Atom vs Notepad++ vs Sublime Text

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Atom

16.8K
14.5K
+ 1
2.5K
Notepad++

20.2K
16.6K
+ 1
420
Sublime Text

33.6K
27.5K
+ 1
4K

Atom vs Notepad++ vs Sublime Text: What are the differences?

Key Differences between Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime Text

Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime Text are popular code editors used by developers for programming and web development. While they have some similarities, there are also key differences that set them apart. Here are six key differences between Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime Text:

  1. Customization Options: Atom provides extensive customization options, allowing users to personalize themes, layouts, and even build their own packages using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Notepad++ also offers some customization options, but its capabilities are more limited compared to Atom. Sublime Text, on the other hand, strikes a balance in terms of customization options, offering a range of possibilities without overwhelming users.

  2. Package Ecosystem: Atom has a vast package ecosystem with a wide variety of community-contributed packages that enhance its functionality and extend its capabilities. Notepad++ also has plugins and a package manager but the range of available options is more limited compared to Atom. Sublime Text has a strong package ecosystem as well, with a good selection of plugins and packages to choose from.

  3. Performance: Atom, being built on web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, can be resource-intensive and may lag on slower machines. Notepad++ is lightweight and fast, making it suitable for older machines or those with limited resources. Sublime Text is known for its excellent performance, with a fast and responsive user interface even when working with large codebases.

  4. Cross-Platform Compatibility: Atom is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it a truly cross-platform editor. Notepad++ is primarily built for Windows and has limited compatibility with macOS and Linux through third-party solutions. Sublime Text, like Atom, is available for all major operating systems, making it a versatile choice.

  5. Collaboration features: Atom offers built-in collaboration features, allowing multiple users to work on the same code in real-time. Notepad++ does not have native collaboration features but can be used in conjunction with other tools for collaborative work. Sublime Text does not have built-in collaboration features but can be extended with plugins to enable collaboration.

  6. Pricing: Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime Text have different pricing models. Atom, being an open-source editor, is free for all users. Notepad++ is also free and released under the GNU General Public License. Sublime Text offers a free evaluation version but requires a license to continue using it long-term.

In summary, Atom offers extensive customization options and a vast package ecosystem, making it a popular choice for developers who value flexibility. Notepad++ is lightweight, fast, and suitable for older machines or those with limited resources. Sublime Text strikes a balance with its performance, customization options, cross-platform compatibility, and robust package ecosystem.

Decisions about Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime Text
Kamaleshwar BN
Senior Software Engineer at Pulley · | 12 upvotes · 1.3M views

Visual Studio Code became famous over the past 3+ years I believe. The clean UI, easy to use UX and the plethora of integrations made it a very easy decision for us. Our gripe with Sublime was probably only the UX side. VSCode has not failed us till now, and still is able to support our development env without any significant effort.

Goland being paid, as well as built only for Go seemed like a significant limitation to not consider it.

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Andrey Ginger
Managing Partner at WhiteLabelDevelopers · | 3 upvotes · 517.8K views

Since communication with Github is not necessary, the Atom is less convenient in working with text and code. Sublim's support and understanding of projects is best for us. Notepad for us is a completely outdated solution with an unacceptable interface. We use a good theme for Sublim ayu-dark

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Simon Ibssa
Student at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo · | 2 upvotes · 1.2M views

I decided to choose VSCode over Sublime text for my Systems Programming class in C. What I love about VSCode is its awesome ability to add extensions. Intellisense is a beautiful debugger, and Remote SSH allows me to login and make real-time changes in VSCode to files on my university server. This is an awesome alternative to going back and forth on pushing/pulling code and logging into servers in the terminal. Great choice for anyone interested in C programming!

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Pros of Atom
Pros of Notepad++
Pros of Sublime Text
  • 529
    Free
  • 449
    Open source
  • 343
    Modular design
  • 321
    Hackable
  • 316
    Beautiful UI
  • 147
    Backed by github
  • 119
    Built with node.js
  • 113
    Web native
  • 107
    Community
  • 35
    Packages
  • 18
    Cross platform
  • 5
    Nice UI
  • 5
    Multicursor support
  • 5
    TypeScript editor
  • 3
    Open source, lots of packages, and so configurable
  • 3
    cli start
  • 3
    Simple but powerful
  • 3
    Chrome Inspector works IN EDITOR
  • 3
    Snippets
  • 2
    Code readability
  • 2
    It's powerful
  • 2
    Awesome
  • 2
    Smart TypeScript code completion
  • 2
    Well documented
  • 1
    works with GitLab
  • 1
    "Free", "Hackable", "Open Source", The Awesomness
  • 1
    full support
  • 1
    vim support
  • 1
    Split-Tab Layout
  • 1
    Apm publish minor
  • 1
    Consistent UI on all platforms
  • 1
    User friendly
  • 1
    Hackable and Open Source
  • 0
    Publish
  • 104
    Syntax for all languages that i use
  • 60
    Tabbed ui
  • 56
    Great code editor
  • 54
    Fast and lightweight
  • 38
    Plugins
  • 28
    Nice GUI
  • 26
    Regex & Special Character Search & Replace
  • 16
    Fast startup
  • 9
    Application is free, and plugins are too
  • 9
    Themes
  • 6
    Free
  • 4
    Very Lightweight
  • 3
    100% Free
  • 2
    Column selection
  • 1
    Awesome autocomplete
  • 1
    Easy edit on FTP servers (NppFTP)
  • 1
    Cos it's seck
  • 1
    Nice gui. are you kidding me?
  • 1
    Open Sourced
  • 720
    Lightweight
  • 652
    Plugins
  • 641
    Super fast
  • 468
    Great code editor
  • 442
    Cross platform
  • 280
    Nice UI
  • 260
    Unlimited trial
  • 153
    Cmd + d is the best command ever
  • 92
    Great community
  • 46
    Package control, modules
  • 26
    Mac OS X support
  • 23
    Easy to get started with
  • 22
    Monokai
  • 21
    Everything you need without the bloat
  • 21
    Built in Python
  • 18
    Easy
  • 14
    Speed
  • 12
    Session & edit resuming
  • 10
    Package Control
  • 9
    Well Designed
  • 8
    Multiple selections
  • 7
    ALT + CMD + DOWN is the best command ever
  • 7
    Nice
  • 7
    Fast, simple and lightweight
  • 5
    It's easy to use, beautiful, simple, and plugins rule
  • 5
    So futuristic and convenient
  • 5
    ALT + F3 the best command ever
  • 5
    Great
  • 4
    Find anything fast within entire project
  • 4
    Easy to use
  • 4
    Free
  • 4
    Simple and clean design
  • 3
    Hackable
  • 3
    Pretty
  • 3
    UI + plugins
  • 3
    Sublime Merge (Git Integration)
  • 2
    Totally customizable
  • 2
    Color schemes and cmd+d
  • 2
    Material theme best theme forever
  • 0
    Const

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Cons of Atom
Cons of Notepad++
Cons of Sublime Text
  • 19
    Slow with large files
  • 7
    Slow startup
  • 2
    Most of the time packages are hard to find.
  • 1
    No longer maintained
  • 1
    Cannot Run code with F5
  • 1
    Can be easily Modified
  • 3
    No default plugin manager
  • 2
    Can't install more advanced packets
  • 8
    Steep learning curve
  • 7
    Everything
  • 4
    Flexibility to move file
  • 4
    Number of plugins doing the same thing
  • 4
    Doesn't act like a Mac app
  • 3
    Not open sourced
  • 2
    Don't have flutter integration
  • 2
    Forces you to buy license

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- No public GitHub repository available -
- No public GitHub repository available -

What is Atom?

At GitHub, we're building the text editor we've always wanted. A tool you can customize to do anything, but also use productively on the first day without ever touching a config file. Atom is modern, approachable, and hackable to the core. We can't wait to see what you build with it.

What is Notepad++?

Notepad++ is a free (as in "free speech" and also as in "free beer") source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages. Running in the MS Windows environment, its use is governed by GPL License.

What is Sublime Text?

Sublime Text is available for OS X, Windows and Linux. One license is all you need to use Sublime Text on every computer you own, no matter what operating system it uses. Sublime Text uses a custom UI toolkit, optimized for speed and beauty, while taking advantage of native functionality on each platform.

Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

Why do developers choose Sublime Text vs Atom vs Notepad++?

  • Fans of Sublime Text call it lightweight and superfast. They appreciate its many plugins and nice UI, and note that while it is a paid service, the trial is unlimited.
  • Atom users love that it’s free and open source. They appreciate its modular, hackable design and the fact that it’s backed by GitHub (and offers GitHub integration).
  • NotePad++ is billed as a “Notepad replacement.” Fans enjoy the ability to use syntax from all their favorite languages, and call it fast and lightweight.
What companies use Atom?
What companies use Notepad++?
What companies use Sublime Text?

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What tools integrate with Atom?
What tools integrate with Notepad++?
What tools integrate with Sublime Text?

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What are some alternatives to Atom, Notepad++, and Sublime Text?
Visual Studio Code
Build and debug modern web and cloud applications. Code is free and available on your favorite platform - Linux, Mac OSX, and Windows.
Brackets
With focused visual tools and preprocessor support, it is a modern text editor that makes it easy to design in the browser.
cell
cell is a self-constructing web app framework powered by a self-driving DOM. Learning cell is mostly about understanding how cell works, and not about how to use and memorize some API methods, because there is no API.
Element
Element is a Vue 2.0 based component library for developers, designers and product managers, with a set of design resources.
PyCharm
PyCharm’s smart code editor provides first-class support for Python, JavaScript, CoffeeScript, TypeScript, CSS, popular template languages and more. Take advantage of language-aware code completion, error detection, and on-the-fly code fixes!
See all alternatives