An HTML and CSS code editor provides functionality like syntax highlighting, error flagging, and auto-completion that help you write code faster and easier. Even with limited coding skills, the right editor will help you efficiently build a website.
Below, I’ll cover what a code editor is and the key features you can expect. Then, I’ll look at code editors that range in functionality, price, and purpose so you can pick the one that best suits your experience, budget, and business. Let’s get started.
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Choosing the right editor for your next HTML project starts with deciding whether you want a WYSIWYG editor or a text code editor.
WYSIWYG editors are exactly as they sound — they allow you to see what you’re editing as you’re editing it, as opposed to writing a line of HTML and CSS code and then previewing the result in another window.
Drag-and-drop page builders are a great example of WYSIWYG editors.
WYSIWYG HTML editors are great for beginner coders because they display what the website will look like on the front end to your visitors.
This type of editor often has a drag-and-drop interface, so you can add, delete, and modify headings, images, and other elements on the page without writing or editing a single line of code.
WYSIWYG editors may be standalone tools or integrated with your web host or CMS. For example, HubSpot's free CMS includes a drag-and-drop builder.
Text editors are the exact opposite of WYSIWYG editors. Instead of allowing you to edit the page using live visual elements, you edit the page’s code directly first — and then you can preview it in a browser or the editor’s preview pane.
A text editor won’t show you what your website will look like on the front end but will offer greater flexibility and customizability. For instance, you can create classes, IDs, and so forth more easily without using a WYSIWYG editor’s potentially clunky CSS settings.
Text editors are a better fit for intermediate to advanced web designers and developers because they require you to write and edit code instead of dragging and dropping elements on the page.
If you’re frightened by the prospect of editing code directly, text editors offer useful features like autocompletion and error detection to help you write code better and faster.
In this post, I’ll be covering text-based editors only. But if you are a beginner or would rather not have to code, you can always opt for a WYSIWYG drag-and-drop page builder.
Now, let's examine the key features I look for when evaluating HTML and CSS editors.
Every HTML and CSS editor is unique, but most share common features that make coding web applications easier and faster. Let's take a closer look at these features.
One of the best features of HTML and CSS editors is autocompletion. With autocompletion, the code editor automatically suggests how to complete a line of code as you write.
These suggestions are based on language semantics and your existing code. The suggestions for possible completions of the line of code will narrow down as you type.
A code editor uses syntax highlighting to display code in different colors and styles to make it easier to read.
For example, if you’re writing a text file in JavaScript, the code editor will highlight keywords, strings, and comments in different colors to help you quickly identify them.
Some code editors will automatically scan for, detect, and highlight syntax errors or spelling and punctuation errors in your code. This will help you catch and fix any mistakes before you run your code.
To find and replace a particular piece of code, you don't need to manually go through every single line of code you’ve already written.
That’s where the search and replace feature comes in. With this feature, you can find and replace a variable or another piece of code all at once.
When writing code, you may want to edit and view multiple files at once or multiple parts of the same file. You can do this with a code editor that offers a split-screen view, like Notepad++.
Some code editors offer a customizable user interface you can tweak according to your preferences and workflow. For example, you may opt for a ribbon menu or a simpler toolbar that shows your most commonly used features.
When using a code editor, you may need to make quick edits to a file on a server. In that case, you want a code editor with integrated FTP capabilities. That way, you can work with remote files and interact with servers from a single application.
The best HTML and CSS editors will provide the functionality you need to write code correctly — and to write it faster, thanks to auto-completion. Ideally, this type of editor will provide a clean interface, give you the features you need, and work in your preferred operating system.
HubSpot’s Content Hub provides a very nice WYSIWYG editor built right into the software, eliminating the need to find an external editor. However, many editors are available online, all of which boast a large number of features.
G2 Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
UltraEdit is designed to be an all-in-one solution. It solves every challenge a developer or IT professional faces: programming and project management, text data and record reformatting, data sorting, large file manipulation, remote file operations, advanced file searching, and more.
That means it’s ideal for advanced users working independently or in enterprise companies. It’s not for beginners or hobbyists, and the price reflects this. It also does not provide a starting point or a template with the basics already included, like a basic HTML document. For that reason, it would be best for experienced web developers.
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All of these features are included in the free version of Sublime, but this version eventually starts displaying pop-ups, prompting you to purchase a premium license.
Sublime Text is available as a free version, or you can purchase a license for $99.
G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
TextPad is a simple and intuitive editor for Windows that’s ideal for plain text files. It could also be used for basic programming projects due to its ability to handle large files and record macros. Its interface can seem austere compared to others, but that’s purposeful. It’s designed to be so simple that you can use it right away.
TextPad allows you to edit multiple files simultaneously, drag and drop text between files, indent blocks of text, split or join lines, insert whole files, and undo and redo any changes down to the very first change you made on your document.
TextPad also has a customizable toolbar and built-in file manager, so you can easily copy, rename, or delete files. I also found it easy to compare two files.
I would recommend it for more basic coding projects despite its ability to handle file sizes up to your machine’s limits. It offers syntax highlighting, but I think other options on this list are better due to TextPad’s limited color palette.
It’s just not as user-friendly, especially if you prefer dark mode. Another challenging aspect is that if you record a macro, you can’t edit or trim it after the fact.
Lastly, it’s not updated as often as other editors on this list, which can make the product feel more stagnant.
TextPad is $16.50 for one license. However, TextPad also lets users download beta versions for free to test them.
G2 Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
BBEdit (short for “BareBones Edit”) is a code editor for macOS that offers a free and premium version. It makes it easy to create, import, and edit files and to search for and replace text across multiple documents. With this editor, you can also compare two text files and analyze them to find any missing, extra, or similar text between them.
Though this tool is simple at a surface level, it has a built-in FTP client that allows you to import large files. It also supports a wide variety of programming languages, with functional syntax highlighting.
While testing this tool, I noticed that it opens a plain document reminiscent of Microsoft Word, emphasizing its dual use case for both code and text editing.
I found it great for manipulating large blocks of text and building basic websites with beginner-friendly options I hadn’t encountered before. For instance, it includes a dialog-based process for adding a head to your HTML document and creating new CSS declarations.
It’s ideal for developers looking for basic functionality or wanting to learn the ropes of coding before using a more advanced tool. For anything beyond that, like error checking and debugging, you’ll need a more advanced editor.
BBEdit is available as a free version and a paid version, which retails for $59.99.
G2 Rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars
Komodo IDE is a unique code editor because it also serves as an integrated development environment (or IDE for short).
This editor improves your workflow because it is a two-in-one editor and debugger. Python, PHP, Perl, Go, Ruby, Node.js, and JavaScript are all supported languages in Komodo IDE. Of course, you can use it for HTML and CSS as well, but its development support for other languages is a huge plus.
Live previews are one of the many benefits of this code editor. Instead of flipping back and forth between tabs, you can edit and test everything on one screen. With automatic saving, you'll never have to wait before reviewing a preview of your work.
I seriously loved the side-by-side previewing option; other tools on this list opened the preview in another window. Seeing it all at once allowed me to make changes and see the change instantly, which could be helpful for beginner programmers. That said, due to the complicated user interface and steep learning curve, I’d recommend this tool only to advanced developers.
Komodo IDE is merged with ActiveState, which also provides language distributions like ActivePerl and ActivePython. That can be helpful if you need an enterprise coding solution.
Komodo IDE is free for individual or personal use.
G2 Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars
Visual Studio Code is a powerful, open-source, cross-platform editor from Microsoft. Rather than the standard syntax highlighting and autocomplete, VS Code offers IntelliSense, which provides smart completions based on variable types, function definitions, and imported modules.
This makes it a powerful solution for debugging code, especially for software developers. VS Code also integrates with Git, so you can push code to or pull from any hosted SCM service.
If you want even more functionality, VS Code offers plenty of extensions. You can add new languages, themes, and debuggers and connect to additional services. I found one major drawback, though: There’s no built-in preview tool, which can be frustrating for developers working primarily with HTML or PHP.
When I was testing out VSCode, I was wowed by the built-in Emmet functionality. Essentially, all I had to do was type a few lines of shorthand, and it would expand it into an entire HTML element I could then customize.
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