Get our Latest Finds
Subscribe to our RSS feed or enter your email address below to get the feed delivered to you by email:
Follow Gizmo
Using this Site
Top Rated
Gizmo's Freeware is Recruiting
We are currently looking for people with skills and/or interest in the following areas:
- Anonymous Surfing Service
- Antivirus for Android
If this sounds like you then click here for more details
Best Free HTML Editor
|
Other Language?
|
 Read this article in Spanish |
|
In a Hurry?
|
 Go straight to the Quick Selection Guide |
|
Introduction
|
|
HTML text editors are fine for programmers or those who are comfortable coding (X)HTML, PHP and CSS, but many users have no interest in this. They just want an editor that allows them to produce web pages quickly in a WYSIWYG environment. |
|
Discussion
|
|
Whether code-based or WYSIWYG, the ideal HTML editor should be able to validate that the HTML is standards-compliant, preview the page in different browsers, support meta-tags and provide basic image editing, while still being free. An included FTP client is a bonus. |
HTML WYSIWYG Editors |
|
KompoZer's last stable release was in 2007, and the last Beta (development version) was released in February 2010. Worth watching is BlueGriffon, which is a fork of KompoZer, currently under active development and looking very promising. |
|
Amaya lets users both browse and author web pages, which enables easy copying and pasting of information from other web pages and easy creation of links to other websites. You can seamlessly upload your web pages onto a server from within Amaya as well. |
HTML Text Editors |
|
My top choice for experienced users goes to Netbeans. It started life as a Java Editor but with recent releases has developed into a powerful text editor for web scripting. It is Vista and Windows 7 compatible. At first glance, Netbeans is a little intimidating. Most of the menu items can be ignored by ordinary mortals. Using it as an HTML/PHP editor is akin to using a steam hammer to crack a peanut. Nevertheless the code completion, code colouring and the professional look and feel make it an excellent choice. Netbeans supports:
My second choice is HTML-Kit which began as a specialized html editor but now has so many plugins that it is a highly customizable and extensible development environment. The latest freeware release is build 292, and plug-ins continue to be developed and extended, keeping this software very up to date. HTML-Kit is compatible with Vista and is also portable. HTML-Kit offers support for HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSL, JavaScript, VBScript, ASP, PHP, JSP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, VB, C/C++, .NET C#, Delphi / Pascal, Lisp, SQL, and more. Over the years, both Netbeans and HTML-Kit have attracted large communities, so the support forums are very good. Their websites are full of video tutorials and resources. Both Netbeans and HTML-Kit are excellent choices for serious coders, offering support for many file types including HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, XSL, JavaScript, VBScript, ASP, PHP, JSP, Perl, Python, Ruby, Java, VB, C/C++, .NET C#, Delphi / Pascal, Lisp, SQL, and more. |
|
It features optimizations for Javascript, HTML, Ajax, Ruby on Rails, PHP, CSS and many others. Aptana Studio plugins enable source control and over 1,000 other third-party extensions. There is a pro version (which includes a few other features), but the free version is more then enough for any web developer (from beginner to advance). I personally love Aptana studio, and recommend it to any developer wanting a full featured IDE for building websites, web applications, desktop applications (with the adobe air plugin), etc... |
|
This small tool has simple controls and handles plain text, yet is extremely capable. Saying you use PSPad for your coding scores you immediate points for technical machismo. |
|
Related Products and Links
|
|
You might want to check out these articles too: |
Download the 31MB PHP version unless you need modules for non-web programming. The Java SE Development Kit, JDK 6.0 Update 26 or later, is required. A link is given for this during Netbeans installation if it's not already installed on your system.
Great community support
|
Editor
|
| This software category is maintained by volunteer editor Ritho. Registered members can contact the editor with any comments of suggestions they might have by clicking here. |
|
Tags
|
| edit html, edit html files, edit html text, edit text wysiwyg mode, best free html text editor, top html editor, top free html editor, edit html what you see is what you get, freeware. |
Back to the top of the article
- Article type:
Printer-friendly version
Comments
Never knew NetBeans supported so many programming languages, thanks.
I just tried out BlueGriffon. The installer is a little wierd and windows-like on LinuxMinT Debian (I used the Ubuntu-64 version), but it seems to work kind of OK. It seems to have a lot more capability than Komposer, like html 5 elements.
Nice article!
What is your opinion about Coffeecup Free Html Editor, Ritho?
great comparison, thanks!! pls add some fakebook/google +1 /twitter - buttons to I (so I think others readers too) would like to vote up this article.
Regards,
Diman
We did provide this facility a while back but it was abused and so removed.
I suggest to review also free PHP/HTML/CSS editor - Codelobster PHP Edition
http://www.codelobster.com
I've always used Microsoft's front page just because I know how it works and I have not had luck learning Dreamweaver...... I run Mac now and Kompozer is the closest thing to Front page that I've found. I do simple editing of existing pages and Kompozer's interface is simple to use
2 Thumbs Up!!!!
I find it easier at times to use a raw text editor and other times use Kompozer. It depends on what you're doing. I open a template with gedit, the Linux equivalent to Windows Notepad. I find that opening it in a text editor, scrolling down 'til I get to the tag I need, and edit a simple line is great for me.
A wysiwyg editor tends to put in some unclean code. When designing, yes a program like Kompozer is great. But using FileZilla and dragging and dropping a text file edited in Gedit is the norm for me. And to create a new page is as simple as copy and paste an existing page, then changing text and images as needed. Learning a beginning tag and closing tag is super easy to me and what goes in the middle.
I learned html from Youtube videos and W3schools.com On occasion, I'll look up something, and copy and paste what I need, changing certain things. That's so much easier than trying to learn a brand new program for some folks. And not as easy as others. Since I'm a writer, perhaps I just feel more comfortable with text than others.
Some pluses and a big minus about KompoZer.
The BIG PLUS is that KompoZer is available in a PORTABLE Version. This means no installation on your computer, no registry entries, and you can "install" it (meaning unzip all the required files) onto a USB key.
This is excellent for me because I build websites, and need to set them up so my clients can edit their own content. I do this by building the sites in PHP (using Dreamweaver mostly), and having the PHP script assemble the header, the menu, the content, and the footer at runtime. Then I put all the content files (simple HTML files) into a separate directory, to which I give my clients an FTP login.
With KompoZer, I can install it on a USB key, and set it up to automatically link to the content directory. I give the client that USB key, they plug it in to their own computer, and are automatically connected to their FTP directory. The client can then simply double click on the content document they want to open, edit it, click "Publish," and presto, their own changes are online. They can make changes without having to call me to do it for them.
The REALLY BIG MINUS for KompoZer is that whenever you try to publish an IMG, you can't link to a JPG or GIF or PNG somewhere else. KompoZer very "helpfully" imports the image file into your publish directory and links to it directly there. I haven't yet found a way to preserve the off-site IMG SRC link when publishing from KompoZer. Maybe there is, but I can't find it.
This pretty much eliminates KompoZer for me, because many of my clients need to put up images, and when the HTML files they edit are embedded in another PHP page, the local link is no longer valid.
NOTE TO REVIEWERS: It would be really REALLY helpful if you could let us know if there definitely is or definitely is not a PORTABLE version of each app available.
I love KompoZer for what it can do - but sheesh, I wish it would preserve external IMG links!
The Komposer is by far the best among all of them if comapred on the basis of portability, WYSIWYG features, variety of file types that can be edited, cross-platform reach and ease of use. Ofcourse editors like Aptana and Netbeans are far more extensive but they are not inherently portable like Komposer. So my choice is Komposer! :)
HOw did you get it to install? I am using firefox browser. I went to the site via a link here, and downloaded it, and extracted it. It unzipped and created another folder. But it doesn't open up as an editor or anything, just a folder with elements in it. In other words, it's not working.
I tried three times.
I am not having any luck with these and all I need is a good html editor.
What gives?
Jess
Most software developers link to a user guide which usually contains installation instructions. This is the one on the KompoZer site.
http://www.charlescooke.me.uk/web/uga1.htm#a4
Boy I download html-kit and after some dickering around I thought I had a pretty clean listing done. It has sooooooo much it could choke a person but I knew what I was looking for.
Then I put in my links. ONly two. One showed up, the other not and I could not figure it out for the life of me then, the entire listing VANISHED. It got stuck in some browser honest to God the thing is buggy.
I had registered at the site because I read it has good support. NOT.
I registered, it has my email but kept telling me I had not and so I asked to be sent my password. It told me I didn't exist.
That is NOT good support nor does it support the most popular browsers in my opinion. It only wants Internet Explorer. It ought to say as such. I was using firefox, but could have switched. I did not think I had to.
I had to toggle around to see the preview.
Now I am off to try another this is crazy to struggle. I am sure glad I didn't go through with that donation.
Komodo Edit + Notepad++ FTW.
I would suggest looking into Notepad++ as this does color coding and code hinting for many languages. I have used it for several years and its still being updated!
I'm checking the current version. It's another one of many excellent free editors. Choosing between them is a bit of a mission.
I wonder if the Blue Griffon is worthy of the WYSIWYG editor category.
http://www.bluegriffon.org/
From the author of NVU that later evolved into Kompozer.
Thanks for that James, I've had a good look at Bluegriffon and you can wonder no more. It is most certainly worthy of inclusion. I need a day or two to test it but I suspect that it will soon knock KompoZer off its pedestal. It's very impressive.
"Most professional designers and web developers use an advanced WYSIWYG editor" if you say so...
Actually, I didn't say so. That was my illustrious predecessor. Although it wouldn't surprise me. Certainly in a large sector of the professional web design market Dreamweaver dominates. I've modified the wording to reflect my vacillation. :)
MICROSOFT SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2007 IS NOW FREE!
why not use the best Wysiwyg! not as combersome as 2010 express.
I really like it.
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=baa3ad86-bfc1-4bd4-9812-d9e710d44f42&displaylang=en
Great find! Just installed free MICROSOFT SHAREPOINT DESIGNER 2007 on my Win 7 64 bit laptop and it works perfect.
Sorry about the delay. You posted this on my 70th birthday while I was otherwise occupied living in a tent in a soul-cleansing place called Tawharanui.
You're right. MS's now-free previous release of SharePoint Designer is a definite contender. I'm evaluating it.
Tawharanui looks very nice from the online pics. Hope you enjoyed your birthday :)
I use and suggest Codelobster PHP Edition.
It is very powerful and free HTML, PHP, CSS, JavaScript editor with many useful and cure features.
Love the comments.
I use Dreamweaver CS4 and i needed a html editor that a newbie could use, so another staff member could update a newletter we send out.
I agree one of the best free editors is KompoZer, for newbies.
He was clicking away in no time, editing and without any problems.
Thankyou for helping me find Kompozer.
i cannot find where to go down load html editor i just dont see a place to go theres a lot of places to click on things BUT WHERE IS YOUR DOWN LOAD FOR HTML AT your page is tooo full
Each program's entry above has a link to take you to the download site. Marked by a downward pointing blue arrow icon.
I would suggest ActiveState Komodo Edit (note that "Komodo IDE" application is commercial), as I found it really powerful with HTML/XHTML/CSS
http://community.activestate.com/products/Komodo
I also appreciated a lot of it being a multi-platform application: I've been able to edit the same project and move it easily back and forth between Windows/Linux, and I'm sure the same is valid for MacOSX hosts.
~Lou
+1
Post new comment