Best Sublime Text Alternatives 2026

Sublime Text offers a distraction-free coding environment with powerful features like multiple selections and a vast plugin library.

This editor supports various programming languages with syntax highlighting and code completion. Its powerful features enable efficient coding workflows and quick navigation through files. The highly customizable interface makes it suitable for many use cases.

7
Top Alternatives
10
User Reviews
4.3
Avg. Rating

Recent Reviews

AJ
Alice Johnson
Web Developer

"Sublime Text is my go-to text editor for all my web development projects. Its speed and responsiveness are unmatched, ev..."

BW
Bob Williams
Software Engineer

"I've been using Sublime Text for over five years, and it's still my preferred text editor. The multiple selections featu..."

CD
Carol Davis
Data Scientist

"Sublime Text's ability to handle large data files with ease is crucial for my work as a data scientist. The syntax highl..."

Sublime Text

sublimetext.com

A sophisticated text editor for code, markup, and prose. Known for its speed, ease of use and powerful features.

Platform Highlights

  • Fast and lightweight
  • Multiple selections
  • Extensive plugin library
  • Requires paid license for prolonged use
  • Limited built-in features
Global Rank
#5000
Monthly Users
500k+
Founded
2008
Model
Freemium
Revenue Share
N/A
Content Policy
N/A
Creator Satisfaction 80%

Based on 8,000+ creator reviews

Sublime Text Alternatives

Compare top code editors & ides platforms with detailed reviews and ratings

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4

JetBrains IntelliJ IDEA

Freemium

A powerful IDE for JVM languages, known for its smart code completion and extensive plugin ecosystem. Ideal for enterprise development.

Windows, macOS, Linux
Freemium Option
jetbrains.com
4.5 (10 reviews)
85% recommend
AJ
Alice Johnson
Software Engineer

"IntelliJ IDEA is a powerhouse IDE. Its code completion and refactoring tools are unparalleled. Worth every penny."

Match Score
59%
1

Visual Studio Code

Recommended Free

A lightweight but powerful source code editor with built-in support for many languages and a large extension ecosystem.

Windows, macOS, Linux, Web
Free Option
code.visualstudio.com
4.7 (10 reviews)
90% recommend
AJ
Alice Johnson
Software Engineer

"Visual Studio Code is my go-to IDE. The extensions ecosystem is incredibly rich, allowing me to customize my development..."

Match Score
51%
6

GNU Emacs

Free

Emacs is an extensible, customizable, free/libre text editor. It features content-aware editing modes, built-in documentation, Unicode support, and customization using Emacs Lisp code.

Linux, macOS, Windows
Free Option
gnu.org
4.3 (10 reviews)
80% recommend
EV
Eleanor Vance
Software Engineer

"Emacs is an incredibly powerful and extensible text editor. The sheer level of customization available can be overwhelmi..."

Match Score
48%
2

Neovim

Free

A hyper-extensible text editor based on Vim. It seeks to improve usability and extensibility with a modernized architecture.

Windows, macOS, Linux
Free Option
neovim.io
4.6 (10 reviews)
88% recommend
AJ
Alice Johnson
Software Engineer

"Neovim has completely revolutionized my coding workflow. The speed and customizability are unparalleled. I especially ap..."

Match Score
47%
3

Vim

Free

Vim is a highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing. It is an improved version of the vi editor distributed with most UNIX systems.

Linux, macOS, Windows
Free Option
vim.org
4.6 (10 reviews)
85% recommend
AJ
Alice Johnson
Software Engineer

"Vim is simply unparalleled when it comes to text editing speed and efficiency. The modal editing concept took some getti..."

Match Score
47%
5

BBEdit

Professional

BBEdit is a professional HTML and text editor for Macintosh. It is crafted to serve the needs of Web and software developers. Great for coding!

macOS
Paid Option
barebones.com
4.4 (10 reviews)
82% recommend
AJ
Alice Johnson
Web Developer

"BBEdit has been my go-to text editor for over a decade. Its powerful search and replace capabilities, coupled with its s..."

Match Score
46%
7

Notepad++

Free

A free source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Lightweight and efficient for quick edits.

Windows
Free Option
notepad-plus-plus.org
4.2 (10 reviews)
78% recommend
AB
Alice Brown
Software Engineer

"Notepad++ is an absolute essential for any developer. Its syntax highlighting for a vast array of languages is incredibl..."

Match Score
42%
User Reviews

What users say about Sublime Text

Real experiences from our community of users who have tried Sublime Text and its alternatives.

4.3
Average Rating
10
Total Reviews
80%
Would Recommend
AJ
Alice Johnson
Web Developer • 1 month ago
Verified User

Sublime Text is my go-to text editor for all my web development projects. Its speed and responsiveness are unmatched, even when dealing with large codebases. The package control system makes it easy to install and manage plugins, and the customizability is incredible. I can tailor it exactly to my workflow and coding style, which significantly boosts my productivity. Definitely worth the purchase!

Verified Purchase
BW
Bob Williams
Software Engineer • 1 month ago
Verified User

I've been using Sublime Text for over five years, and it's still my preferred text editor. The multiple selections feature is a huge time-saver, and the command palette is incredibly powerful. While the UI might seem a bit dated compared to some newer editors, the performance and stability are rock solid. My only minor complaint is the price, which might be a barrier for some users. However, the long-term value is undeniable.

Verified Purchase
CD
Carol Davis
Data Scientist • 1 month ago
Verified User

Sublime Text's ability to handle large data files with ease is crucial for my work as a data scientist. The syntax highlighting for various programming languages, including Python and R, is excellent. I also appreciate the regular updates and the active community that provides helpful plugins and support. The distraction-free mode is perfect for focusing on writing code and analyzing data without unnecessary interruptions. Highly recommended!

Verified Purchase
DM
David Miller
Freelance Programmer • 1 month ago
User

As a freelance programmer, I need a reliable and efficient text editor that won't slow me down. Sublime Text fits the bill perfectly. It's fast, lightweight, and has a wealth of plugins available to extend its functionality. The Goto Anything feature is a lifesaver when navigating complex projects. While it's not free, the trial period allowed me to thoroughly evaluate it before committing to a purchase, and I'm happy I did.

EG
Eve Garcia
Front-End Developer • 1 month ago
Verified User

Sublime Text has significantly improved my front-end development workflow. The snippets feature allows me to quickly insert commonly used code blocks, saving me a ton of time. The auto-completion and syntax highlighting are accurate and helpful, and the built-in build system is great for compiling code on the fly. It integrates seamlessly with Git, which is essential for version control. I would recommend to anyone serious about coding.

Verified Purchase
FR
Frank Rodriguez
Backend Developer • 1 month ago
User

Sublime Text is a solid text editor, but it's starting to show its age. While the performance is still good, some of the newer editors offer more modern features and a more polished UI out of the box. The plugin ecosystem is extensive, but finding and configuring the right plugins can be time-consuming. It's still a viable option, especially if you're already familiar with it, but there are arguably better alternatives available now, particularly for complex projects.

GT
Grace Thompson
Full Stack Developer • 1 month ago
Verified User

I've tried numerous text editors, but I always come back to Sublime Text. It's simply the most efficient and reliable tool for my full stack development needs. The customization options are endless, allowing me to configure it exactly how I want it. The package manager is easy to use, and there's a plugin for almost everything you can imagine. For anyone serious about coding, Sublime Text is a must-have.

Verified Purchase