Alternatives to PSPad
A freeware text and code editor for Windows with syntax highlighting, hex editing and a built-in FTP client. The listings below can replace it for an important use case. Each note says what changes if you switch.
The original
PSPad
A freeware text and code editor for Windows with syntax highlighting, hex editing and a built-in FTP client.
Replacements
Listings that take over the same core job as PSPad.
Notepad++
The fast Windows text and source code editor that replaced Notepad for a generation of users.
Notepad++ is a GPL open-source Windows editor with regex find across files, macros and plugins, but it lacks PSPad's built-in hex editor and FTP client.
RJ TextEd
A freeware Unicode text and source code editor for Windows with web preview, hex mode and SFTP.
RJ TextEd is closed-source Windows freeware with HTML and CSS preview, an FTP and SFTP client with synchronization, hex mode and a portable build.
UltraEdit
A commercial text, code and hex editor for Windows, macOS and Linux that handles very large files.
UltraEdit is a paid proprietary text, code and hex editor for Windows, macOS and Linux that handles very large files and supports macros and scripting.
EmEditor
A Windows text editor built for very large files, CSV data, logs and code.
EmEditor is a freemium Windows editor focused on very large files, logs and CSV data, with some features requiring the paid Professional edition.
Notepad3
A lightweight open-source Notepad replacement for Windows with syntax highlighting and code folding.
Notepad3 is an open-source lightweight Windows Notepad replacement with syntax highlighting and code folding, offering far fewer built-in tools than PSPad.
Notepad4
A lightweight Scintilla-based text editor for Windows with syntax highlighting, folding and auto-completion.
Notepad4 is an open-source lightweight Windows editor with auto-completion and a bundled file browser, but uses a single-document design without FTP or hex editing.
Sublime Text
A fast native editor for code and prose, paid for but with an evaluation that never stops working.
Sublime Text is a paid native editor for Windows, macOS and Linux with multiple cursors and goto-anything, relying on packages instead of built-in FTP and hex tools.
Similar software
Related functionality, not a direct replacement.
BBEdit
A long-running macOS text and code editor for writers, web authors and software developers.
Notepads
Use a lightweight Windows text editor with tabs and Markdown preview.
Bluefish
A lightweight open-source code and text editor for programmers and web developers.
Geany
A small, fast IDE built on GTK that starts instantly and does not depend on a heavy desktop environment.
