Alternatives to Nova

A native macOS code editor and IDE from Panic with built-in terminals, Git and debugging. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.

  • Nova

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

    PaidProprietarymacOS

Replacements

Listings that take over the same core job as Nova.

  • 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 is free, runs on Windows and Linux too, and has extensions for nearly every language, but is Electron-based rather than a native Mac app.

  • 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 GPU-rendered Rust editor with language servers, real-time collaboration and AI features, available on Windows and Linux, and mostly licensed under GPL 3.0 or later.

  • 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 paid native editor for macOS, Windows and Linux that handles very large files, but its language support relies on third-party packages.

  • 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 SFTP editing, and its free mode stays usable after the trial, though some features need payment.

  • CodeEdit

    A lightweight, open-source code editor for macOS, built natively in Swift.

    FreeOpen sourcemacOS

    CodeEdit is a free, open-source native Swift editor for macOS with a lightweight design, but it is still in development at version 0.3.6.

  • 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 its updates are infrequent.

  • VSCodium

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

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    VSCodium offers the VS Code editor under the MIT licence without telemetry on macOS, Windows and Linux, using Open VSX for extensions.

Also worth comparing

These listings name Nova 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

    Nova is Panic's paid native macOS editor with terminals, Git, debugging and managed language servers in one window, but it requires macOS 15.6 or later.

  • CotEditor

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

    FreeOpen sourcemacOS

    Nova adds terminals, Git, debugging and managed language servers in a native Mac app, but it is paid after the trial and needs macOS 15.6 or later.

  • RustRover

    A JetBrains IDE for Rust with code analysis, refactoring, debugging, testing and Cargo integration.

    FreemiumProprietaryWindowsmacOSLinux

    Nova is a paid native macOS editor with built-in Rust support, language server management and debugging, but it runs on macOS only.

Similar software

Related functionality, not a direct replacement.

  • Xcode

    Apple's IDE for developing, testing and distributing apps for all Apple platforms.

    FreeProprietarymacOS

  • Textastic

    A text and code editor for iPad and iPhone with syntax highlighting, SFTP and SSH.

    PaidProprietarymacOSiOS