Mac Free Text Editor

05-10-2021
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Sublime Text is also free to download, but a license must be purchased for continued use. A single personal license costs $80, which is not an insignificant amount considering how many alternative text editors for Mac are available free of charge. Aquamacs (Free) A user-friendly version of the famous Emacs text editor, it combines the Mac functionality with the ergonomics and extensibility of the features of Emac into one single editor. It boasts a range of proportional and mono-spaced fonts, and basically a standard Mac interface with the functionality of a text editor.

So, here comes a Mac supported Text Editor for the flashy programmers who like speed and optimization in a single code editor. Coda supports OS X 10.7.5 and later versions of Mac and is one of the very few code editors that have been carefully designed for the Mac systems only. UltraEdit is one of the best and most versatile text editors for Mac out there. For starters, UltraEdit supports a ton of different languages including C, Objective C, Javascript, XML, PHP, Perl, Python, and more. Just like BBEdit, UltraEdit has been around since ages and is celebrating its 25 year’s anniversary this year.

Sep 21, 2016 Other options include the following: Crimson Editor – A very small editor for Windows containing a directory tree view window Geany – A small and fast IDE for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X that supports code folding, code navigation, a build. Notepad2 – A fast, light-weight text editor like Notepad. Nov 17, 2020 On top of the list are Optical Character Recognition and Digital Signing. You may, indeed, go for a minimal editor, though. Price: Not everyone wants to or cannot spend around $100 on a PDF editor. So, we have included a variety of PDF editors that come with varying price tags. So, we have chosen the best Mac PDF editors based on this criteria.

If you’ve ever written an article in Microsoft Word and tried moving the text into a CMS, you have probably spent a lot of time scouring for untidy formatting and obstructions that result from this cross-platform conversion.

So, we figured it was time to introduce you to the magic of Markdown editors, and why you should be using them right now.

When it comes to formatting, most people will use the built-in editor of their content management system to create headings, italicize the text, and build lists.

Fair enough, but guess what? You don’t need to rely on a complicated toolbar or apply text formatting. You can use a Markdown editor instead.

In this post, we’ll give you a detailed explanation of what a Markdown editor is, and then provide you with an ultimate list of the best Markdown editors.

The end goal is to equip you with a minimalist writing tool that allows you to pen down your thoughts, and then export them to a CMS like WordPress without stressing too much about their appearance.

Let’s get started.

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What Is a Markdown Editor?

A Markdown editor is an intuitive and lightweight text-to-HTML conversion tool for web content writers.

You can use it to format lists, headers, and for emphasis, as well as to incorporate links and images.

The idea is to produce web content that is as easy to read as plain text.

Markdown editors have existed since the turn of the decade but only became popular after John Gruber of Daring Fireball introduced Markdown back in 2004.

After getting frustrated having to write long, laborious HTML codes to format his content, he worked with the late computer programmer Aaron Swartz to create a plain text formatting syntax that would quickly and easily translate content into HTML. That’s how Markdown was born.

The language uses an easy-to-learn syntax to accomplish the same goal that HTML does. However, it’s simpler than hypertext markup, and you don’t need to worry about closing or opening text.

To make a piece of text web-ready, Markdown uses characters and symbols you’re already familiar with. So, if you know how to make an emoticon or create a hashtag, you can leverage Markdown.

Today, Markdown comes packaged in tools that don’t require you to memorize the syntax outright, so even someone with no HTML experience can use a Markdown editor to create content for the web.

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Advantages of Using Markdown Editors

Aside from speeding up the formatting process, markdown editors offer the following benefits:

1. You can collaborate

If you are writing on Microsoft Word and require the input of other people, you’ll need to send the document to them and then have them send it back to you so that you can merge the changes.

With a collaborative Markdown editor, this is quite straightforward as multiple users can work on the same document in real-time.

2. You can export in multiple formats

Markdown is much easier to compose than HTML. With that said, you might still want to export the content in the HTML format.

The best Markdown editor will make it easy to write your content and quickly export it to PDF, web pages, or Rich Text Format.

3. You can work on any platform

Since there are dozens of really good Markdown editors for all platforms (Linux, Mac, Windows, web, etc.), you can pretty much write and edit text from any device and location.

This can bring a massive difference in your productivity. If you have a cloud-based folder for storing copies of your work, switching devices should become effortless, with no distortion in your workflow or user experience.

Best Markdown Editors to Install

Thanks to the rise of the Markdown language, every major platform has a decent range of Markdown editors. Below, we’ll break down some of the absolute best (platform-wise) as well as highlight their unique features. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at your options.

Best Markdown Editors for Mac

Here are some of the best Markdown editors for Mac users:

1. Byword

Byword is a minimal text editor with complete Markdown support, including subtle syntax highlighting, easy keyboard shortcuts, tables, cross-references and even footnotes.

Its “Format” menu includes options for paragraph indent, quote level, lists, and more, so you don’t have to memorize the syntax for these styles.

Another notable feature is the “Typewriter Mode” that keeps the line you’re writing at the center of your Mac’s display, while “Line and Paragraph Focus” dim all content other than the existing paragraph, letting you focus in a distraction-free environment.

When it comes to publishing, you can post your content to Tumblr, Blogger, WordPress, Medium, and even Evernote from the tool. Documents can be exported to PDFs, Rich Text Format, and Word documents.

Price: $10.99

2. Ulysses

Ulysses is a full-featured Mac OSX Markdown editor with uniquely streamlined features that cover the whole writing process. With a few characters, you mark vital passages, comments, or headlines. Even links, footnotes, and images are inserted with ease using Ulysses’ Plain Text Enhanced function.

In addition, you’ll find several other features waiting unobtrusively in the tool’s background.

There’s a “Typewriter Mode” that keeps your focus on the sentence in front. There’s also a character and word counter, accessible through a small icon on Ulysses’ taskbar. You can even create word count goals and link them to deadlines that keep you on track.

Ulysses also has a powerful publishing function that’s quite simple to use. You can post your work directly to Medium and WordPress, either as a draft or a published blog post. And it’ll also let you export the final document to a whole array of other handy formats, including HTML, DOCX, Text Bundle, Rich Text Format, Plain Text, and ePub.

Price: 14-day free trial, $4.99/month, or $39.99/year

3. MacDown

MacDown is a robust tool that offers syntax highlighting, live preview, and a minimalistic appearance that makes it easy to apply Markdown formatting.

The editor’s author, Tzu-Ping Chun, released MacDown after announcing that one of his favorite MarkDown editors, Mou, was shutting down its development. Chun started from the ground up, dedicating weekends to put together his own solution, and MacDown was the result.

Cisco 3750 switch ios download for gns3 workbench. Despite its simple design, MacDown is fully featured with highly customizable language rendering, auto-completion, and lots of Markdown syntax. Plus, exporting to HTML or PDF delivers consistently good results.

Price: Free

Best Markdown Editors for Windows

You can install and use the following Markdown tools directly on your Windows device without having to configure anything beforehand.

1. Caret

Caret is a simplistic editor with an emphasis on productivity and a clean UI. Its editor is set up to help you with fences, HTML, lists, emphasis, and more. The tool also has the capability to complete code, emoji, HTML, and file paths.

The tool’s sidebar shows a folder’s data, with your work in progress listed at the top edge of Caret. You can use it to jump to a specific document, activate typewriter mode, or activate the dark mode to work during the night.

Also, working on Caret can be a great way to learn Markdown, as the syntax is always on display, but there’s also an option to activate a preview pane if you prefer. Moreover, you can export documents to PDF and HTML.

Price: Free trial, $29

2. ghostwriter

ghostwriter gives you a distraction-free environment for writing captivating content, including a clean interface and a full-screen option.

You can preview your work in HTML, use the “Focus Mode” to narrow your attention to a single paragraph, and even create your own custom style sheet to preview how your content will appear on the internet.

The tool also has a built-in processor that enables you to export documents to HTML. Alternatively, you can export to Word, PDF, ODT, and other formats by installing a document converter like Pandoc.

ghostwriter has built-in dark and light themes that deliver an aesthetic user experience out of the gate. And if that wasn’t enough, it lets you build your own! With support for background visuals, you can create the environment you prefer for your writing.

Price: Free

3. Typora

Typora is one of the fastest and most versatile Markdown editors in existence. It doesn’t have separate tabs or windows to display how the syntax is rendered and to view plain text. You can start typing straight away and apply formatting from the integrated menu bar.

The tool is ideal for writing content for the web, but that’s not all it’s capable of. If you need an easy way to write research papers for work, Typora also supports the insertion of graphs, tables, and mathematical formats.

Documents are saved in the default Markdown format (.md), but you can import and export to several different formats using Typora. Supported file export formats include DOCX, Rich Text Format, OPL, OpenOffice, PDF, Epub, LaTex, HTML, and more.

Price: Free

Best Markdown Editors for Linux

If your computer or smartphone is running Linux, you can use one of the following Markdown editors.

1. Remarkable

Remarkable is an excellent Markdown editor with a plethora of features. You can use it to work with both the standard and Github-flavored Markdown language. Advanced-level formatting is also possible as the tool comes with spell checking, word count, and MathJax support.

The software also provides you with a range of styling options, so you can configure it to your writing preferences as well as various keyboard shortcuts to speed up your work. Additional Markdown features include subscripts, abbreviations, footnotes, and other similar elements.

Besides all that, Remarkable can convert links into hypertext and displays a live preview for inserted visuals. You can also toggle the fullscreen mode, customize the preview using CSS, and export your documents to HTML and PDF.

Price: Free

2. Haroopad

Haroopad is an open source processor that supports the creation of web-friendly text. You can use it to author various types of content, including reports, presentations, slides, blogs, and more.

Its standout features include fenced code syntax highlighting, viewer and editor font size control using shortcuts, flowchart drawing, and styling based on CSS. The last software update also added some new functionality to Haroopad, such as the ability to display the number of tasks due in the app badge.

The tool will let you import files from YouTube, Pastebin, Twitter, and many other resources, and export them to HTML or PDF. Moreover, you can use your work as an email directly from Haroopad or post to Evernote or Tumblr.

Mac Text Edit Help

Price: Free

3. UberWriter

UberWriter is one of the best open-source Markdown editors and packaged with several features that make writing web-friendly text a hassle-free experience. The UI is centered, and the word length in a row is restricted to increase the content’s visibility. Also, you’d find that there are no buttons or menu bars to keep the writing distraction free.

At the bottom of its layout, UberWriter displays the character and word count at the right, and its three screen modes on the left. The first of these – Focus – enables users to zoom in on the sentence where the cursor is placed. Fullscreen takes the toolbars away from your view, and Preview showcases the content after it’s been converted to Markdown language.

Other nifty features include spell check and inline preview, which enable you to see links, images, footnotes, and other elements by clicking on them.

Finally, UberWriter lets you export documents in all the popular file formats, including PDF, ODT, and HTML. Rich Text Format, OpenDocument XML, MediaWiki markup, and DOCX support is also included.

Price: Free

Best Online Markdown Editors

If you’re looking for a convenient way to turn plain text into HTML, an online Markdown editor might be the most appropriate option. Below are some of the best web-based tools for creating Markdown files.

1. HackMD

HackMD is a collaborative Markdown editor that lets you and your teammates write and edit content from any internet-enabled device. You can use the panels in the editor’s toolbar to add links, headings, quotes, and other types of formatting.

The tool’s menu bar consists of several Markdown shortcuts, and it’s also compatible with legacy editors like Emacs and Sublime.

To use the editor, you just need to sign in with Google, Facebook, or another platform that HackMD’s login page supports. After that, you can write Markdown code, and even create notes that can later be assigned to others for collaboration. People can join as registered users or guests to work on these notes with you.

In terms of exporting your content, HackMD lets you save files in Gist, Dropbox, and Google Drive. You can also download the content directly on your computer in ODF (beta), HTML, Raw HTML, or Markdown language.

Price: Free

2. StackEdit

This is another powerful online Markdown editor that features a visual toolbar for different kinds of formatting, including lists, emphasis, and bold. Whatever you write is automatically converted into Markdown in the left panel of the tool. In the right panel, you can preview what the text will appear like when it’s posted on the web.

A notable trait of StackEdit is its ability to save the documents you make to your web browser. The next time you use it, your work will be present and accessible in a tiny panel situated on the left hand of the dashboard.

What’s more, you can connect it to Dropbox or Google Drive to save your work in the cloud. To import a document, StackEdit allows you to provide a URL or your PC’s hard drive.

Price: Free

3. Dillinger

Dillinger had to make our list of the best Markdown editors. It’s a simple and modern tool that converts your Markdown content to HTML and vice versa. All you have to do is compose your text or place your document in the left panel, and choose the format you want for the final document.

You also get several export/import options, all of which can be accessed from the navigation at the top of the screen. With these features, it is simple to export your work to Google Drive, Dropbox, Medium, and Github, as well as convert files into .md, PDF, or HTML.

In addition, Dillinger provides you with a distraction-free mode that removes everything except the Markdown sentence from your view, so you can focus on producing high-quality content for your web properties.

Price: Free

Summary: The Best Markdown Editors You Can Use Right Now

So, there you have it – the top Markdown editors for every platform you could possibly use for your writing.

While most people will write in a text editor, it’s hard to ignore the appeal of a dedicated Markdown tool. You can easily convert your writing into web-friendly content, you can see a live preview of your work, and you can save your documents in various formats.

Let’s take a quick look back at the Markdown editors that best suit your needs:

Best Mac Markdown Editors:
1. Byword
2. Ulysses
3. MacDown

Best Windows Markdown Editors:
1. Caret
2. ghostwriter
3. Typora

Best Linux Markdown Editors:
1. Remarkable
2. Haroopad
3. UberWriter

Best Online Markdown Editors:
1. HackMD
2. StackEdit
3. Dillinger

What’s your take on using Markdown editors instead of the built-in editor of a CMS? Let us know in the comments section below.

Want to Learn More?

Business • Updated on Nov.17, 2020

Editor’s note: After another round of testing, we stand by our picks. We also added a little information about our thoughts on online PDF editors.

PDF is a necessity in macOS. Without PDF, you can’t easily create & share portable documents. In fact, almost every native macOS application lets you export content into PDF.

Preview in Mac is a great PDF viewer and annotator, but it’s not enough for editing. Normally, people got to convert the PDF file to something else and do the editing after. That isn’t the most convenient option either.

That is why a fully-fledged PDF editor for Mac is a necessity indeed! Unlike the common thought, there is an impressive variety of PDF editing programs to choose from.

And, Adobe Acrobat Pro is most people’s go-to option.

Jump to:

Disclosure: We sometimes use affiliate links which means that, at zero cost to you, we may earn a commission if you buy something through our links.

Why Adobe Acrobat Pro DC isn’t enough?

Adobe Acrobat Pro DC has been the standard for PDF editing for quite a long time. Considering that Adobe built the format, it’s quite not surprising. Anyway, it’s not really a great reason to keep using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC as the macOS PDF editor.

The Good: Acrobat Pro DC is undoubtedly one of the powerful PDF solutions out there. You can get the best of the Adobe ecosystem as well. If you use Adobe Reader to view PDF documents, you can have the benefits of a familiar UI as well.

The Bad: Even then, Acrobat Pro DC does not offer the best User Interface in town. Sure, it gets the job done, but that’s not enough. We cannot recommend Acrobat Pro DC when you want to edit multiple documents and manage everything with ease.

The Ugly: Acrobat Pro DC is damn expensive. It comes with a monthly subscription charge of $14.99. Adobe Pro 2017, an older, standalone version, is available for a hefty price-tag of $449. These rates are way beyond what a normal user can afford.

We believe these reasons are enough for anyone to look for an Adobe Acrobat alternative — or one better PDF editor for Mac.

How to choose the alternative to Acrobat Pro DC

As we said, there are a huge number of PDF editors for macOS. As always, we wanted to pick the best ones. To navigate through the immense collection of options, we had a proper criteria as well.

  • The PDF Editor must have a Simple User Interface. It must be non-distracting as well as focused. We always recommend a UI that works well with single-document and multi-document management.
  • Easy & Advanced PDF Editing is a must-have option in a PDF tool. Automated selection recognition is great since it enables easy editing of other components like images, boxes, shapes and signatures.
  • Security of the PDF documents is also an important concern. The PDF editor should have an option to enable the basic security features. For instance, there must be a way to password-protect PDF.
  • Feature-rich: The ideal PDF editor shouldhave additional features as well. On top of the list are Optical Character Recognition and Digital Signing. You may, indeed, go for a minimal editor, though.
  • Price: Not everyone wants to or cannot spend around $100 on a PDF editor. So, we have included a variety of PDF editors that come with varying price tags.

So, we have chosen the best Mac PDF editors based on this criteria.

The pick: PDF Expert (the fastest, easiest & made-for-all)

PDF Expert is a fast, robust and beautiful PDF editor. If you are looking for a feature-rich PDF editor that is available on multiple platforms, PDF Expert could be the right candidate. We chose PDF Expert as the best pick after testing it for more than a few weeks.

After the testing period, this tool has become our go-to option for editing PDF documents with ease. The package has some downsides and room for improvement, of course. Even then, we believe PDF Expert must be your first choice if seamless editing is your priority.

PDF Expert comes from Readdle Inc, a developer who makes wonderful apps for Apple devices. Many of the products, including the Spark email app, are popular on iOS and macOS. So, in terms of security and privacy, you don’t have to worry at all.

Here are a few reasons why we think PDF Expert is your best choice at PDF editing on Mac.

Intuitive User Interface

As you can see, PDF Expert offers a clean and intuitive User Interface. You can simply drag-and-drop a file to get started. From the top-left side of the window, you can open options like Bookmarks, Thumbnails, Outline, and Annotation. Unlike the other PDF editors, we have tried, this one doesn’t scare us with the big number of toolbars.

Instead, everything is organized very efficiently. So, whenever you want a particular feature, you can access that single module. Altogether, we love this UI so much.

Easy PDF Editing

PDF Expert lets you edit PDF documents without any fail. There are actually four main options in the toolbar — Text, Image, Link and Redact. Making things easier than ever, PDF Expert automatically detects the type of content you’ve selected. If you’ve selected an image, for instance, you will see options to rotate, replace, export and crop the photograph.

Like the same way, you edit other parts of the PDF document. The Redact feature is also quite helpful, which works in a single click. I’ve found this feature really useful while sharing confidential data with friends.

Smart Annotation & Page Management

You get some smart Annotation features in this package. You can fill out content, provide signatures digitally and export all your annotations with ease. You can add signatures using text, trackpad or by even uploading an image of the signature. Either way, you get awesome results. Farm kissinganne 28 online, free games to play. PDF Expert has a page manager, with options such as Add Page, Append File, Copy, Paste, Rotate, Delete and Share.

You can easily arrange multiple pages by dragging and dropping them. You can also extract individual pages from a complete PDF document. Altogether, it checks all the important boxes.

Multi-Platform Support

PDF Expert is available for both macOS and iOS. It also enables content-sync between the devices, you know. If you want to access documents that you created using PDF Expert for macOS, you can easily do it from an iPhone or iPad. You can download the apps from the App Store, and everything is kept in sync. It’s a great way to access cloud storage; everything is done via iCloud.

It’s as seamless as it gets. I always love a software product when it can offer the same amazing UX on iPhone and Mac. PDF Expert does exactly that.

Enhanced Security & Utilities

PDF Expert has an in-built method for password-protecting PDF files as well. This is a great way to secure your PDF file without further complication. It’s so simple that you can go to File –> Set Password and pick the password of your choice. You can also use it to reduce the file size of a PDF file.

When we checked, PDF Expert was able to reduce the file size by 75%, which is quite a great deal. Because you get Touch Bar support, accessing these options is easy as a piece of cake.

What Could be Better

There are a few things that we didn’t like in PDF Expert. We understand that PDF Expert is a minimalistic PDF editor but it has left out some basic features as well.

  • You cannot create PDF documents using PDF Expert. You can technically add a new page in the PDF file and add text, but that’s something inefficient. We’d have really loved to see some additional set of PDF creation features in the program.
  • PDF Expert could have included a basic version of Optical Character Recognition. It’s disappointing that the program does not even support plug-ins, which can bring in the feature. It lacks other types of plug-ins as well.
  • There are only four editing options in PDF Expert. At times, these may not be enough for most people. We’d have loved to see some extra toolbars in there.
  • It would be better if PDF Expert had better options for bulk actions. As of now, that’s NIL.

Also, PDF Expert lacks options for customization and control. The features are basic — very basic, at times.

Availability & pricing

PDF Expert is available for macOS and iOS. You can download the Mac version from the official website and the iOS version from App Store.

PDF Expert for macOS is priced at $79.99 while the iOS version can be bought for $9.99. If you ask us, both apps have been priced quite reasonably. The PDF Expert license actually lets you run the app on 3 Macs.

Verdict

Pros

  • Simple design and UI
  • Smart editing options
  • Multiplatform Support

Cons

  • Lacks advanced features
  • Cannot create PDF Files

If you are looking for a simple yet effective PDF editor for Mac, PDF Expert is the best option. It brings all the necessary editing features, never compromising the performance as well. It isn’t for you if you want technical features like OCR, though. Overall, for the price you’re paying, PDF Expert is worth it.

Upgrade pick: PDFpenPro (the most powerful)

There are times when you need more than a basic PDF editor. PDFpenPro is the best choice for that occasion. It comes with a great set of features inside, including the option to create awesome PDF files. If you can spend more for a comprehensive PDF suite, PDFpenPro could be a potential option.

Unlike the top pick we suggested for most people, PDFpenPro is made for advanced users, it is an upgraded version of the PDFpen software. You get a lot more options than simply changing the text or adding some comments. We think it’s suitable for you if you have to handle too many PDF documents.

[ Further reading: Case Study: Tim Ferriss & PDFpen ]

Precise Control UI

PDFpenPro has been designed to create PDF files with precision. The UI has been optimized for professionals. When you open the program, you can see the blank screen where you can insert content like text, images, shapes and others. Like we saw in PDF Expert, PDFpenPro too offers different viewing options. It has a multi-tabbed UI for managing multiple files as well.

Nevertheless, we should admit that the UI isn’t that intuitive. We needed time to figure out how the tools work. It also lacks automated recognition options.

Advanced Editing Options

PDFpenPro checks all the boxes when it comes to editing PDF files. You can take care of a wide variety of content like text, images and others. All the editing options are included in the same toolbar. It’s also easy to navigate between multiple pages of the document. We also loved the Precision Edit tool in PDFpen, which lets us select even the minute elements in a document and remove them easily.

When it comes to annotations, there are five different ways you can annotate documents using PDFpenPro. From simple drawing and scrabbling over the document, to adding your notes, comment boxes, links, bookmarks, or attachments. There is even an option to add an audio annotation, which is adding audio comments to the document. We also loved how you can use your iPad to bring richer content.

PDFpenPro allows you to turn websites into PDF in a single click. Thanks to the wider compatibility, you can export PDF files to Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint as well.

DocuSign Support

PDFpenPro is your upgrade pick if you have to deal with PDF signing a lot. Apart from the native option to put and manage signatures, the latest version now offers DocuSign integration. It means you can now make use of this signature-management system to request digital signs from others. Because DocuSign comes with full legal compatibility, you don’t have to worry at all.

On any day, this powerful integration can help you save a few hours. Personally speaking, this is one of the best signing options I have seen in a PDF editor.

Efficient Scanning & OCR

Optical Character Recognition is perhaps themost important advanced feature inside PDFpen. It has been designed to extract an impressive variety of data from sources like a scanned image. To use this feature, you can open the image in the software and begin the OCR option. In a few minutes, PDFpenPro will help you convert the content into editable text.

It’s quite a time-saver and PDFpenPro offers great speeds too. PDFpenPro offers much control over the OCR process. You can decide the quality and resolution with ease.

[ Further reading:Best OCR Apps for Mac and Windows ]

Availability & Pricing

PDFpenPro is available for both macOS and iOS.

PDFpenPro costs $124.95. Still, you can download a free trial from Smilesoftware and get a single license that can register only on one Mac.

You can actually find its standard version, PDFpen, on Setapp.

Verdict

Pros

Free mac text editor syntax highlighting
  • Advanced PDF Editing
  • OCR and DocuSign support
  • Versatile Editing Control

Cons

  • UI could be better
  • An expensive package

PDFpenPro is made for professionals, and there’s a steep learning curve. Even then, PDFpenPro offers many features you can’t find in other tools. Ganguro girl deluxe full game. The best example would be OCR, which works great in this program. It is just that you should be ready to pay something extra.

Other apps we considered

Here are some of the top apps we considered as the best Mac PDF editor. They did not, however, make it to the top list.

Preview

Preview is the pre-built PDF and image viewer in macOS. It’s something that you can securely use for viewing and annotating PDF documents. The best part? It’s quite integrated to the system that you get the maximum level of performance. The main limitation here is that Preview does not actually let you edit the PDF files. It has a bunch of effective options for annotation.

You can do a few things like adding text and shapes to the document. Once done, Preview can neatly export the files to PDF as well. Considering that you are not paying anything to get this program, we’d love to keep it aside. So, if you just want to bring some annotations and text boxes to a PDF document — without affecting the existing text, Preview would be fine.

Preview is free and is built into macOS.

List Text Editors Mac

ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac

Are you looking for a fully-fledged suite for OCR? Then, ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac is a great choice for. The problem is that you cannot expect standard features here. The whole program has been made for OCR needs, an area in which you can expect the best results. In just a few seconds, the program would convert a scanned image to editable text.

As far as OCR technology is concerned, ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac works just great. It was able to do the OCR for even some of the low-quality images we’d tried. But, of course, if you have a better-quality image, the results would be better. We would not recommend the program for standard editing needs, though. The price tag is relatively higher too.

ABBYY FineReader Pro for Mac is available for $119.00.

Wondershare PDFelement Pro for Mac

Wondershare PDFelement Pro for Mac is one of the most well-priced PDF editing suites out there. It makes some compromises in performance and features, though. However, the best part of the app comes with full support for OCR and PDF conversion. These two features are great when you consider the overall price tag of the app.

If you ask us what matters the most here, it’s Batch Processing. Wondershare PDFelement Pro for Mac is one of the very few editors that allow complete support for batch processing. You can convert and deal with a lot of PDF files at once. The UI is also quite similar to that of PDF Expert, but we wish it had an enhanced level of performance.

Priced at $99, Wondershare PDFelement Pro is available for macOS and Windows.

Foxit PhantomPDF

Foxit PhantomPDF is one of the smoothest PDF editors we’ve seen so far. It packs so many features into a smaller-looking tool. Nevertheless, compared to other PDF editors we’ve covered, Foxit PhantomPDF comes with a larger footprint. Multitasking is not easy when you have Foxit PhantomPDF running in background. It also checks the boxes of OCR and automated recognition.

It’s comparatively easier to do PDF editing in Foxit PhantomPDF. We think, however, that the AI could be an impressive one. As of now, the User Interface looks so rudimentary and you will need some time to get used to the deal. Keep that aside, Foxit PhantomPDF is a great PDF editor for teams as well. It has options for real-time collaboration features.

Foxit PhantomPDF is available for Windows and macOS. It has a hefty price tag of $99.95 for Mac.

Kdan PDF Reader Pro

Kdan PDF Reader is another app which makes it to our list of PDF editors for Mac. It is quite popular with over 44,000 App Store ratings. It provides a wide range of document functions for business and daily life. It has both desktop and mobile apps, so you can work anytime, anywhere. It provides you with the feature to create and edit PDFs with features such as handwritten comments, highlighting, striking through, underlining texts, and more.

The highlight of this app is the Robust Reading Engine which provides you with a comfortable reading experience with features such as smooth page scrolling and the option to change the theme and page background so that your eyes don’t strain up.

Kdan PDF Reader’s individual plan can be purchased at $59.99 for a year.

List Of Text Editors For Mac Download

What about online PDF editors?

Online PDF editors are the next best choice that people make when they can’t afford Acrobat Pro DC. It’s an awesome option too — until you lose the internet connection. The problem with online editors is that you’d need a fast, reliable Internet connection at all times.

Aquamacs Emacs

There are also some security concerns. You basically have to upload the PDF document to a third-party server for editing it. It’s not the ideal option when you are dealing with confidential files. Besides, not all online PDF editors are offering satisfactory features. A lot of them ask for paid subscriptions as well.

Personally speaking, I think online PDF editors are just good for page management of PDF documents. If you need deeper editing or bulk editing, you can’t count on them. More importantly, most people like to edit their files in a native environment, which isn’t the case with most online PDF editors.

So, it makes sense to check out some of the actual native macOS PDF editors out there.

List Of Text Editors For Mac Free

The bottom line

15 Best Free Code Editors For Windows & Mac [2021 Update]

So, these are the best Mac PDF editors you can find today. We have tried to suggest PDF editors that work well for particular needs. We hope it helps you choose the right one.

If you are still confused and want a PDF editor that’s easy and effective, you can go with our pick, PDF Expert. As far as you don’t need anything fancy out there, that choice won’t go wrong. However, if you think you need more features and a better UI to manage documents, we recommend PDFpenPro, which packs some powerful features too.

Elvis

We’ve also got you covered when you’re Windows. Check out our guides for PDF editors for Windows.

Text editors, sometimes called code editors, are an essential tool when working with code.

Modern text editors provide a host of tools and features to help you modify code such as syntax highlighting for multiple languages, built-in file uploads, error reporting, search and replace and more.

Whether you are a full time web developer, or a website owner that needs to make a few quick edits to a template, you will appreciate how useful text editors can be.

In this article, we would like to show you what we at Design Bombs consider to be the best text editors of 2021.

1. TextPad (FREE Evaluation / $27)

Platforms: Windows

TextPad is a flexible text editor for Windows that features a built-in file manager, a search and replace engine and a keystroke macro recorder.

It allows drag and drop editing between files and works well with large files too.

I have actively used TextPad since my University days in the 90s and it remains one of my favourite website applications. You can download TextPad free of charge for evaluation, but the developers ask that you upgrade for $27 if you decide to continue using it.

2. Atom (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Atom is an open source text editor that is available for multiple platforms. It is free to download.

It features a file system browser, find and replace and smart auto-completion. Atom also allows you to work with Git and GitHub directly within the editor.

New features and functionality can be added using its built-in package manager and it comes with eight dark and light themes.

3. Sublime Text (FREE Evaluation / $80)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Sublime Text is a gorgeous multi-platform text editor that has many useful shortcut commands to improve efficiency. It can be used to find code within files in seconds.

It has a dedicated package manager that helps you install thousands of community-created packages to add more features. Multi-window editing is supported too.

Sublime Text can be downloaded free of charge for evaluation. A premium license costs $80 and comes with three years of updates.

4. Espresso (FREE Trial / $99)

Platforms: Mac

Espresso is a versatile code editor for Mac that supports custom code snippets, multi-file editing and tabbed workspaces.

Dozens of plugin extensions and syntax themes are available to help you add functionality and improve the look and feel of the app. CSS editing tools are available too.

The application is available for $99.

5. Vim (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix, iOS, Android

Mac Free Text Editor Windows 10

Evolved from the Atari ST’s popular ST Editor, Vim is flexible open source text editor that has 12 different editing modes. This includes a visual mode that highlights area of text, a command line mode and an easy mode.

Hundreds of programming languages are supported and there are a large number of plugin extensions available that add additional functionality.

6. Visual Studio Code (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Microsoft’s Visual Studio Code editor is a stylish multi-platform text editor that is free to download.

It features auto-complete, syntax highlighting and debugging.

Git commands are built into the editor so that you can push and pull requests. A number of extensions are also available so that you can add new languages, themes and tools.

7. Brackets (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Brackets is an open source text editor that features inline editing, live previews, quick edits and live highlighting.

A host of extensions are available that add functionality such as indenting, Git integration, W3C validation and JavaScript, HTML and CSS formatting.

8. Coda ($99)

Platforms: Mac

Designed for Mac users, Coda is an useful text editor that has a built-in file and SSH manager.

It has colourful syntax highlighting, CSS overriding and advanced syncing between devices. MacBook Pro users can also switch between editor and preview mode using their laptop touch bar.

9. Code Editor ($24.99)

Platforms: iOS

Designed for iPad and iPhone, Code Editor is a beautiful text editing solution from Panic, the same company behind Coda.

It features a dual file browser, SSH terminal support and unique editing modes for Shell, SQL, Swift and more.

Code Editor is available from the Apple app store for $24.99.

10. UltraEdit (FREE Trial / $79.95 Per Year)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

UltraEdit is a multi-platform text editor that has built-in FTP, SSH and Telnet managers.

A host of themes are included with UltraEdit and it boasts multi-code select and advanced file searching. It supports large files too and the editor has been designed to work with high resolution displays.

A 30 day free trial is available for UltraEdit. Once the trial has expired, it costs $79.95 per year.

11. BBEdit (FREE Trial / $49.99)

Platforms: Mac

Developed for Mac, BBEdit is a useful text editor that features an advanced search and replace engine and a built-in file manager and FTP manager.

A unix command-line tool is also available and there is integration support for Git, Subversion and AppleScript.

BBEdit retails at $49.99, however you can download it free of charge and test it for 30 days.

12. TextMate($56)

Platforms: Mac

Another text editor that Apple users should check out is TextMate.

It offers multiple caret editing, version control, code snippets, macro recording, folding sections and shell integration. Custom actions, custom themes and extensible bundles are also available.

Although TextMate is open source, the product is sold commercially for $56.

13. Codeshare (FREE)

Platforms: Online

Codeshare is a free online text editor that lets you write, edit and share code with friends and colleagues.

It can be used to teach code to others and share code. Many companies also use the tool to set coding tasks for interviewees.

14. CoffeeCup (FREE / $29)

Platforms: Windows

Mac Free Text Editor Download

CoffeeCup is a popular HTML editor for Windows that has a large components library and a built-in W3C markup validation tool.

A split-screen preview pane allows you to see what your HTML and CSS code will generate. There is also a tags tab that has references for (X)HTML, PHP, and CSS tags.

A free version of CoffeeCup is available with less features, with the full version retailing at $29.

15. Komodo Edit & Komodo IDE (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Komodo Edit is a free text editor that features auto-complete, skins and icon sets and a change tracker.

Komodo IDE is a superior alternative from the same developers that has a visual debugger, version control, workflow management, syntax highlighting and a host of add-ons to extend functionality.

16. CodePen (FREE / $8 Per Month)

Platforms: Online

One of the largest coding communities online, CodePen is a free online code tool that allows users to share and test HTML, CSS and JavaScript code snippets.

The CodePen text editor looks great, highlighting syntax code with many colours.

The majority of CodePen features are free to use, however premium plans are available from $8 per month that remove advertisements and add features such as live view and unrestricted theme embedding with custom CSS.

17. Codeanywhere (FREE Trial / $2.50 Per Month)

Platforms: Online

Codeanywhere is a cloud code editing and sharing solution that lets you edit code remotely and move and copy files and folders across FTP, Google Drive, Dropbox and more.

Its text editor has syntax highlighting for over 75 programming languages and features split panes, grid mode, multiple cursors and custom themes. It also supports file revisions and has a built-in terminal console.

A 7 day free trial is available to help you test the service, with premium plans starting from $2.50 per month.

18. Notepad++ (FREE)

Platforms: Windows

Notepad++ is an open source Windows text editor that offers syntax highlighting, scripting, auto-complete, macro recording and split screen editing.

Over 140 plugin extensions are available that let you add functionality such as W3C validation, text sorting and quote handling.

The application is free to download.

19. WeBuilder ($59.95)

Platforms: Windows

Creators for Windows users, WeBuilder is a versatile code editing application that has syntax highlighting for many popular programming languages.

It features several themes, advanced search and replace, macro recording, split editing, shortcuts for code snippets and code templates, a built-in file upload manager and many code validation tools.

WeBuilder retails from $59.95. The developers are behind other text editors that are also worth checking out such as Rapid CSS Editor, HTMLPad and Rapid PHP Editor.

20. Spacemacs (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Unix

Despite its name, Spacemacs is not just for Apple users. It is a multi-platform text editing solution that brings Emacs and Vim tools together.

The application features graphical and command line user-interfaces and boasts key bindings. There are many community created plugin extensions too that add functionality.

As Spacemacs is open source, it is free to download.

21. PhpStorm (FREE Trial / $199 Per Year)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

PhpStorm is a premium text editor that provides code analysis and error prevention for programming languages such as PHP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript and other languages.

It works well with modern content management systems such as Drupal, WordPress, Magento and Joomla, and offers features such as version control, remote deployment, command line tools and advanced debugging.

PhpStorm retails at $199 for the first year, $159 for the second year and $119 for subsequent years. A 30 day free trial is available to help you test the application.

22. GNU Emacs (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

GNU Emacs is an open source multi-platform text editor that offers syntax highlighting and a customisable graphical user-interface.

A large number of plugin packages are available that add additional functionality such as code snippets, custom themes and HTML5 schemas.

You can download GNU Emacs free of charge.

23. Bluefish (FREE)

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux

Our final recommendation is Bluefish. This lightweight editor offers search and replace, file uploads via FTP and SFTP, a snippets sidebar and code block folding.

An unlimited amount of undos and redos are permitted and Bluefish will show any mistakes you have in your code.

Mac Os Text Editor

Bluefish is an open source application, so is free to download on Windows, Mac and Linux.

Final Thoughts

I hope you have enjoyed this look at the best text editors of 2020. If so, I encourage you to subscribe to Design Bombs. You can also get updates of our latest articles by subscribing by RSS or by following us on Facebook or Twitter.

Best Text Editor For Mac

What’s your favorite text editor?

Let us know in the comment area below 🙂

Kevin

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