There are a ton of code editor program available, so how do you choose the best?

The main criteria is obviously the languages you are using, as you will need an editor that supports these languages.

Regardless of whether or not you are going to be building a brand-new website from scratch or utilizing a popular CMS and learning how to create a blog website with WordPress to customize as you go along, you’ll want to make sure that you get your hands on a quality code editor program to make everything as simple and as straightforward as humanly possible.

The right code editing program is going to give you all of the assets, all of the tools, and all of the power you need to flexibly create and edit code in a period of different situations, whereas the wrong code editing program will slow you down, frustrate you, and add a lot of extra stress and pressure to an already stressful and pressure packed situation.

Armed with the tips and tricks below, however, you won’t ever have to worry about swinging and missing on a code editing program. All of the options below are considered to be among the very best of the best, most of them are free or next to free, and all of them have dedicated communities that provide you with support and assistance every step of the way.

Let’s dive right in!

Notepad++

Often considered the “big brother” of the Notepad that is included with every installation of Windows, this 100% free and open source code editor is perfect for beginners and power users alike.

Loaded with all the features you need to really hit the ground running, including syntax highlighting for almost all of the most popular coding and programming languages, this code editor also includes FTP tools, “auto complete” tools, code checking solutions, and more. All of these power tools are designed to help you speed up and improve the overall quality of your code and get your website up and running as fast as humanly possible.

Text Wrangler

Similar to Notepad++ but designed and optimized for the OS acts environment, if you are a Mac user and want to develop in the Apple environment this is the kind of code editing program you’ll probably want to get your hands on.

100% free, this particular program comes with a super simple and straightforward to use interface that makes managing, creating, editing, and manipulating the files that you are working on about as easy as humanly possible. Lightweight, flexible, and not at all resource intensive, you’ll be able to run this particular code editing program alongside a number of other programs at the same time without bogging down your system or gobbling up too many resources.

Advanced search and replace tools make it really easy to edit your code on the fly, and built-in FTP and SFTP server tools allow you to directly edit and save files on your server – cutting down downtime significantly. This is a beautiful and easy to use tool, and exactly what you’d expect to get out of a premium code editing platform for OS X devices.

Coda

Perhaps the most famous and loved of all the web development and programming editors for the OS X environment, Coda is a complete and total game changer in every sense of the word – but it’s going to set you back $99 for a single license (a drop in the bucket compared to the quality and caliber of tools you are going to receive).

Far and away the most beautifully designed, intelligently set up, and intuitive to use coding program on the planet today, you are going to be amazed at how simple and how straightforward web development and programming becomes when you have this tool rocking and rolling. You’ll be able to take advantage of very smart power user tools even if you are brand-new to the world of web development and coding, and you’ll be able to edit local or remote files, manage multiple projects, and flip between a whole host of different “open tabs” without any inefficiency.

It certainly doesn’t hurt that this program also includes it’s very own terminal, a debugging platform, a WebKit preview and inspector, and so many other amazing features that you’d have to be at least a little bit crazy not to get your hands on this coding platform if you’re looking to purchase something rather than use a 100% free set up.

Atom

If flexibility is something that you are looking for out of your new coding software, you can’t go wrong with Atom.

Described as “hackable through and through”, absolutely everything about this 100% free code editing program is designed to offer you the utmost control and flexibility over the coding environment and the results you are able to produce.

Even though this entire platform is customizable in ways that very few other pieces of software ever could be, it comes right out of the box with an easy to use and intuitive user interface and design that allows you to really hit the ground running. You’ll feel comfortable “right out of the box”, and as you find to your web development process you will be able to make certain tweaks and certain changes that really helped to create a more personalized coding platform.

Open source, there are all kinds of add-ons, extensions, and upgrades that you’ll be able to take advantage of from the web development community. Most of them are also available 100% free of charge. Extending the capabilities of this platform is super easy, and a built-in package manager makes finding the right add-ons and upgrades about as effortless as one could expect it to be.

Code completion is a big part of the cracker platform, giving you the chance to really fly through the creation of the web elements that you are looking to design and develop.

VIM

This particular coding editor has been around for quite a while (almost as long as Notepad++), and while it is one of the more “legacy” editors available on the market today it has been consistently and constantly upgraded and updated and is one of the most powerful coding editors you’ll come across for sure.

The auto complete web development tools and coding solutions are really helpful, especially for those that are just looking to get started with web development and programming in general. Macro recording and effortless playback also helps to streamline and simplify things for power users and power developers, giving you the kind of customization control over your coding environment that you simply have had access to otherwise.

The overall user interface and design is a little bit old-school – which can be somewhat intimidating for brand-new users – and there certainly a bit of a learning curve to really master everything that VIM has to offer. At the same time, if you take the time to master this particular platform the sky really is the limit as far as what you are going to be capable of creating with this tool.

Final verdict

At the end of the day, you have plenty of different options available to you when it comes time to take advantage of some of the best coding editors and platforms ever created.

Today really is the “Golden Era” of web design and development, and the tools available now are only going to continue to get better, to improve, and to help you create more effective, cleaner, and more efficient code as you go along.

These programs above represent the very best of the best of the coding programs available, the cream of the crop, and you’ll want to take advantage of all the leverage they provide you moving forward!