4. BBEdit

This is yet another nice tool for coding programs. BBEdit says it does not suck, and that probably means something good for the coders. The app has a nice interface identical to Sublime Text. The app seems to be inclined towards those who do a lot of HTML coding, and maybe that is why there are a number of options to manipulate webpages in the app. It contains FTP and SFTP support, so there is no issue with uploading your files to your server as soon as you are done writing them. Sounds cool, huh?

5. TextMate

Do you have a load of coding work that needs to be done in a short span of time? TextMate is available to help you out. The app makes coding much easier on your Mac than ever with a number of features it comes preloaded with. Syntax highlighting, Multiple Tabs, and Search and Replace are some of the salient features of the app. If you missed closing a bracket, that happens most of the time you are coding; it completes it automatically for you. So the next time you write a program, there is much less of a chance that it will have errors.

6. Brackets

What is it that you use most often while writing code? Yes, you are right. It is brackets. Brackets by Adobe brings a powerful tool for you to code the next big thing. The app is actually built for HTML coders who build hundreds of webpages a day, or maybe even more. It highlights the syntax making it easier for you to find your code blocks and errors and comes with a Live HTML Development that shows the output of your code without having you save or refresh the page. That is really something cool about this app, isn’t it?

7. Textastic

Textastic for Mac is a simple, yet faster, coding tool that delivers what it promises. With features like Auto Completion, it auto-completes some of your code that you would otherwise have to do yourself, saving you some time that you could use to do something else. While most of the other features remain the same as the apps above, it includes a new feature called iCloud syncing. What it does is let you sync your code across your various Mac machines so that you can pick up where you left off easily.

Conclusion

Coding has become a part of many people’s lives these days, and the apps above should help to get it done more quickly and more efficiently.

This article was first published in March 2014 and was updated in June 2019.

Image credit: Closeup coding on screen by oatawa/Shutterstock