Best Free HTML Editors

If you are reading this post, I assume that you know what HTML is and what HTML editors are. Therefore I won't go deep into explaining what an HTML is or what an HTML editors do. In case, you are a total newbie, HTML is the standard markup language for creating web pages. HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language. An HTML editor on the other hand is a program for editing the HTML, the markup of a web page. Although HTML markup in a web page can be controlled with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience and added functionality.

Creating, managing and editing web pages has never been so easy and hassle free as it is today. Although any text editors work for HTML documents, some text editors optimize for the specific syntax of the language. We have identified the best, free HTML editors for you to help you build a sensational website.

1. Notepad++

Notepad++ is a free source text and code editor for Windows. Linux users can also use it via Wine. It is an advanced version of previous release Notepad. It has all the features and capabilities which the previous version "Notepad" was unable to provide.

Notepad++ interface is simple, lightweight and fast. It handles dozen of languages , but it has support for HTML, CSS, PHP and Javascript. Its user interface (UI) is completely customizable, and users can decide how syntax is highlighted and folded. Notepad++ is extendable, meaning - you can add plugins from the community or create your own. Large business users review Notepad++ the best.


2. Visual Studio Code

One of the most popular code editor out there is the Visual Studio code. Despite its relatively recent release in 2015, many developers choose this code editor. Visual Studio code is a robust editor and customizable. You can personalize the interface and add extensions for more features. Visual Studio Code is a multi-language and multi-platform program. It supports HTML, CSS, Javascript, PHP and Python. It works for Windows, Mac and Linux therefore almost anyone can use it.


3. Coffee Cup Free Editor

Coffee cup comes in two versions. The free version with limited features and the paid version having full features. The free version is a text editor while the paid version is WYSIWYG editor. Coffee Cup is compatible with both Windows and Mac OS platform. You can use coffee cup to create both HTML and CSS files, as well as editing existing website files. It also works with Javascript, so overall you get the whole website creation toolkit.


4. Brackets

Brackets is a lightweight design like Notepad++ but a program focused specifically on web development. Although it works on Windows, Mac and Linux, Brackets is a top-notch text editor for mac. It is open source and free to download. The major feature which makes Brackets different from the rest of HTML editors is the "Extract" feature. Extract feature lets you extract information straight from PSDs  like fonts, colors and measurements with a clear CSS without contextual code references. The HTML, CSS, Javascript editor includes live preview, preprocessor support, highlighting, and free extensions.



5. Komodo Edit

Komodo edit is a free fast HTML  editor for numerous platforms such as Windows, mac and Linux. The editor is multi language and works with HTML5, PHP, Perl, Ruby on Rails, Python, CSS3, Javascript. You can fully customize its appearance, and it has autocomplete, multi selection, change tracking features and debugging tools. It offers syntax highlight and code coloring options. It is simple but a powerful solution.



6. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is another excellent free HTML editor that lets you select multiple lines at a time and can make changes in them at the same time without any hassle. It works on Windows, Linux and Mac. It comes with 23 themes built-in and total customization over the interface, with support for various markup and programming languages. There is autosave so that you will never lose your precious data and auto complete so that you do not have to type the whole code.Sublime text lets you also jump to string or symbols, define various syntaxes, highlight code, select multiple lines and do split editing. Sublime text interface is excellent in terms of aesthetics.




7. Atom

Atom is an HTML editor that came out in 2014 and gained tremendous momentum since. It is a great free open source text editor by GitHub. It is one of the leading WYSIWYG editor available. Atom uses a free software license for its package and it is maintained by the GitHub community. Atom works on all major operating system such as Windows, Mac and Linux. It has a smart auto completion option to give you faster results. It supports themes, third party plugins, and even the ability to code your own changes to the interface with HTML and CSS.





8. Aptana Studio 3

Aptana Studio 3 is an open source web application IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Aptana Studio 3 offers an interesting take on webpage development. Instead of focusing on HTML, it focuses on Javascript. The greatest strengths of the editor is its customizability, Git integration, and the built-in terminal.  It supports the newest web standards such as HTML5 and CSS3. It offers an integrated debugger for Ruby and Javascript. Aptana Studio 3 is available for cross platforms like Windows, Mac and Linux.




9. NetBeans

NetBeans is a free and open source HTML editor. NetBeans IDE is a Java IDE that can help you build robust web applications. Like most IDEs, it has a steep learning curve because it doesn't often work in the same way that web editors work. However, once you get used to it you'll find it very useful. It is super helpful in developing web applications, desktop applications and mobile applications as well. You can freely develop your code in HTML5, C++, PHP, JavaScript and many other programming languages. NetBeans IDE can be installed on multiple operating systems like Windows, Mac and Linux.




10. Bluefish

Bluefish is a full-featured HTML editor that runs on a variety of platforms such as Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris and OpenBSD. The editor is specially build for pro developers and programmers. Bluefish has features like auto completion, auto tag closing for many programming languages. It has auto save, multi-project support, and spell check. It is a fast and lightweight program. It has auto recovery option for sudden data loss like crash or shut down.