Compare software

jEdit vs Howl: catalog facts
jEdit	Howl
Free Free and open source under the GPL 2.0.	Free Free and open source under the MIT license.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Linux
Hundreds of plugins installable from within the editor Built-in macro language	Extensible with Lua or Moonscript Keyboard-driven interface
Requires a Java runtime Interface looks dated next to newer editors	The last official release was in 2019 Developed for Linux, with FreeBSD and OpenBSD builds also expected
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0	License: MIT
No account needed	Not stated if an account is needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 8, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.