Notepad++ is a text editor and source code editor for use with Microsoft Windows. It supports tabbed editing, which allows working with multiple open files in a single window.

The project’s name comes from the C increment operator. Notepad++ is distributed as free software. At first, the project was hosted on SourceForge.net, from where it has been downloaded over 28 million times, and twice won the SourceForge Community Choice Award for Best Developer Tool.

It owes its popularity to its customizable GUI, syntax highlighting and syntax folding, multi-document and multi-view, and macro reading and playback features.

The bad part of it is that it is limited to Microsoft Windows and is not available on Mac OS. So, if you are someone who has shifted from Windows to Mac and is missing Notepad++ on your new operating system, here is the list for the best notepad++ alternatives for Mac Users in 2018.

Atom

Atom is a free and open-source Text editor which can be used for Linux, Windows, and MacOS. It provides support for plugins written in Node.js. Atom is completely free to use. It can be the perfect alternative for Notepad++ as it is able to modify the editor itself.

Like many other open-source products, this helps developers to make Atom work as they wish, and all one needs is the knowledge of HTML and JavaScript. Another important aspect of Atom is that it can be customized with the help of themes. 

Although the software is already feature-rich, if you want more, you can install any of its thousands of open-source packages to add new features and functionality.

Sublime Text

Sublime text is another popular proprietary cross-platform source code editor with a Python application programming interface (API).

It natively supports many programming languages and markup languages, and functions can be added by users with plugins, typically community-built and maintained under free-software licenses.

It is very popular on the Mac OS platform and it owes a lot of its popularity to its easy to navigate, highly customizable and features rich interface.

Some of its noteworthy features are syntax highlighting and folding, multiple selections, powerful API, package ecosystem split editing, Goto Definition, Command Palette, batch editing, and instant project switch. It is also available on Windows and Linux.

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a source code editor developed by Microsoft for Windows, Linux, and macOS.

It includes support for debugging, embedded Gitcontrol, syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, snippets, and code refactoring. It is also customizable, so users can change the editor’s theme, keyboard shortcuts, and preferences.

It is free and open-source, although the official download is under a proprietary license. In the Stack Overflow 2018 Developer Survey, Visual Studio Code was ranked the most popular development environment tool, with 34.9% of 75,398 respondents claiming to use it.

Some of its notable features include support for 30 different languages, Regex, outlining, autocomplete with IntelliSense, automatic real-time API description, Git control debugging, fast source code editor and support for extensions.

MacVim Text Editor

Vim is an awesome, awesome text editor that’s been around for 20 years. MacVim is a GUI for Vim made for Macs.  

It has a very steep learning curve, but once you’re used to it, editing text is quick and you’ll have tons of powerful and fast commands at your fingertips. Vim revolves around speed, power, and efficiency. 

It has a large and strong community which is ready to answer any question that you might have. There is a mobile version of the app available for Android and iOS devices for those who are into coding on mobile.

Brackets

Brackets is a source code editor with a primary focus on web development. It is developed by Adobe Systems and is a free and open-source software licensed under the MIT License and is currently maintained on GitHub by Adobe and other open-source developers.

It is written in JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. Brackets is cross-platform, available for macOS, Windows, and most Linux users. The main purpose of brackets is its live HTML, CSS and js editing functionality.

Some of its features include Inline Editors, Preprocessor Support, Quick Edit, JSLint, Live Preview and support for extensions. It is relatively new in the source code editor’s market and is in constant development so we can expect a lot more features to be included in the upcoming days.

Komodo Edit

Komodo Edit is a free text editor for dynamic programming languages. It was introduced in January 2007 to complement ActiveState’s commercial Komodo IDE. As of version 4.3, Komodo Edit is built atop the Open Komodo project.

Many of Komodo’s features are derived from an embedded Python interpreter. Komodo Edit is a light version of the Komodo IDE and is available for free. It is a great editor for beginners who want to try their hands on the dynamic programming languages like C++ and Python.

Some of its notable features are integrated debugger support, Document Object Model (DOM) viewer, interactive shells, source code control integration, and the ability to select the engine used to run regular expressions and to ensure compatibility with the final deployment target.

The list isn’t in any particular order.

So, these are the best Notepad++ alternatives for MacOS users. I hope this article works the way it is intended to be. Which one of the above apps do you prefer the most? Let us know about your choices and experiences in the comments down below.

In case I missed mentioning anything or if there is some topic which you want me to cover, please let me know in the comments section down below.