This article has been updated as of June 2019 to ensure that all the HTML editors listed are still available for free download. Any new information on latest versions has been added to this list.
The best free software for editing PDFs. These free tools will let you insert pictures, edit text, and even make new PDFs from scratch. Split and merge PDFs without paying for premium software. 5 days ago - Following is a curated list of Top 15 code editors for Windows and Mac platform. It is an open source text editor which is free to download.
During the original testing process, over 100 HTML editors for Windows were evaluated against more than 40 different criteria relevant to both professional and beginning web designers and web developers, as well as small business owners. From that testing, ten HTML editors that stood above the rest were selected. Best of all, all of these editors also happen to be free!
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NotePad ++
What We Like
- Small download and program size.
- Loads fast, and runs light.
- Auto-completion for words and functions.
- Plugin options to extend functionality.
What We Don't Like
- No Mac version available.
- May be less useful for languages like Java.
Notepad++ is a favorite free note taking app and code editor. It is a more robust version of the Notepad software that you would find available in Windows by default. That being the case, this is a Windows-only option. It includes things like line number, color coding, hints, and other helpful tools that the standard Notepad application does not have. These additions make Notepad++ an ideal choice for web designers and front end developers.
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Komodo Edit
What We Like
- Extensible through plugins.
- Customizable appearance.
- Available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
What We Don't Like
- No WYSIWYG editor.
- Not the best editor for beginners.
There are two versions of Komodo available, Komodo Edit and Komodo IDE.
is open source and free to download. It is a trimmed down counterpart to IDE.
Komodo Edit includes a lot of great features for HTML and CSS development. Additionally, you can get extensions to add language support or other helpful features, like special characters.
Komodo doesn't outshine as the best HTML editor, but it's great for for the price, especially if you build in XML where it truly excels. I use Komodo Edit every day for my work in XML, and I use it a lot for basic HTML editing as well. This is one editor I'd be lost without.
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Eclipse
What We Like
- Plugin design makes adding new languages simple.
- Open source with large community makes problem solving easier.
- Runs on multiple platforms such as Windows, Mac, and Linux
What We Don't Like
- A large program that's not as light as other editors.
- Consumes considerable system resources, especially on large projects.
Eclipse (the latest version is dubbed Eclipse SimRel) is a complex development environment that is perfect for people who do a lot of coding on various platforms and with different languages. It is structured as plug-ins, so if you need to edit something you just find the appropriate plug-in and go to work.
If you are creating complex web applications, Eclipse has a lot of features to help make your application easier to build. There are Java, JavaScript, and PHP plugins, as well as a plugin for mobile developers.
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Aptana Studio 3
What We Like
- Good for JavaScript.
- Multiplatform support (Windows, Mac, Linux).
- Plugins expand supported languages.
What We Don't Like
- Lack of updates and announcements since 2014.
- Bulkier and sometimes slower than some other editors.
Aptana Studio 3 offers an interesting take on webpage development. Instead of focusing on HTML, Aptana focuses on JavaScript and other elements that allow you to create rich internet applications. That may not make it the best fit for simple web design needs, but if you are looking more in the way of web application development, the tools offered in Aptana may be a great fit.
One concern about Aptana is the lack of updates that the company has done over the past few years. Their website, as well as their Facebook and Twitter pages, announce the release of version 3.6.0 on July 31, 2014, but there have been no announcements since that time.
While the software itself tested great during initial research (and it was originally placed 2nd in this list), this lack of current updates must be taken into consideration.
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NetBeans
What We Like
- Version control functionality.
- Customizable appearance.
- Specialized for Java.
What We Don't Like
- Takes some time to learn.
- Consumes a lot of system resources while running.
- Can be slow to execute commands.
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. Once you get used to it you’ll find it very useful, however.
The version control feature included in the IDE is especially useful for people working in large development environments, as is the developer collaboration features. If you write Java and webpages this is a great tool.
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Microsoft Visual Studio Community
What We Like
- Well supported with updates and the addition of new features.
- Wide range of programming languages supported.
- Nice design that is beginner-friendly.
What We Don't Like
- Premium features come with high price tag.
- Heavy program that consumes significant memory and processing power.
- Bit of a learning curve for new users.
Microsoft Visual Studio Community is a visual IDE to help web developers and other programmers get started creating applications for the web, mobile devices and the desktop. Previously, you may have used Visual Studio Express, but this is the latest version of the software. They offer a free download, as well as paid versions (that include free trials) for Professional and Enterprise users.
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BlueGriffon
What We Like
- Multiplatform support (Windows, Mac, Linux).
- WYSIWYG editor with previews.
- Good for beginners
What We Don't Like
- Can suffer lag during use.
- Lots of options may bewilder new users.
BlueGriffon is the latest in the series of webpage editors that started with Nvu, progressed to Kompozer and now culminates in BlueGriffon. It is powered by Gecko, the rending engine of Firefox, so it does a great job of showing how work would be rendered in that standards-compliant browser.
BlueGriffon is available for Windows, Macintosh and Linux and in a variety of languages.
This is the only true WYSIWYG editor that made this list, and as such it will be more appealing for many beginners and small business owners who want a more visual way to work as opposed to a purely code-focused interface.
of 09
Bluefish
What We Like
- A fast and lightweight program.
- Multiplatform support (Windows, Mac, Linux).
What We Don't Like
- Primarily a code editor without a WYSIWYG interface.
- Lacks an easy FTP upload feature.
Bluefish is a full-featured HTML editor that runs on a variety of platforms, including Linux, MacOS-X, Windows, and more.
The latest release (which is 2.2.10 or 2.2.10-2 for High Sierra) fixed some of the bugs found in previous versions.
Noteworthy features that have been in place since the 2.0 version are code-sensitive spell check, auto complete of many different languages (HTML, PHP, CSS, etc.), snippets, project management and autosave.
Bluefish is primarily a code editor, not specifically a web editor. This means that it has a lot of flexibility for web developers writing in more than just HTML, however, if you’re a designer by nature and you want more of a web-focused or a WYSIWYG interface, Bluefish may not be for you.
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GNU Emacs Profile
What We Like
- Included with most Linux systems.
- Powerful with plenty of features.
What We Don't Like
- More complicated than other editors.
- Not the best choice for beginners.
GNU Emacs is found on most Linux systems and makes it easy for you to edit a page even if you don't have your standard software.
Emacs is a lot more complicated some other editors, and so offers more features, but I find it harder to use.
Feature highlights: XML support, scripting support, advanced CSS support and a built-in validator, as well as color coded HTML editing.
This editor, whose latest version is 26.1 which was released in May 2018, can be intimidating to anyone who isn't comfortable writing plain HTML in a text editor, but if you are and your host offers Emacs, it is a very powerful tool.
Truly great free PDF editors are hard to come by, but there are some excellent tools around if you know where to look.
PDF documents are designed to look and behave exactly the same way on any device. That makes it a brilliant format for sharing, but editing them is another matter. Most office software and photo editors let you export documents in PDF format, but editing requires a dedicated tool. That's because PDF was initially a proprietary format owned by Adobe, and it still owns some of the technologies associated with it. Other companies can license those technologies, but only for a fee that's usually passed on to you – the user.
There aren’t many free PDF editors, and even fewer that won’t leave your documents with unsightly watermarks. That's why we've rounded up the very best free PDF editing software that's free to use and won't add any unwanted extras to your work.
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1. ApowerPDF
Edit your PDFs and even create new ones from scratch
PDF conversion options
There are two options on the ApowerPDF homepage: ‘Launch Online’ and ‘Download Desktop’. Despite appearances, these aren’t the same tools. The desktop software is only a trial of a premium product, and will watermark your edited PDFs. The tool we’re using here is the online editor, which has no such limitations.
Click ‘Launch Online’ and you’ll be prompted to download and run a small launcher app, after which the online editor will launch. You can edit text (including formatting), add text and images, encrypt documents with a password, convert your PDF to an image file and add comments.
You can even create your own PDFs from scratch – a feature you’ll usually only find in premium PDF editing software.
Unlike the desktop application, there’s no tool for removing watermarks from PDFs, but that’s a minor quibble. ApowerPDF is a remarkable PDF editor; just make sure you’re using the online edition.
If you would prefer the desktop version, Apower PDF costs from $29.95 (£25) after the free trial period.
2. PDF-XChange Editor
Another superb tool for editing text in PDFs, with built-in OCR
Text editing
If you need to edit the text in a PDF, PDF-XChange Editor is ideal. It lets you retype, delete, and reformat text, and adapts well if the document uses a font that isn’t installed on your PC. You can also attach comments, split PDFs, and extract pages.
One of PDF-Xchange Editor’s best features is the ability to use OCR to recognize text in scanned documents – ideal if you only have a printout rather than the original file (a handout from a lecture, for example).
Some of the features visible in the menus and toolbars are only available in the premium version of the software, PDF-XChange Editor Plus, but you can easily hover your mouse pointer over an icon to find out if it’s included.
If you go ahead and use a premium tool anyway (adding polygonal shapes or new text boxes, for example), your document will be watermarked. Look out for a warning message underneath the main toolbar before saving your work, just in case.
The paid-for downloads, PDF-XChange Editor costs $43.50 (£35) for the normal version, but for additional features such as form creation and use you will need to buy PDF-XChange Editor Plus, which costs $54.50 ($48).
3. Sedja
An online-only free PDF editor with a great choice of tools
Good selection of editing tools
Sessions expire after three hours
Free online PDF editor Sedja offers an excellent range of tools, with just one caveat: if you're still working after three hours and haven't saved your document, it will be deleted automatically. It's quite a generous time limit, but worth bearing in mind if your PDF needs a lot of work.
You can add text, images and links, sign documents, add annotations, and insert ellipses and rectangles. There’s also a ‘whiteout’ option, though this simply draws a white rectangle – it doesn’t remove any data. There’s no OCR either, so you won’t be able to edit text in scanned PDFs.
When you’ve finished editing, click ‘Apply changes’ and you’ll be able to download the document, send it to Dropbox or Google Drive, delete it, or access a shareable link. The link will expire after seven days.
There is a free version, available to download or use in the cloud, which has limited features. To open these up you will need to pay for a paid plan. The Web Week Pass is aimed at short-term use, and costs $5 (£4) to access the web-based version for 7 days. If you'd prefer to pay on a monthly recurring basis, then the cloud version is $7.50 (£6) per month.
A desktop version is available to download and use, which also allows web access, and that costs $63 annually, which works out as the equivalent of $5.25 per month.
4. PDFescape
A free online PDF editor that lets you add new text and images
Lets you add media
There are two versions of PDFescape: a free web app and a premium desktop program. Here we're using the online editor; if you download the desktop software, you'll only receive a trial of the premium edition.
PDFescape's online editor lets you create new text boxes on the page, but unfortunately there's no way to edit existing text. You can create simple geometric shapes and– as with Sedja, above – add white rectangles to obscure parts of the document when it's printed.
PDFescape lets you select a picture from your PC, then drag a rectangle to insert it. You can insert text fields too, enabling you to create simple forms – a rare and welcome feature for a free PDF editor.
While the online editor is free for editing, creating forms, and sharing, there are also two paid-for versions available. The Premium version is for desktop and includes print to scan, and is available for $2.99 (£2.50) per month. The Ultimate version costs $5.99 per month and comes with more advanced features, such as publishing PDF forms.
5. PDFsam Basic
A simple but well designed PDF editor for quick tasks
Lets you rotate pages
The latter half of PDFsam’s name is short for ‘split and merge’, which tells you pretty much everything you need to know about the Basic edition.
You’ll be offered a free trial of the premium version (including full editing, object insertion, secure signing, and OCR), but once that expires you’ll be left with a simple but well designed tool for chopping large documents into manageable chunks, performing a PDF cut-and-shut, or extracting selected pages. You can also use PDFsam Basic to rotate pages, which is very handy if you’ve accidentally scanned a document upside down.
There are no tools for tweaking the actual content of the document, but all of PDFsam Basic’s page-management options are very clearly laid out, and it’s very clear which of the options shown in the main menu are only available in the premium edition.
However, if you'd prefer the advanced features of PDFsam Enhanced, there are 3 different plans available, costing $39 ($34), $49 (£44), or $69 (£60) a year, depending on the range of extra features required.
- Find out how to convert PDFs to Word documents the easy way