Alternatives to CodeEdit

A lightweight, open-source code editor for macOS, built natively in Swift. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as CodeEdit.

  • Nova

    A native macOS code editor and IDE from Panic with built-in terminals, Git and debugging.

    PaidProprietarymacOS

    Nova is a mature native macOS editor from Panic with terminals, Git, debugging and language servers built in, but it is paid and needs macOS 15.6 or later.

  • Visual Studio Code

    Microsoft's code editor, free to use but shipped under a Microsoft licence rather than an open one.

    FreeProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    Visual Studio Code offers extensions for nearly every language plus Git, terminal and debugger across platforms, but it is Electron-based and not open source.

  • Zed

    A Rust editor from the people who built Atom, written for speed and for two people editing one file.

    FreemiumOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Zed is a Rust editor with GPU rendering, language servers and real-time collaboration on Windows, macOS and Linux, under a mostly GPL 3.0 licence.

  • Sublime Text

    A fast native editor for code and prose, paid for but with an evaluation that never stops working.

    PaidProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    Sublime Text is a fast native editor for Windows, macOS and Linux that handles large files well, but it is closed source and paid.

  • TextMate

    An open-source macOS text editor known for bundles, snippets, multiple carets and scoped settings.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOS

    TextMate is a free, open-source macOS editor with bundles, snippets, multiple carets and a built-in version control view, though updates are infrequent.

  • CotEditor

    A free, open-source plain-text and code editor made for macOS.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOS

    CotEditor is a free, open-source native macOS editor with fast launch and regex find and replace, but it is a text editor rather than a project-oriented code editor.

  • BBEdit

    A long-running macOS text and code editor for writers, web authors and software developers.

    FreemiumProprietarymacOS

    BBEdit is a long-running macOS editor with grep search across files and FTP and SFTP editing, and some features require a paid license or subscription.

  • VSCodium

    Visual Studio Code built from the same source without Microsoft’s branding, telemetry or licence.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VSCodium is MIT-licensed VS Code without telemetry, available cross-platform, though it uses Open VSX and is Electron-based rather than native.

Also worth comparing

These listings name CodeEdit as their own alternative, so the relationship runs both ways.

  • CodeRunner

    A lightweight macOS programming editor that runs and debugs code in many languages.

    PaidProprietarymacOS

    CodeEdit is a free open-source native macOS editor written in Swift, still in development at version 0.3.6, without CodeRunner's ready-made code running and debugging.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.