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Best Free Alternatives to Sublime Text 4
Stop paying $99 (Includes 3 years of updates). Discover professional-grade tools that won't break your budget.
Category: Code EditorVerified for 2025
Top Recommended Replacements
Visual Studio Code (VS Code)
FREEBest Overall Standard
Why we like it
The largest extension marketplace in history; built-in Git, terminal, and debugging; industry-standard for web development; 100% free.
Keep in mind
Electron-based, meaning it uses significant RAM; slower to launch and handle extremely large files compared to Sublime.
Cursor
FREEBest AI-First Alternative 2025
Why we like it
The breakout editor of 2024-2025; a fork of VS Code with deep, native AI integration; can write entire features or refactor codebases using context-aware LLMs; supports all VS Code extensions.
Keep in mind
Heavier than Sublime; requires a subscription for the best AI models; cloud-dependency for many AI features.
Zed
FREEBest for Speed & Performance
Why we like it
Written in Rust; the only editor that rivals (or beats) Sublime's speed; native support for multiplayer collaboration; built-in AI capabilities with low latency.
Keep in mind
Smaller extension ecosystem; still maturing in 2025 with some missing features compared to VS Code.
Pulsar (Atom Successor)
FREEBest for Atom Nostalgia
Why we like it
A community-led fork of the discontinued Atom editor; highly 'hackable' and customizable; maintains the familiar Atom UI and package system.
Keep in mind
Based on older Electron versions; slower performance than Zed or Sublime; development pace is slower than mainstream rivals.
Notepad++
FREEBest for Windows Lightweight Edits
Why we like it
Incredibly fast on Windows; zero bloat; excellent for quick script edits and regex searching in massive text files; 100% free.
Keep in mind
Windows-only; dated UI; lacks modern IDE-like features (no native LSP support without complex setup).
VSCodium
FREEBest for Privacy Purists
Why we like it
A community-driven, telemetry-free binary distribution of VS Code; identical features to VS Code without Microsoft's tracking.
Keep in mind
Some proprietary Microsoft extensions (like Live Share) are not compatible; requires extra configuration for the marketplace.
Lapce
FREEBest Lightweight Rust Alternative
Why we like it
Lightning-fast native performance; built-in terminal and remote development (SSH) support; UI is inspired by modern editors like VS Code.
Keep in mind
Still in 'Pre-alpha/Alpha' status in late 2025; limited plugin support compared to the giants.
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