Top Text Editor and IDE Every Developer Should Know
As programmers, we cannot separate ourselves from code editors. Choosing the right text editor or IDE (Integrated Development Environment) depends on your needs and workflow.
The main difference between a text editor and an IDE lies in their functionality. A text editor is a lightweight software primarily used to write and edit plain text or code. It doesn't come with built-in tools for software development such as code completion, debugging, or integration with version control. However, most modern text editors can be extended with plugins or extensions to provide such features.
An IDE, on the other hand, is a more complete development environment. It usually includes a code editor, debugger, compiler or interpreter, and various tools that make development easier. However, IDEs are often tailored for specific programming languages or ecosystems, and they may require more system resources than simple text editors.
Here's list of text editor and IDE :
Type: Paid subscription & Free version
JetBrains products are widely used by developers around the world. Their IDEs are known for being powerful, user-friendly, and packed with features such as intelligent code suggestions, spelling checker, Git integration, database tools, and much more. JetBrains offers different IDEs for various programming languages — for example, IntelliJ IDEA for Java/Kotlin, PyCharm for Python, and WebStorm for JavaScript.
While most JetBrains IDEs require a subscription, they offer a 30-day free trial. You can also use community editions like IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition for free, which is great for Java development.
Type: Free
Eclipse is a well-established open-source IDE mainly used for Java development, although it supports other languages through plugins. It provides strong debugging tools, refactoring support, and project management capabilities. Eclipse is widely used in academic and enterprise environments.
Type: Free
BlueJ is a beginner-friendly IDE designed primarily for teaching Java programming. It offers a simple interface, making it ideal for students and educators. Its focus is not on advanced features, but on clarity and understanding of object-oriented concepts.
Type: Free
Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing. Neovim is a modern, more extensible fork of Vim. Though not an IDE by default, Vim/Neovim can be customized with plugins to support syntax highlighting, auto-completion, linting, and even debugging. They are loved by developers who prefer keyboard efficiency over graphical interfaces.
Type: Free (with optional paid license)
Sublime Text is a fast, lightweight, and elegant text editor. It supports multiple programming languages and offers features like multi-line editing, syntax highlighting, and a powerful search tool. While free to use indefinitely, it occasionally prompts users to purchase a license.
Type: Free
Zed is a modern code editor built for speed and collaboration. It is still in active development and aims to combine the best of fast editing with real-time collaboration features. Zed is lightweight but powerful, and it's gaining attention from developers looking for a fresh alternative.
Type: Free
VSCode is one of the most popular text editors today, developed by Microsoft. It supports a wide range of languages and comes with built-in Git support, a powerful extension marketplace, debugging tools, and intelligent code completion. It’s highly customizable, making it suitable for many kinds of projects.
Type: Free
Fleet is a new lightweight IDE from JetBrains. It combines the simplicity of a text editor with smart IDE features. Fleet is designed for collaborative development and cloud-based workflows, aiming to support remote coding sessions out of the box.
Type: Free
Notepad++ is a simple yet effective text editor for Windows. It supports many languages, offers syntax highlighting, and runs very smoothly even on older systems. While it's not as feature-rich as other editors or IDEs, it’s a solid choice for quick edits and scripting tasks.
Type: Free
Emacs is a highly extensible and customizable text editor, often described as a “programming environment.” With the right configuration and plugins, Emacs can become a fully functional IDE. It's loved by many long-time programmers for its flexibility and depth.
Type: Free
Atom, developed by GitHub, is a hackable text editor that gained popularity for its modern UI and rich extension ecosystem. While official development has slowed down since Microsoft’s acquisition of GitHub, Atom is still used by many for its ease of use and community-driven plugins.
Type: Free
NetBeans is a free and open-source IDE primarily used for Java, though it supports other languages like PHP, HTML5, and C/C++. It’s known for being stable, feature-rich, and well-suited for enterprise-level applications. It's backed by the Apache Software Foundation.