CotEditor review

CotEditor is a free, open-source plain-text editor for macOS. It is for opening and editing text files, not a drop-in IDE replacement. The feature list covers syntax highlighting for more than 60 pre-installed languages, with options to create custom settings; find and replace using the ICU regular expression engine; automatic document backups; and a split editor for viewing different parts of a file at once.

It also supports scriptable macros in Python, Ruby, Perl, PHP, UNIX shell, AppleScript, or JavaScript. For CJK text, it estimates file encodings and offers vertical text mode. The pricing information available to us lists CotEditor as free to download and use, with no subscription or monthly or annual billing published. That same information does not publish usage limits or donation prices, so there is no verified cap to compare.

The clearest reason to switch is cost: CotEditor is listed as free, with no subscription or paid tier published in the available pricing information. If you want a Mac text editor for notes, code snippets, or plain-text files, the listed features cover useful basics without requiring an IDE: language highlighting, regex search and replacement, backups, and split panes. Its built-in CJK encoding and vertical-text tools may also suit people working with those languages.

There is some user interest in it as a Mac alternative to Notepad++. In one r/mac thread, a commenter recommended CotEditor as a replacement, and the original poster later named it alongside BBEdit as a leading option. That is a recommendation, not proof that it matches Notepad++ feature for feature. A commenter in an r/nativemacapps thread described CotEditor as a lightweight option for plain text and an upgrade from TextEdit, and noted that its settings use a macOS-style preferences window. If you want a focused editor rather than an IDE, that trade-off may be a fit.

CotEditor is macOS-only, so it is not a cross-platform choice for teams or people switching between Mac and Windows. More importantly, the published feature list describes a plain-text editor, not an IDE. It does not establish support for development plugins or broader IDE workflows; check those requirements before moving a coding setup over.

Some users make that distinction directly: a commenter in an r/nativemacapps thread said CotEditor might not replace Sublime Text, and described its settings as more convenient but less powerful. The same commenter noted that documents appeared in separate windows rather than tabs. Those are individual observations, not a complete feature audit, but they point to possible workflow friction if you expect a more extensible editor.

Price information lists no paid plan, subscription, or published usage cap. It also does not publish feature or file-size limits, so we can’t confirm whether any apply. Reddit discussions suggest alternatives including BBEdit, Sublime Text, and Visual Studio Code; CotEditor is best shortlisted for free Mac text editing, not assumed to be a one-for-one replacement.

CotEditor is free to download and use. The pricing information checked on November 7, 2026 lists one Free plan at $0 per month; it does not list paid tiers, a subscription, or monthly or annual billing. So there’s no price jump between tiers to budget for.

The catch is that some details are not published. The pricing information does not specify usage limits, and it lists no paid plan with higher limits or extra features. Voluntary tips or donations through the Mac App Store may be available, but their prices are not published. Those are optional, not a required add-on to use the editor.

Treat the pricing details with some caution: the published pricing data is marked low confidence. Still, no recurring charge is published. CotEditor is for macOS, so the free price does not make it an option for Windows or Linux users. If you need an IDE rather than a plain-text editor, paying nothing won’t fill that gap.

Switching should be straightforward if you’re moving text files: CotEditor is a plain-text editor, and the published feature list includes syntax highlighting for more than 60 languages, regex find and replace, split panes, and automatic backups. It also supports custom syntax settings and scriptable macros. The published material does not document an import tool, export workflow, or compatibility for settings and macros from other editors, so check those before counting on a direct migration.

CotEditor is macOS-only. If you move to Windows or Linux, you’ll need another editor; the published information does not describe a CotEditor version for either platform. Files themselves are plain text, but the portability of editor-specific settings and scripts is not published. The published product details also contain no Reddit posts or comments, so we can’t responsibly say what users on Reddit commonly cite as a reason to leave. Consider it a focused text-editor switch, not a drop-in IDE replacement.