# Code editors for Mac > Editors and IDEs for writing code, from lightweight to full-featured. From dockpicks (https://dockpicks.com/), a hand-picked, independent directory of Mac apps. Web page: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/ Group: Developers. 7 apps, listed best first. Prices are the vendor's wording, checked October 2026, and can change. Nothing comparable is built into macOS. macOS has no real code editor built in. TextEdit can save plain text and show HTML as code, but it is not meant for programming. Apple's Xcode is a free download from the Mac App Store and is the right tool for building Apple-platform apps, but for web, scripting and most other languages you will want one of the editors below. ## 1. Visual Studio Code Free, extensible editor that most developers already know - Price: Free - Pricing model: Free. No payment needed for the full app. - Usable without paying: Yes - Open source: Yes, MIT (https://github.com/microsoft/vscode) - Developer: Microsoft - Website: https://code.visualstudio.com/ - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#vscode A free code editor with an integrated terminal, debugger, Git support, remote development and a marketplace of over 80,000 extensions. It also includes GitHub Copilot agent features. Our take: The default recommendation: works for almost any language, and the extension ecosystem is unmatched. It is an Electron app, so it feels less native and uses more memory than Zed or Sublime Text. ## 2. Zed Very fast, open-source editor written in Rust - Price: Free; Pro $10/month - Pricing model: Free tier. A usable free version, with a paid upgrade for more. - Usable without paying: Yes - Open source: Yes, GPL-3.0-or-later (https://github.com/zed-industries/zed) - Developer: Zed Industries - Website: https://zed.dev/ - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#zed A code editor written from scratch in Rust that uses the GPU for rendering. It includes AI agent support, edit prediction, a debugger, Git integration, Vim bindings and real-time collaboration. Our take: Pick it if you want speed and a clean, modern interface. AI features can be turned off entirely. Its extension ecosystem is still much smaller than VS Code's. ## 3. Sublime Text Lightweight, fast editor with a one-time license - Price: $99 one-time - Pricing model: Paid. A one-time purchase. A free trial may exist. - Usable without paying: No - Open source: No - Developer: Sublime HQ - Website: https://www.sublimetext.com/ - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#sublime-text A fast, cross-platform text and code editor. One personal license covers all your computers and operating systems. Our take: Good for people who want a quick, responsive editor without a subscription. You can evaluate it for free, but continued use requires a license. ## 4. Cursor Editor built around AI coding agents - Price: Free; paid plans $8 to $200/month - Pricing model: Free tier. A usable free version, with a paid upgrade for more. - Usable without paying: Yes - Open source: No - Developer: Anysphere - Website: https://cursor.com/ - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#cursor An AI-first code editor and agent platform for writing and changing code with natural language. It also has a CLI, cloud agents and GitHub PR review. Our take: For people who want AI agents doing a large share of the coding. The free plan has limited AI usage, so regular use means a subscription. ## 5. IntelliJ IDEA Full IDE for Java, Kotlin and more, with a free core - Price: Not confirmed here; see the vendor site - Pricing model: Free tier. A usable free version, with a paid upgrade for more. - Usable without paying: Yes - Open source: No - Developer: JetBrains - Website: https://www.jetbrains.com/idea/ - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#intellij-idea A full-featured IDE from JetBrains. Since version 2025.3 it is a single product where core features are free for commercial and non-commercial use, and an Ultimate subscription unlocks advanced tooling. Our take: The pick for Java and Kotlin work, and for anyone who wants deep refactoring and code analysis. It is heavier than a plain editor. JetBrains makes similar IDEs for other languages, such as PyCharm and WebStorm. ## 6. BBEdit Veteran Mac text and code editor that stays free after trial - Price: Free; license $59.99 one-time - Pricing model: Free tier. A usable free version, with a paid upgrade for more. - Usable without paying: Yes - Open source: No - Developer: Bare Bones Software - Website: https://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit/ - Mac App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/bbedit/id404009241 - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#bbedit A professional text and HTML editor for macOS aimed at writers, web authors and developers. After a 30-day evaluation it keeps working for free without nag screens; a license unlocks extra features. Our take: A strong Mac-native choice for text processing, search and replace, and editing many files, even without paying. It is less suited to large projects than an IDE or VS Code. ## 7. Nova Polished, Mac-native code editor from Panic - Price: $99 one-time - Pricing model: Paid. A one-time purchase. A free trial may exist. - Usable without paying: No - Open source: No - Developer: Panic - Website: https://nova.app/ - Facts checked: 2026-10-24 - On dockpicks: https://dockpicks.com/code-editors/#nova A native macOS code editor with language server support, debugging, Git integration, remote file transfer, build tasks and a JavaScript extensions API. Our take: For people who want an editor that looks and behaves like a proper Mac app. Its extension library is far smaller than VS Code's, and it is Mac-only.