We have evaluated over 20 free HTML editors for Macintosh against over 40 different criteria relevant to professional web designers and developers. The following applications are the best free HTML editors for Macintosh, both WYSIWYG and text editors, rated from best to worst. Each editor listed will have a score, percentage, and a link to more information.
Komodo Edit is hands down the best free XML editor available. It includes a lot of great features for HTML and CSS development. Plus, if that isn't enough, you can get extensions for it to add on languages or other helpful features (like special characters).
Komodo Edit is not the best HTML editor out there, but it is great for the price, especially if you build in XML. I use Komodo Edit every day for my work in XML, and I use it a lot for basic HTML editing as well. This is one editor I'd be lost without.
There are two versions of Komodo: Komodo Edit and Komodo IDE.
Best for JavaScript Developers: Aptana Studio
Name the project, make sure you’ve identified the location of your compiler in the Toolchain, and so on. (It may be different than the default install by Apple’s Xcode. LaTeX is a markup language, which means it finds little snippets of code in a plain text document MacTeX is the basic Mac distribution of the LaTeX compiler. Installing LaTeX on Mac. To download, click MacTeX Download. To download the smaller BasicTeX, click Smaller Download. For suggestions on keeping TeX up to date, go to Update Schedule.
What We Like
Integrated debugger.
Build-in Code Assist feature for tags.
Built-in terminal emulator.
What We Don't Like
No longer in development.
Minimal support for PHP.
Some dependencies.
Aptana Studio offers an interesting take on website development. Instead of focusing on HTML, Aptana focuses on the JavaScript and other elements that allow you to create rich internet applications.
One thing I really like is the outline view that makes it really easy to visualize the document object model (DOM). This makes for easier CSS and JavaScript development.
If you are a developer creating web applications, Aptana Studio is a good choice.
A Full Featured Java IDE: NetBeans
What We Like
Version 9.0 released by Apache after acquisition.
Supports the Jigsaw Module system.
Supports Java Shell, new in JDK 9.
What We Don't Like
Needs high-memory computer to run quickly.
Not many plug-ins.
Auto-completion is buggy.
NetBeans IDE is a Java IDE that can help you build robust web applications. Like most IDEs, it has a steep learning curve because they don’t often work in the same way that web editors do. But once you get used to it you’ll be hooked.
One nice feature is the version control included in the IDE which is really useful for people working in large development environments. If you write Java and web pages this is a great tool.
Bluefish is a full-featured web editor for Linux. There are also native executables for Windows and Macintosh. There is code-sensitive spell check, autocomplete of many different languages (HTML, PHP, CSS, etc.), snippets, project management, and auto-save.
It is primarily a code editor, not specifically a web editor. This means that it has a lot of flexibility for web developers writing in more than just HTML, but if you’re a designer by nature you might not like it as much.
A Powerful Multi-Language IDE: Eclipse
What We Like
Robust debugging and profiling profile.
Code-completion feature.
Fast deployment and implementation.
Latex Compiler For Mac
What We Don't Like
Slow when working with large files.
Not recommended for large businesses.
Steep learning curve for novice programmers.
Eclipse is a complex, Open Source development environment that is perfect for people who do a lot of coding on a variety of platforms and with different languages.
Eclipse is structured as plug-ins, so if you need to edit something just find the appropriate plug-in and go.
If you are creating complex web applications, Eclipse has a lot of features to help make your application easier to build. There are Java, JavaScript, and PHP plugins, as well as a plugin for mobile developers.
A Swiss Army Knife IDE from Mozilla: SeaMonkey
What We Like
Tabs for WISIWYG editing, HTML tags, HTML code, and browser views.
Suitable for building simple, basic websites.
What We Don't Like
Composer element no longer being maintained.
Generates HTML 4.01 Transitional code.
SeaMonkey is the Mozilla project all-in-one internet application suite. It includes a web browser, email and newsgroup client, IRC chat client, and Composer, the web page editor.
One of the nice things about using SeaMonkey is that the browser is built-in, so testing is a breeze. Plus it's a free WYSIWYG editor with an embedded FTP client to publish your web pages.
Java Compiler For Mac
A Basic HTML Writer: Amaya
What We Like
Useful for up to HTML 4.01.
Supports SVG and MathML.
What We Don't Like
Last updated in 2012.
No longer in development.
Amaya is the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) web editor and web browser. It validates the HTML as you build your page and displays your Web documents in a tree structure, which is useful for learning to understand the DOM.
Amaya has a lot of features that most web designers won’t ever use, but if you want to be certain that your pages follow the W3C standards, this is a great editor to use.
Straightforward and Stable: BBEdit 12
What We Like
Supports HTML5.
Opens large files.
Great customer support.
Rock-solid software.
What We Don't Like
Advanced features require paid version after 30-day free trial.
Must search menus for features and options.
BBEdit is a paid program that has a set of free capabilities (the same capabilities that the now-defunct TextWranger had. While Bare Bones Software, the makers of BBEdit do offer a paid version, you may find the free version does everything you need. You can review a feature comparison here.
Note
If you're using TextWrangler, it is not compatible with macOS 10.13 (High Sierra). However, the free (and paid) version of BBEdit is.
This app is only available on the App Store for iOS devices.
Description
Edit and typeset LaTeX (including Beamer, Tikz, BibTeX, graphicx, AMS, RevTeX) on your iPad, iPhone or iPod. No internet connection required. Texpad is a comprehensive LaTeX workspace on your iOS device. Edit your document in Texpad's custom editor with it's advanced autocomplete and LaTeX customised onscreen keyboard, typeset your document with the integrated LaTeX and BibTeX typesetters, and share and collaborate on your documents, on and offline, using Texpad's Dropbox. After a successful typeset you can preview your pdf right on your device, but if there are errors in your document, Texpad replaces LaTeX's obscure console output with a table of issues found during typesetting. Tap on an issue to jump directly to the offending line of LaTeX source. Tap on a missing file error and Texpad's integrated bundle manager will prompt you to install it. Of course, the full LaTeX and BibTeX log is available if you wish to investigate further. The onboard, no internet connection required, typesetter comes with PGF drivers allowing you to create beautiful diagrams and presentations with Tikz and Beamer respectively. Texpad's typesetter integrates with TeX's virtual font system so that Texpad can typeset with any LaTeX font. The bundle manager takes care of downloading, installing and updating LaTeX packages for you, giving you access to the entire LaTeX ecosystem without wasting precious space on your device. Texpad comes with the same powerful editor core as it's Desktop cousin, so it has been designed from the start to deal with large projects. When you open a LaTeX root file, Texpad will read through the source, open any include-d files, extract all the section, subsection structure tags and present you with a browsable outline of your entire project. It doesn't stop at autocompleting simple LaTeX commands - all labels and BibTeX entries are read by the parser and offered as autocomplete suggestions for cite{} and ref{} commands. Texpad supports Markdown on an equal footing with LaTeX. Edit your document in Texpad's syntax highlighting editor, browse the document by outline, then when you press Typeset, the document will be transparently converted and typeset by LaTeX, giving you the informal ease of Markdown with LaTeX's ability to create beautiful and high quality PDFs. Features: * Use Files app to link documents to any storage that supports file and folder access * Live typeset your documents using Texpad's in-built typesetter (exceptions apply to advanced packages currently, but this is being addressed) * Import and export documents from Texpad by email, iTunes and Dropbox. Texpad's Dropbox support works both on and offline, synchronising your changes for you as you work. * Typeset LaTeX to PDF on your iPad, iPod, iPhone without need for an internet connection. BibTeX is also built in to handle bibliographies. * The onboard typesetter supports virtually any LaTeX package or font, including, but not limited to: Beamer, Tikz, Koma Script, e-TeX, graphicx, Pgfplots, AMS, RevTeX, Babel. * Universal binary for iPhone, iPod and iPad, optimised for iOS7 and the latest generation of devices. * Texpad's syntax highlighting editor comes with touchscreen gestures and symbol palettes that guarantee Texpad is the quickest and easiest way to edit LaTeX on your iPad, iPod or iPhone. * The outline view enables you to navigate quickly around even the biggest multi-file projects. * Autocompletes all commands (even user defined) and autofills references and citations defined in your document. * Global search through all files in a project by either text or regular expression. * Additionally, free typesetting through our secure cloud servers gives you access to all packages in the latest TeXLive distribution.
What’s New
Ratings and Reviews
346 Ratings
Drive integration would make 5 stars!
This is an awesome app for using LaTeX — easily the best I’ve found and trust me when I say I’ve tried them all. The only thing its lacking is a google drive integration. While Dropbox is great and what I’ve been using, so many of my collaborators are on google that it’s frustrating to have to use 3rd party apps to sync everything appropriately. I look forward to an update with this in mind!! Otherwise the interface is a joy to work on, and the live pdf generation makes it so easy to see what you’re doing. This app has made it possible for me to ditch my heavy laptop for work and use my iPad exclusively, which I LOVE! Super easy environment to type in and while the shortcuts they’ve integrated do take some time to get used to, once you do they are truly a serious time saver. I also love that you can download just the packages you need for your docs, and don’t have to take up a ton of space on your device with unneeded packaging. Finally, I do like the file organization built into the app. Makes it easy to add figures, bibtex, etc and keep everything organized the way I would on my computer. Just wish it had that drive connection..
Reasonable, but issue with Export->Copy
The app is awesome, the idea is great, the handwriting recognition is impressive. However, after paying to unlock the export and then trying the export copy feature (to have the TeX land in my TexPad app, another awesome and impressive tool), I was surprised to consistently see double the amount of necessary text. That’s right: hand-write say x+y, say Export,Copy and then go into TexPad and say Paste — you receive x+yx+y ! Now that is quite burdensome. Of course, if I try say with Notes, this does not happen. If then, right away, I select the text from Notes, copy and then paste into TexPad, it does not happen either. So I don’t know who is to blame (my app writing skills are not very extensive, but I am a Computer Scientist, having been working with various other stuff, practical and theoretical, for almost for 30 years). If I dare to try to “open into” directly into TexPad, then it opens a new file, which I clearly do not need (and it also forgets where it had an already open file from — I had to quit TexPad and to restart). I know these things can be quite a bit tricky, from having myself tinkered with apps in the past. So I am still full of respect and admiration towards all these apps and all that is unfolding, and keep the five stars. May I advise a bit of cooperation and integration between these two really great tools, if possible ? Thanks !!! Winonx.
Quite Impressive; Small Issues
Best Java Compiler For Mac
I quite love this app; probably the best money I’ve ever spent in terms of software. Runs very smooth on my iPad Pro with keyboard cover. LaTeX all renders perfectly; I love the continuous update PDF feature. The app syncs very nicely with Dropbox. I wish that when I enter a command like “frac” and hit tab, it would make it so that it would appear “frac{num}{denom}” like TeXStudio does on my laptop. I also wish the app would remember where I left off reading on my PDF; it often jumps to a page half way in the document which is rather annoying. The “sync viewer” button only seems to work when I’m a few pages away from the particular line I need to sync with. A few bugs that I hope will be fixed in the future. This is an otherwise spectacular app. Another neat feature would be shortcut integration. All in all, 5/5, well deserved, well worth the $.
Information
Size
73.4 MB
Compatibility
Requires iOS 11.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Languages
English, Catalan, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese