9 Best Text Editors for HTML5 Developers 2024

HTML5 is one of the fastest evolving web technologies we know; so much so that many web browsers are still trying to catch up to its full feature list. We are still experiencing the very early stages of web development, and the capabilities of scripting languages and the browsers themselves. Anyone who has worked with scripting and/or programming language will know the importance of a good editor.

Text editors are very much about usability and flexibility. We don’t want to write code in a text editor without the freedom to customize and optimize our code seamlessly. We also don’t want to work with editors that don’t fully support the syntax of the language we use, in this case, HTML5. With the introduction of HTML5, developers have invested a lot of time creating and crafting the kind of text editors (for the web) that support native HTML5 language support.

We will be looking at both code editors, and WYSIWYG-type text editors that we can implement in our websites and projects and directly script with HTML5 code from within these text editors. Makes you wonder if WordPress is ever going to advance their content editor to fully support programming languages; a definitive thought for the future.

Best HTML Editors For Beginners and Pros

1. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a widely-known text editor that gets the job done effortlessly. The features indeed are very many when it comes to Sublime Text, ensuring every user gets the most out of it without a sweat. Some highlights include multiple selection, split editing, instant project switch, cross-platform compatibility and goto anything. With effortless JSON files, Sublime Text allows you to customize almost anything and everything about Sublime Text. Moreover, Sublime Text also has a pretty active forum where the entire community gathered to share knowledge, ask questions and other whatnot. And if you ever need support from the Sublime Text team, hit them up whenever you want.

2. Atom

Atom rocks all the necessary and then some, making it one of the top text editors. The features are vast, ensuring you an excellent experience and smooth coding. Smart autocompletion, multiple panes, find and replace, file system browser and great customization options are just a handful of goodies that Atom has in store. Another cool tool feature is Teletype – an option that helps you connect your team to work on the code remotely – from within the text editor itself. You can also save time with any 8,000+ packages, which makes Atom truly powerful.

3. Froala

Froala Editor is a powerful WYSIWYG rich text editor that will stun you with its modern functionality, sleek design, and incredible integration between webpages. The editor can be integrated in any kind of projects in no time. It requires only basic Javascript and HTML coding knowledge. And it is fully cross-browser supported; that means the Froala Editor will work just as good on any device.

4. HTMLPad

Majority of the HTML5 text editors that we are taking a closer look at in this post are based on web technology, and by themselves are content editors that merely support HTML5 markup. Whereas, HTMLPad is a full-blown code editor that supports HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript functionality. At the moment, this code editor is only available for Windows users. But with enough support and demand, we can foresee a Mac version shortly. Powerful tools like code optimization and inspection, code assistance, and tag matching make HTMLPad a favorite amongst front-end developers who spend a lot of time coding in HTML5 and CSS3.

A built-in preview module lets you see what your code looks like in real-time. This saves you a ton of time from switching back and forth between the browser and the editor; HTMLPad brings the browser to the editor. And on top of that, all of your code is automatically checked against standard quality. Thus, it gives you a chance to relax about being compliant with the latest standards for JS, CSS and HTML.

5. UltraEdit

UltraEdit is a top-notch text editor for HTML5 developers with a broad selection of features and functions. Before we even continue, you can now head to the official website and download the free version immediately. This allows you to get the gist of UltraEdit first-hand, as this will truly help you understand its potential. UltraEdit features include OS integration, predefined themes, multi-select, search, live preview and customizable UI. Also, UltraEdit is fully compatible with large files, supports 4K UHD and operates flawlessly on multiple platforms. The two options come with an annual pricing which decreases when choosing the subscription model.

6. Notepad++

Notepad++ is a free text editor for working on your source code. It is a Notepad replacement, written in C++ and using Win32 API and STL. Notepad++ goes the extra mile by optimizing everything to the very last detail. With this it helps using less CPU power to reduce power consumption, which translates into a greener environment. Download the version you want, and you can already start working on your project like a champ. For any support, there is always an option to access online help and get things sorted out once and for all.

7. Textbox

TinyMCE is a well-known text editor amongst the webmaster and developer communities, and Textbox is a branch of TinyMCE; a powerful text editor for the responsive web, especially mobile devices. Features like seamless in-line editing, and built-in spell checking make this particular text editor very appealing to those dealing with content-heavy sites and need a solution for making editing fun again. It also supports Markdown, and will automatically strip your HTML5 code of any impurities. Works with the most prestigious frameworks and content management platforms on the web: Angular, Drupal, Microsoft, IBM.

8. Redactor II

Redactor II is the top choice for thousands of developers. It must be the framework approach that Redactor Editor takes. It offers over 200 callbacks and API methods to support developers and their requirements for a sleek and professional code editor. The Redactor documentation is one-of-a-kind, fully explaining the capabilities and possibilities of the editor, and how more can be achieved without losing resources and time.

9. Mercury Editor

Mercury Editor has been built to help teams, developers and webmasters have access to an editor that enables for a harmonious content editing experience. The only thing that might scare you away from using Mercury in your next project is that this text editor is based on the Ruby on Rails engine. That means only Ruby developers can enjoy access to this wonderful editor.