Best Free Javascript Editor For Mac

EditRocket, a Text and Source Code Editor with support for over 20 programming languages, includes a powerful JavaScript editor and IDE that strives to make JavaScript development quick and easy.

The JavaScript editor included in EditRocket includes many tools and features to aid in JavaScript development. See below for information on the JavaScript specific tools offered by EditRocket.

The editor supports many languages from Java, C/C, XML and HTML, to PHP, Groovy, Javadoc, JavaScript and JSP. Because the editor is extensible, you can plug in support for many other languages. Remember that netbeans support many programming languages, but you as a web developer, we recommend you to download only the HTML5/Javascript built. A text editor is at the core of a developer’s toolbox, but it doesn't usually work alone. Work with Git and GitHub directly from Atom with the GitHub package. Create new branches, stage and commit, push and pull, resolve merge conflicts, view pull requests and more—all from within your editor. Recordable Macros for executing common tasks. Code Inserts for over 19 languages for quickly inserting code. File tools such as head, tail, regular expression search, move, copy, and delete. Customizable and pre-defined code templates. Works with all major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, macOS, Linux, and Solaris. To reduce their time and efforts on managing tedious tasks, we compiled a list of the best IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Mac. AppCode by JetBrains. Let’s start the list with a dedicated IDE for iOS and Android app development. Mobile apps have taken the world by the storm, thanks to the hardware iPhone and Android phones offer.

Eclipse is an IDE that supports an extensible plug-in system for customizing the environment. Although it is primarily used for developing Java applications, you can use it to write apps in other programming languages as well (via plug-ins). It checks compile-time errors while writing the code.

Best free javascript editor for mac download

JavaScript Auto Completion

Code more quickly with the JavaScript Auto Complete Tool. The auto complete tool automatically brings up a list of applicable methods when typing a (.) after a variable name. Auto-complete is available for the built-in JavaScript objects, such as Array, String, Math, etc. and the DOM objects, such as document, location, window, etc. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Auto Completion

JavaScript Source Code Builder

With EditRocket, there is no need to memorize JavaScript APIs. The JavaScript Code Builder includes information on the functions contained in the JavaScript library, for example, Math, String, Document, and many more.

The Code Builder works by allowing users to select a function category, such as String, and then it displays function signature and function description information for all functions in the selected category. The user can copy the function name to the editor, and the signature will display as a tooltip. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Code Builder

JavaScript Validator

The JavaScript validator included with EditRocket uses the javascript lint validation tool. The validator checks for syntax errors and questionable coding practices. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Validator

Javascript

JavaScript Compressor

EditRocket includes a JavaScript compressor that compresses scripts resulting in faster downloads. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Compressor

JavaScript Sidekick

Code more effeiciently with the JavaScript Sidekick. The sidekick gives users the ability to quickly enter many common JavaScript constructs into the text editor with the click of a button, or via customizable keyboard shortcuts. Some examples of code assistant options are for loop syntax, function syntax, and if, if else, and else syntax. The sidekick also includes a tab for the JavaScript Function Navigator. For more information, see the following: JavaScript Sidekick

JavaScript Function Navigator

Jump from function to function easily with the JavaScript Function Navigator. The navigator parses the editor contents for JavaScript functions and displays them in a clickable list. Clicking an option from the list takes the user directly to the point in the editor where the function is defined.

General Highlights

Text EditorCoding Tools
Macros, coding inserts, plugins, syntax highlighting, and more. Sidekicks, code builders, function navigators, program execution, and more.
Web Development ToolsValidators
CSS style builder, HTML tag builder, tag navigators, and much more. XML, HTML, and CSS validators
Search ToolsAuto Completion and Lookup
Regular expression capable find and replace, find / replace in files across the entire file system and more.Auto code completion, tag completion, and lookup for many programming languages.
File System BrowserFile Compare
Browse files and directories, perform file operations, and more.Compares files similar to the Unix diff command.
FTP and SFTP Client
Connect to SFTP and FTP servers. Browse, upload, download, rename, and delete files and directories and much more.

Additional Features

  • Syntax highlighting for over 20 programming languages
  • The programming editor behind RazorSQL, a popular database query tool, since 2004
  • File tools such as head, tail, regular expression search, move, copy, and delete
  • Customizable and pre-defined code templates
  • Works with all major operating systems including Windows, Mac OS X, macOS, Linux, and Solaris.

Do you know which profession can never go extinct in today’s world? Web development! As the internet becomes mainstream, more and more people are gaining a decent online presence. You might find it hard to believe, but right now, someone somewhere is making an online bank account for the first time! Fascinating, isn’t it?

Now that we’ve established that web development is a necessity, it’s time to learn another interesting fact. A majority of web pages on the internet use JavaScript. Even after you design and structure a site using HTML and CSS, the site is static. So, what do we do to breathe life into a website? We use JavaScript to make the pages dynamic and interactive. In other words, we can consider JavaScript to be the soul of a site! But where will you write the code? JavaScript editors.

In this post, we’re going to take a look at some great JavaScript editors. We’ll also talk about choosing the best from the list to fit your needs. So, let’s dive into these in detail.

Why Do We Need a JavaScript Editor?

Before we look at the editors, though, let’s first answer why we need a JavaScript editor in the first place.

Do you know where almost all programmers spend a lot of time? On a code editor! A code editor is for editing the source code of different programs. If you’re using JavaScript, you’re going to need a JavaScript editor. JavaScript imparts a visually pleasing appearance to your web pages. Fast loading, dynamic content generation, all that makes a website lively is done by JavaScript. Back in the old days, developers used only Notepad++ for writing JavaScript codes.

Expand Your Test Coverage

Fast and flexible authoring of AI-powered end-to-end tests — built for scale.
Start Testing Free

But when the size of projects became huge and more features came into play, developers needed something new. They needed features like Git integration, auto-complete, plugin support, etc. Since a basic text editor is unable to provide these supports, the need for a code editor arose.

In today’s world, there are several code editors that help developers to push their code in Git. Many editors have plugins to beautify the code or IntelliSense to auto-complete the code. In the next section, we’ll discuss six popular JavaScript editors. We’ll also discuss the features and find out which one is the best to choose for your needs.

6 Best JavaScript Editor Choices

When you get used to a code editor, it’s really difficult to switch later down the road. After all, how many times will you keep learning shortcuts for optimizing development? So, it’s better to allocate some time up front for choosing from the best JavaScript (JS) editors. Let’s take a look.

1. Atom

Before diving straight into the features of Atom, let’s first understand what Electron is. Electron is a framework to build cross-platform apps for desktop with JavaScript. In short, Electron is the base of Atom.

Atom is one of the leading source code–based editors for JavaScript. And do you know what the best part is? Atom is free of cost! The editor is available for multiple operating systems like Mac, Windows, and Linux. This open-source editor is also super easy to install. Other features include smart completion of code and an instinctive file system browser.

Atom facilitates the easy integration of GitHub and Git control. The editor also supports plugins written in Node.js. HTML, CSS, and JS are some languages the interface supports. Besides this, Atom has a feature called fuzzy finder. Fuzzy finder makes you work faster by enabling instant switching of files. Want more? You can extend the ability of Atom by adding packages like Minimap, auto-close HTML tags, and linter.

Pros

  • Git Integration
  • Cross-Platform Support
  • Multi cursor support

Cons

  • Sometimes unstable
  • Lack of Code Execution
  • Slower than other top editors

2. Visual Studio Code

If we were to talk about the best integrated development environments (IDEs) for JS development, Visual Studio (VS) Code is the first thing that comes to mind for many. This open-source editor is available for Linux, Windows, and macOS. IntelliSense support enables automatic completions while the user is coding in HTML, CSS, JS, or PHP. Moreover, code refactoring is another feature that this editor flaunts. On top of that, the editor generates both native and managed code. As for JS, this code editor gives built-in support. Some other features include TypeScript, Node.js, and JavaScript debugging tools.

Also, VS Code has a peek feature. This feature allows you to expand a function in-line and take a look at the code instead of directly navigating in the line where the function is defined. Task Runner is another great feature VS Code offers. It enables the use of Gulp, Grunt, or MSBuild for tasks related to setup.

The built-in Git support allows you to run commands like publish, commit, push, pull, and rebase. Apart from that, you can customize and extend Visual Studio Code with additional features and plugins.

Pros

  • Low Memory Consumption
  • Console Integration
  • Task Management

Cons

  • Sometimes Laggy
  • Lacks support for some popular programming languages
  • Poor Source Control

3. Eclipse

One of the biggest Java IDEs is Eclipse. But full-stack developers often use Eclipse for JavaScript coding. However, for JS, you need to install some specific plugins. Of course, the extensible plugin system makes usage handy. An integrated development environment ensures optimum performance. In addition to performance, developers can be assured of stability and robustness. You can also automate and reproduce identical workspaces when you set up the Oomph Project.

The accurate performance of JavaScript Development Tools is the highlight of Eclipse. A brand-new Docker UI helps to build Docker images as well as containers with the Docker CLI. Almost all packages support Git integration. Another striking feature is automated error reporting. With this feature, the IDE can send the bugs found in the IDE to eclipse.org.

Pros

  • Powerful Project Management
  • Advanced Debugging
  • Good Auto-Complete

Cons

  • Most changes require a reboot to take effect
  • Complex for beginners
  • Poor Customer Support

4. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is another open-source JS editor. It’s cross-platform, which offers a lot of room for customizing. The interface is free of any clutter. So that makes the editor user-friendly. Some of its great features include an impressive speed boost and improved pane management. Go to Symbol and Go to Definition are some other features. You can also download packages such as SideBar Enhancements for copy, paste, move, and rename.

Setting up everything can take some time initially. But once you have it up, Sublime Text is sure to provide a smooth experience. Also, if you’re thinking of trying out Sublime Text, here are some plugins you must install: DocBlockr, SideBar Enhancements, JsFormat, and SublimeLinter.

The best part is that you can try all the features you want free of cost. This JS editor also offers a trial version so that developers can have an insight into how it works. Once the trial period is over, for accessing the complete features, you pay $80 for three years of usage.

Pros

Best Free Javascript Editor For Mac Os

  • Distraction-free editing mode
  • Easy to work with multiple projects
  • Automation Support

Cons

  • Poor Library stack
  • Poor debugging
  • Lack of default printing

5. Brackets

Adobe is the creator of the open-source code editor Brackets. This lightweight and fast JS editor offers built-in support for JavaScript. Brackets is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux. Function finding and quick project switching are some notable features it offers. With the help of these features, the users can search for different project files while typing in real-time. The Extract feature converts details from PSD into CSS.

One of the best features that Brackets flaunts is Live Preview. You can see how any changes in the code are working in real-time. The feature is just like Adobe Dreamweaver. You can also enhance the ability of this editor by installing plugins. Some useful ones include Autoprefixer, code-folding, Markdown Preview, Smart Highlighting, and Snippets.

Pros

  • Simple User-Interface
  • Code Minification
  • Live Browser Preview

Cons

  • High Launch Time
  • Difficult Project Management
  • Low Performance while working with large files

6. NetBeans

NetBeans is a multiplatform IDE that uses modules for JavaScript app development. The best part is that the time gap between the installation of NetBeans and its use is less than with other editors. Some of NetBeans’s features are syntactic and semantic highlighting code, smart code completion, and Subversion. Others include Mercurial and built-in Git support.

Here’s another convenient feature for you! It’s super easy to modify the workspace of NetBeans. Apart from that, you can just drag tabs and reposition them in the app frame. And of course, as we all know, every developer has a different development style. In NetBeans, you can customize the toolbar buttons according to your method and convenience. And do you know another handy feature? Users can create keyboard shortcuts of their own!

Pros

  • Powerful for Automation
  • Impressive Refactoring
  • Good Service Management

Best Free Javascript Editor For Mac Free

Cons

  • Consumes more system resource
  • Poor Integration Support
  • Irritating Pop-ups

Best Free Javascript Editor For Mac Software

Time to Choose the Best JavaScript Editor

In the previous section, we discussed the six best JavaScript editors. Now comes the hard part—choosing the best one. This is just like choosing the best operating system. A Windows user will obviously say that Windows is best and won’t go for any other system. On the other hand, Linux or Mac users will find Linux or Mac much better than any other operating system.

When it comes to JavaScript editors you have to consider a few factors before choosing one:

  • Flexibility
  • Integration Support
  • Good project management
  • Performance
  • Advanced Debugging

But when it comes to JS editors, depending on your needs, the fight for the best always comes down to two: Visual Studio Code and Sublime Text.

If you’re an experienced coder, you’ll find no better option than Sublime. In fact, all the features that VS Code offers have been there in Sublime for ages. The editor is fast and easy for organizing and searching through files and codes. Moreover, you can easily jump to any symbol or function with shortcuts. Without taking your hands off the keyboard, you can write codes and jump around files. But for novice coders, Sublime will take some time getting used to. Another disadvantage is that Sublime is only an editor. There’s no option to test your code.

If you’re new to coding, you’ll find the features of VS Code much more user-friendly. You can pick up the shortcuts and every other feature quite easily. Moreover, for Angular or Node developers, the inbuilt command line interface is very useful. VS Code also provides you the option of debugging your code if you have Node.js installed. Also, since VS Code is developed by Microsoft, you don’t have to worry about support. There are loads of documentation and video tutorials that explain all the features and usage guidelines. On the other hand, Sublime’s blogs, forums, and documentation are hard to find. Sublime is useful only if you know what you’re about to do.

Enhance Your Work Environment’s Efficiency With a JavaScript Editor

Best Free Javascript Editor For Mac Download

Free

If you’re a developer, you’re likely looking forward to making your work environment pleasant and more efficient. In this case, a great JavaScript editor is the way to go. Personally speaking, we can’t always definitively judge and compare between text editors and decide that a certain one is the best. The opinion varies from user to user and by each user’s needs.

A good way to choose the best JavaScript editor among the top picks is to spend some time with each. This will help you understand the different features and, eventually, make the correct choice. So, what are you waiting for? Select the best JavaScript editor and boost the efficiency of your work environment!

Why limit yourself to knowing about text editors? Here are some useful links for you to know more about web development:

This post was written by Arnab Roy Chowdhury. Arnab is a UI developer by profession and a blogging enthusiast. He has strong expertise in the latest UI/UX trends, project methodologies, testing, and scripting.