Best indie Mac apps for

Code & Text Editor

Mac users often need a fast editor for scripts, config files, markdown, and lightweight coding.

Our pick

BBEdit

Professional text and code editor for Mac.

Best for
Native text editing
Mac support
Mac
Free option
Yes
One-time purchase
Yes
Made by
Bare Bones Software

A mature Mac editor for code, prose, search, text transforms, and project editing.

Best free option

Nova

Native code editor from Panic.

Best for
Native code editor
Mac support
Mac
Free option
No
One-time purchase
Yes
Made by
Panic

A polished Mac code editor with projects, extensions, Git tools, terminal, and publishing workflows.

Power pick

CotEditor

Free lightweight text editor.

Best for
Free text editing
Mac support
Mac
Free option
Yes
One-time purchase
No
Made by
Open source

A clean open-source plain text editor built specifically for macOS.

Lightweight pick

Sublime Text

Fast code editor for large files and projects.

Best for
Fast editor
Mac support
Mac + other desktops
Free option
Yes
One-time purchase
Yes
Made by
Sublime HQ

A very fast editor with multiple cursors, command palette, packages, and strong performance.

Alternative

Zed

Fast collaborative code editor.

Best for
Modern code editor
Mac support
Mac + other desktops
Free option
Yes
One-time purchase
No
Made by
Zed Industries

A fast modern editor with collaboration, AI features, Vim mode, and a growing extension ecosystem.