Best Free Sublime Text Alternatives in 2026
Sophisticated text editor for code, markup and prose
Sublime Text Pricing
Free evaluation (unlimited); $99 one-time license
Sublime Text is a paid tool that many users are looking to replace with free or cheaper alternatives. This page curates the best alternatives to Sublime Text in 2026.
3
Free Alternatives
3
Open Source
0
Self-Hostable
$1188
Est. Yearly Cost
Why Consider Sublime Text Alternatives?
Get a free, open-source text editor with VS Code
Pay $0 instead of $99
Get better plugin ecosystem with VS Code
Use a free, open-source text editor with Atom (discontinued but still usable)
Get better integration with development tools in VS Code
Common Sublime Text Pain Points
These are the top reasons users look for alternatives
$99 one-time license (after evaluation)
Impact: Users pay $99 for a text editor
Free evaluation has nag screen
Impact: Users get annoyed by nag screen
Limited built-in features compared to IDEs
Impact: Users need to install many plugins
No free, open-source version
Impact: Users who want 100% free can't use it
Plugin ecosystem is smaller than VS Code's
Impact: Users have fewer third-party tools
Top-Rated Alternatives
Our highest-recommended free alternatives to Sublime Text
VS Code is a free and open-source text editor. It has a massive plugin ecosystem. 100% free — no premium tier. Cross-platform (Mac, Windows, Linux).
Why it's a good alternative: 100% free and open-source text editor with massive plugin ecosystem
BEST FOR
Developers who want a free, open-source text editor with massive plugin ecosystem
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Completely free
- Open-source
- Massive plugin ecosystem
- Great for development
CONS
- Slightly heavier than Sublime Text
- Microsoft-owned (privacy concerns for some)
All Sublime Text Alternatives (3)
Compare features, pricing, and migration difficulty
Vim
Vim is a free and open-source modal text editor. It's very lightweight and powerful. 100% free — no premium tier. Cross-platform (Mac, Windows, Linux).
Why it's a good alternative: 100% free and open-source, modal text editor
BEST FOR
Developers who want a free, open-source, lightweight text editor with modal editing
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Completely free
- Open-source
- Very lightweight
- Powerful
CONS
- Steep learning curve
- Not intuitive for beginners
Notepad++ is a free and open-source text editor for Windows. It's very lightweight. 100% free — no premium tier. Windows only.
Why it's a good alternative: 100% free and open-source text editor for Windows
BEST FOR
Windows users who want a free, lightweight text editor
KEY FEATURES
PROS
- Completely free
- Open-source
- Very lightweight
- Great for Windows users
CONS
- Windows only
- Less powerful than VS Code for development
How to Migrate from Sublime Text — Step by Step
- 1
Download VS Code (free and open-source)
- 2
Export your Sublime Text settings (if needed)
- 3
Import settings into VS Code (or start fresh)
- 4
Install plugins in VS Code to match your Sublime Text setup
- 5
Buy Sublime Text license only if you prefer it over VS Code
Pro Tips
- 💡VS Code is the best free alternative for most users
- 💡Vim is best if you want modal editing and lightweight
- 💡Notepad++ is best for Windows users who want lightweight editor
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a completely free alternative to Sublime Text?
Yes. VS Code is 100% free and open-source. Vim and Notepad++ are also free and open-source.
Which Sublime Text alternative has the best plugin ecosystem?
VS Code has the best plugin ecosystem — much larger than Sublime Text's.
Can I migrate my Sublime Text plugins to VS Code?
You can't directly migrate plugins, but VS Code has equivalent plugins for most Sublime Text plugins.