Textadept

A fast, minimalist programmer's text editor that can be scripted and extended with Lua.

FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line
Official websiteorbitalquark.github.ioDownload pagegithub.com

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About Textadept

Textadept is a small cross-platform text editor for programmers, written in C, C++ and Lua. It runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and BSD as self-contained executables with no installation. There is a graphical interface and a terminal version.

It supports over 100 languages and has multiple carets, unlimited split views, configurable key bindings and key chains, and nested snippets. It can run shell commands to build, run and test code. Almost every part of the editor can be scripted in Lua, and it never connects to the internet.

Strengths

  • Portable executables with no installation
  • Graphical and terminal interfaces
  • Almost everything can be customised in Lua
  • Makes no network connections

Limitations

  • Extending it well means learning its Lua API
  • Smaller extension ecosystem than mainstream editors

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source.
License
Open source, license not stated
Developer
orbitalquark
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Programmers who want a lightweight editor they can reshape with Lua
Categories
Code editors
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to Textadept

Compare all

Software that can replace Textadept for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • Lite XL

    Edit text and code in a lightweight Lua-based editor.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Lite XL is also a lightweight Lua-extensible editor under the MIT license, without Textadept's terminal interface.

  • CudaText

    A fast, cross-platform open-source code editor written in Object Pascal and extensible with Python.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    CudaText is a fast cross-platform open-source editor extended with Python instead of Lua, with over 300 syntax lexers.

  • Geany

    A small, fast IDE built on GTK that starts instantly and does not depend on a heavy desktop environment.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinux

    Geany is a small GTK-based IDE with a configurable build command and plugin interface, extended through plugins rather than Lua scripting.

  • 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 with strong multiple cursors, but it is paid, closed source and extended through Python packages.

  • micro

    A terminal editor with the keybindings you already know: Ctrl-S to save, Ctrl-C to copy, Ctrl-Z to undo.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    micro is a terminal editor with common keybindings and a single static binary, with a small plugin ecosystem and no graphical interface.

  • vis

    A modal, vi-like terminal text editor built around Plan 9's structural regular expressions.

    FreeOpen sourceLinuxCommand line

    vis is a terminal editor with Lua scripting and structural regular expressions, but it uses vi-style modal editing and runs in the terminal only.

  • Neovim

    A modern rewrite of Vim with a built-in language server client, Lua configuration and an embeddable API.

    FreeOpen sourceWindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line

    Neovim is a Lua-configured terminal editor with a built-in LSP client, adding modal editing and a much larger plugin ecosystem.

  • 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 built-in language servers and AI features, unlike Textadept which makes no network connections.

Textadept as an alternative

Listings that name Textadept as an alternative.

  • Kakoune

    A modal terminal code editor where multiple selections are the main way of editing.

    FreeOpen sourceCommand line

    Textadept offers terminal and graphical interfaces with Lua scripting and no network connections, but uses conventional editing instead of multiple selections as the core model.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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