Skip to main content

With so many different coding software for Windows available, figuring out which is right for you is tough. You know you want to facilitate software development on Windows operating systems but need to figure out which tool is best. I've got you! In this post I'll help make your choice easy, sharing my personal experiences using dozens of different coding tools for Windows with various teams and projects, with my picks of the best coding software for Windows.

What Is Coding Software For Windows?

Coding software for Windows refers to applications that enable the creation, editing, and management of computer code on Windows operating systems. These tools range from basic text editors to advanced integrated development environments (IDEs), and they support various programming languages. They provide an interface where developers can write, test, and debug code for software development projects specifically tailored for the Windows platform.

The benefits of using coding software for Windows include enhanced productivity and efficiency in software development. These tools offer features like syntax highlighting, auto-completion, and debugging, which streamline the coding process and reduce errors. They cater to a wide array of programming needs, from simple scripting to complex application development. Additionally, their integration with version control systems facilitates collaboration among development teams, making it easier to manage large-scale projects and maintain code consistency.

Overviews Of The 10 Best Coding Software For Windows

Below, you’ll find an overview of each of the 10 best coding software for Windows with screenshots, key feature highlights, pricing, and pros and cons.

Best for context-aware auto-complete

  • Free trial available
  • From $99/license

Sublime Text is an advanced text editor for code, markup, and prose. It comes with sophisticated editing features that help you code with maximum efficiency and speed, easy code navigation, and a user-friendly interface.

Why I picked Sublime Text: I’m recommending this software due to its nice and flexible user interface and context-aware auto-complete. The UI comes with default and adaptive themes that are decorated with new tab styles and inactive pane dimming. The themes and color schemes support auto-mode switching so you can tweak the UI to give you the look and feel you want.

Sublime Text features an auto-complete engine that offers smart completions based on existing code in your project. And it takes it a step farther by also offering more info and links to definitions.

Sublime Text Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: It supports popular new programming languages, like TYPSCRIPT, JSX, and TSX. Sublime Text provides some smart syntax-based features, which enable you to code faster. Its syntax highlighting engine has outstanding capabilities, including handling non-deterministic grammars, multi-line constructs, lazy embeds, and syntax inheritance.

Other exceptional features include very short load times, updated Python API, Tab Multi-Select, and GPU rendering.

Integrations include Kite, Git, MATLAB, Python, Bootstrap Studio, Sublime Merge, Sourcetrail, CSS, Golang, Copado, and Ruby on Rails.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Enables faster coding with auto-complete
  • Flexible pricing
  • Free trial available

Cons:

  • Difficulty in installing plugins
  • More responsive customer support required

Best for providing an extensive plugin system

  • Free to use

VIM is an advanced text editor that’s highly configurable. It’s designed to enable efficient text editing. The software is an improved version of vi editor, which is distributed with most UNIX systems.

Why I picked VIM: It has an extensive plugin system, which allows you to use the software according to your needs. You can connect it with extensions that enable you to perform a wide range of advanced operations, such as enabling IDE behavior, syntax highlighting, and colorization. There is an active community and great documentation. Through the user community, you can connect with more experienced users and get help quickly. And the documentation provides the resources you need to learn how to use VIM.

VIM Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: VIM supports hundreds of programming languages and file formats. As a result, many programmers can use the tool for their projects. It has a powerful search and replace feature, which makes finding things and effecting changes very easy. Other interesting features include a multi-level undo tree and integration with many tools.

Integrations are available with Codeium, OpenAI, ChatGPT, Tabnine, Gitpod, Kite, Sourcetrail, Coder, Termius, and Code Intelligence.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Support for many languages
  • Open-source with an active community
  • Seamless integrations

Cons:

  • The GUI needs to be updated
  • Setting up plugins can be time consuming

Best for syntax coloring and full Unicode support

  • Free to use

Emacs is a text editor that is extensible and customizable. It features an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, which is a dialect of the Lisp coding language with extensions to support text editing.

Why I picked Emacs: It supports advanced code editing features, like syntax coloring. Emacs has content-aware editing modes for many file types. The tool has full Unicode support for almost all human scripts. It's highly customizable. Using Emacs Lisp code or a graphical interface, you have the flexibility to adjust the editor to suit your team's needs and preferences.

Emacs Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: In addition to text editing, it offers a wide range of functionality, including a project planner, debugger interface, mail and news reader, calendar, IRC client, and more. Emacs comes with integrated tools that make development faster and easier.

There is a packaging system for downloading and installing extensions so you can extend the software's functionality according to your needs.

Integrations include Sourcegraph Cody, Codeium, Tabnine, Wing Python IDE, Sourcetrail, Scheme, Common Lisp, XML, Termius, Dash, and JSON.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Very customizable
  • Tutorials for new users
  • Good documentation

Cons:

  • It takes time to master
  • Documentation is not detailed

Best for built-in Git commands

  • Free plan available
  • From $45/user/month

This is a code editor designed to help you create and debug modern web and cloud applications. Visual Studio Code is free, extensible, and highly customizable with industry-leading features.

Why I picked Visual Studio Code: It streamlines source code management and helps you get things done faster with built-in Git commands. This coding software makes working with Git and other SCM providers very easy. You can review diffs, stage files, and make commits from within the editor, making source code management less laborious and faster. Visual Studio Code allows you to push and pull from any hosted SCM service.

Visual Studio Code Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: The software features IntelliSense, which goes beyond the conventional syntax highlighting and autocomplete to offer smart completions based on variable types, function definitions, and imported modules. Visual Studio Code allows you to debug code right from the editor with breakpoints, call stacks, and an interactive console.

Integrations include GitHub, Crowdin, Deque, Codeanywhere, SwaggerHub, SpiraPlan, CodeSandox, SonarLint, Flowace, and Coverity.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Customizable and extensible
  • Seamless integrations
  • Streamlined source code management

Cons:

  • It gets heavy while installing extensions for each language
  • Complex configurations for beginners

Best for built-in support for many programming languages

  • Free to use

Geany is a small and lightweight Integrated Development Environment (IDE). It comes with powerful code editing features, such as syntax highlighting, code folding, and auto-completion.

Why I picked Geany: It’s cross-platform (it runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS) and is translated into over 40 languages. This makes it a very easy-to-use tool for programmers who are not good in English or other popular languages. With its built-in support for over 50 programming languages, you have the flexibility to build applications with the coding language of your choice.

Another interesting thing about Geany is that it’s easily customizable. The software provides settings that allow you to tweak the features to suit your needs and preferences.

Geany Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: Geany supports many file types, including leading programming languages such as PHP, Java, HTML, Python, and JavaScript. It also supports other file types like Diff output, SQL files, and ini-style config files.

Additionally, Geany is flexible. It has a plugin system that lets you expand its features according to your needs. You can easily add new features or improve existing ones by simply integrating with third-party tools.

Integrations include GitHub, MATLAB, Python, PowerShell, CSS, Kotlin, Ruby, Fortran, Clojure, and Swift.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • You can add new features with plugins
  • Support for multiple coding languages
  • Very easy to use

Cons:

  • Faster customer support required
  • Some complex plugin settings

Best for building responsive web pages

  • 7 days free trial
  • From $20.49/month

Adobe DreamWeaver helps you build dynamic web pages for any browser or device. It supports multiple programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and more.

Why I picked DreamWeaver: I added it to my list because it enables you to create beautiful websites quickly with maximum flexibility. DreamWeaver has a coding engine that is smart and simplified. The engine makes creating, coding, and managing dynamic web pages very easy. Its visual aids provide the coding support you need to minimize errors and accelerate website development.

Additionally, there are customizable starter templates that enable you to build faster. You can quickly customize the templates to create things like About pages, blogs, and ecommerce pages. Being part of Creative Cloud, DreamWeaver lets you import assets from Creative Cloud Libraries and Adobe Stock.

DreamWeaver Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features include live view editing, multi-monitor support for Windows, and clutter-free UI. The software makes coding faster and more efficient with the live view editing feature, which empowers you to seamlessly edit text, edit image properties, add classes directly, and preview changes instantly without having to switch to another edit mode.

With multi-monitor support for Windows, you can improve your workspaces by displaying them on multiple monitors. DreamWeaver comes with a modern UI, which is streamlined, free of clutter, and allows you to customize your workspaces.

Integrations include Adobe Creative Cloud, Adobe Photoshop, Arlo, Raffle Workspace Search, SalesCart, diib, CSS, Adobe Comp, HTML, and OpenText xPression.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Step-by-step tutorials
  • Easy collaboration
  • Starter templates available

Cons:

  • It only runs on computers with certain specifications
  • Not very easy to learn

Best for multi-language support

  • Free plan available
  • From $8 per month

Komodo Edit is a leading editor that enables you to write and manage code with considerable efficiency. It provides standard text editing features that help you write and edit code in multiple languages.

Why I picked Komodo Edit: I picked this software because it supports multiple languages. It doesn’t restrict to one or two programming languages like some other coding tools. With Komodo Edit, you enjoy the flexibility to get things done using the language that is most suitable for your project.

Komodo Edit Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: It comes with an auto-complete feature, which makes coding easier and more efficient. This feature helps you program faster by suggesting code. Komodo Edit has a change tracking capability that enables you to keep tabs on source code changes. Other interesting features include multiple selections, projects and places manager, skins and icon sets, and minimap.

Integrations include Docker containers, MySQL, Python, Ruby, Golang, Java, PHP, Oracle Database, Node.js, and Perl.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Get started for free
  • Smart code suggestions
  • Support for many languages

Cons:

  • More customization features required
  • The product website needs more content

Best for WYSIWYG authoring

  • Free plan available
  • From $80.54/license

BlueGriffon is an advanced web and EPUB editor based on the rendering engine of Firefox. Trusted by many users around the world, it offers a good HTML editor that’s intuitive, modern, and powerful.

Why I picked BlueGriffon: I added this coding tool to my list because it offers a project manager, which helps you keep track of your work. In addition, it enables you to manage tasks effectively, boost productivity, and keep tabs on your projects. BlueGriffon is also very user friendly; the user interface is available in 20 languages. This automatically widens the software’s user base to include people who are usually blocked by language barriers.

BlueGriffon Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features include WYSIWYG authoring, editable source view, modifiable menu and button keyboard shortcuts, stylesheets manager panel, and markdown support. BlueGriffon features CSS Editor Pro with Media Queries, CSS Variables, and even a visual CSS Selector editor. The software also includes a code snippets panel, up to 2,500 free templates, and a mobile viewer.

Integrations are available with a range of third-party tools, including CSS, Markdown, MathML Kit, and HTML.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • It’s cross platform
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Free version available

Cons:

  • Steep learning curve
  • Documentation needs to be improved

Best for high execution speed and small program size

  • Free to use

Notepad++ is a source code editor and Notepad replacement that supports several languages.

Why I picked Notepad++: I picked Notepad++ due to its customizable features. For instance, it allows you to customize the toolbar icons. There is good online help, featuring a user manual and user community. The user manual helps you to quickly get started with the tool by teaching you how it works, while the user community gives you access to more experienced users who can help you understand the software better.

Notepad++ Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: Notepad++ has a higher execution speed and a small program size. This is because it's written in C++ and uses pure Win32 API and STL. As a result, the software allows you to build faster with minimal power consumption due to its smaller program size. With Notepad++, you can perform as many operations as possible without losing user-friendliness.

Integrations include MATLAB, Python, PowerShell, Fortran, Java, Visual Basic, Swift, Scheme, Haskell, and Rust.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Customizable features
  • High execution speed
  • Get started for free

Cons:

  • Hard to master by beginners
  • Limited to Windows

Best for editing files from remote locations

  • Free to use

gedit is a multi-purpose text editor that’s easy to use. You can use it to write simple notes and documents. When the advanced features are activated, it’s great for software development.

Why I picked gedit: gedit is great for boosting collaboration among remote teams. It provides some features that allow users to edit files from remote locations. The software makes coding and text editing faster since people can share files and update them regardless of their physical locations. Changes can be easily made at any time since teams can work from different time zones.

gedit has a flexible plugin system, which you can use to dynamically add new advanced features. The capabilities of this software are unlimited. You can get it to do what you want by plugging in a third-party tool.

gedit Standout Features and Integrations

Standout features: gedit lets you perform syntax highlighting for many programming languages, including Shell, XML, C, C++, and Markdown. It supports auto-indentation, text wrapping, spell-checking, auto-completion, integrated file browser, search and replace, and configurable fonts and colors. The software allows you to back up your files so you don’t lose important files when things go wrong.

Integrations include Python, CSS, Java, Perl, XML, Markdown, JavaScript, C++, C, and HTML.

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • Free code editor
  • Good user manual
  • Very flexible

Cons:

  • Product info isn’t detailed
  • Sophisticated configurations

The 10 Best Coding Software For Windows Summary

Tools Price
Sublime Text From $99/license
VIM Free to use
Emacs Free to use
Visual Studio Code From $45/user/month
Geany Free to use
Dreamweaver From $20.49/month
Komodo Edit From $8 per month
BlueGriffon From $80.54/license
Notepad++ Free to use
gedit Free to use
Preview Image - <h2 class="c-block__title b-summary-table__title c-listicle__title h3" > Compare Software Specs Side by Side</h2>

Compare Software Specs Side by Side

Use our comparison chart to review and evaluate software specs side-by-side.

Compare Software

Other Options

In addition to the 10 best coding software for Windows I’ve reviewed, here are some other solutions that are worth checking out:

  1. WeBuilder

    Best for syntax highlighting and code intelligence

  2. Apache NetBeans

    Best for code refactoring

  3. IntelliJ IDEA

    Best for remote development teams

  4. Brackets

    Best open-source code editor with inline editors and live preview capability

  5. UltraEdit

    Best text editor for large files

  6. Microsoft Visual Studio

    Best IDE for .NET and C++ developers on Windows

  7. Eclipse

    Best for multiple language support and unlimited customization

  8. SnipAway

    Best for running code folding and multiline selection

  9. jEdit

    Best for providing auto-indent and syntax highlighting for more than 200 languages

  10. Light Table

    Best for embedding anything you want, from graphs and games to running visualizations

Selection Criteria For Coding Software For Windows 

Here’s a summary of the main selection and evaluation criteria I used to develop my list of the best code editors for Windows for this article:

Core Functionality

The core functionalities I considered while I was researching this article include:

  • Support for multiple programming languages
  • Cross-platform capabilities
  • Debugging
  • Customizability

Key Features

I looked out for the following key features in all the tools before adding them to the list:

  • Collaboration: Collaboration features allow remote teams to work together on tasks efficiently and productively. Coding software with advanced collaboration capabilities empowers remote teams to work together in real time, share files, and communicate effectively.
  • Syntax highlight: It enables you to display source code in different colors and fonts. This helps you improve the readability and context of the text.
  • Auto-completion: This feature helps you code faster by automatically predicting and completing the current word or code you’re typing. Advanced editors use the context of the code you’ve typed to predict what you’re to type next.
  • Code folding: With code folding, you can selectively hide or display parts of a document. This helps you to manage large amounts of text and improve readability by displaying sections that you want.

Usability

I recommended tools that are easy to get started with. I considered coding software for Windows that comes with training resources, responsive customer service, a very intuitive user interface, and other things that make using new software easy, such as webinars, ongoing learning opportunities, and blogs.

Software Integrations

I selected software that allows you to integrate third-party tools. Software integrations let you streamline development processes by bringing your toolset together. For instance, you can integrate with your SCM provider and manage the source code right from within the editor.

Pricing

I always look out for solutions that are fair, scalable, and transparent in their pricing. They include freemium plans, free trials, or free demos to make getting started easier.

People Also Ask

Here are some questions that are frequently asked about coding software for Windows:

What are the benefits of coding software for Windows?

The benefits of a coding editor for Windows include fast development, integration with other software development tools, streamlined workflow, improved collaboration, and timely resolution of code errors.

Who uses coding software for Windows?

Web development engineers, web designers, and developers in general use code editors for Windows to build products. In addition to developing software, some text editors allow non-technical users to create regular or ordinary texts. When coding software includes debugging or testing capabilities, it can be used by QA professionals.

What software do I need for coding?

The specific software tools you need will depend on the programming language you want to learn and the type of coding you want to do. Here are some common software tools that you may need:

  • Text editor: A text editor is a software tool that allows you to write and edit code. Most computers come with a simple text editor pre-installed, such as Notepad (for Windows) and TextEdit (for macOS). However, these editors lack many of the useful features that coding-specific text editors have.
  • Integrated Development Environment (IDE): An IDE is a software application that provides comprehensive facilities to computer programmers for software development. It typically includes a code editor, a compiler or interpreter, and a debugger, among other tools.
  • Compiler: A compiler is a software tool that translates code written in one programming language into another language, usually machine code. Compilers are used to create executable files that can be run on a computer.
  • Version control system: A version control system is a software tool that helps you keep track of changes to your code over time. It allows you to collaborate with other developers, revert to previous versions of your code, and manage different versions of your code.
  • Debugging tools: Debugging tools are software tools that help you find and fix errors in your code. They allow you to step through your code line by line, set breakpoints, and inspect variables.
  • Libraries and frameworks: Libraries and frameworks are pre-written code that you can use to speed up your development process. They provide common functionality that you can use in your own code.

It’s important to note that the specific software tools you need will depend on the programming language you want to learn and the type of coding you want to do. However, a good text editor and a version control system are essential tools for any programmer.

Other QA and Coding Software Reviews

Do you want to learn more about coding software and quality assurance? Read the following review articles.

Fast-Track Your Next Project With the Best Coding Software for Windows

Equip your team with the best coding tool for Windows. It helps your team members code collaboratively and get things done faster, especially when you integrate with other software development tools. Go through the coding systems outlined above to find the one that suits your project needs and team’s preferences.

Do you have any questions or something you would like us to mention in the next article? Let us know in the comment section. And if you want to learn more about software testing and the QA industry, subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest articles and podcasts from industry experts.

By Anyalebechi Elisha

I’m Anyalebechi Elisha, a tech blogger and cybersecurity expert. For more than 3 years, I’ve been researching and writing short-form and long-form articles across many tech niches – with major focus on cybersecuty.