Windows Notepad is a feeble text editor that doesn’t deserve its place on every Windows PC. Andy Shaw compares a selection of alternatives that offer much more, from spellchecking to tabbed interfaces
Notepad++
At first glance, Notepad++ looks like an unnecessarily complicated version of the standard Windows Notepad. The menus have increased from a manageable five to an overwhelming 12, with 30 quick-access toolbar buttons below, and the numbered lines immediately make it look like it’s been designed to help programmers, rather than occasional text users.
The last point is a valid assumption, because Notepad++ is a great place to write computer code. Whether you’re putting together a web page or creating a more complex program, the software can recognise the file format you’re creating and add an additional layer of colour-coding, to make the text file easier to read.
However, there’s a lot here for casual text users, too. One of the key benefits of Notepad++ is its tabbed interface. Here, tabs operate just like in a browser, so you can have multiple text files open at any time, making it easy to switch between two or more, for cutting, pasting and comparing.
There’s a lot built into the software, from basic but essential tools that Windows Notepad lacks (such as word counting and extra search tools), through to sophisticated add-ons. This is a smart system to use, because despite all the menu options, the basic file isn’t overloaded with niche tools that only a few people will ever use.
You can view a list of the available add-ons at bit.ly/npadd393. They’re very simple to install thanks to a built-in plugin manager that automatically builds a list of all the available options, so you can simply tick the ones you want and click the Install button to add them to the software.
There’s a fine balance between adding too much to the standard version and leaving tools available only as optional add-ons. We think Notepad++ slightly overdoes the built-in tools by including a raft of options for programmers that basic users will end up having to ignore. If you dabble in web design or programming, however, you’ll find that Notepad++ is packed with useful tools.
OUR VERDICT
As its name suggests, Notepad++ is like Windows Notepad on steroids. It keeps the familiar white screen but adds all the extra options and features you could want. It includes a stack of useful tools for coders, but this means that basic text users may find it hard to locate its most useful text-editing extras.
BowPad
If you like Microsoft’s ribbon interface – the oversized tabbed toolbar it uses in its Office software – then BowPad will be right up your street, because it looks reassuringly familiar and provides quick access to key tools.
When you open a file, a sidebar opens on the left showing the contents of the file’s folder. Opening multiple files automatically opens them in new tabs, which are conveniently colourcoded. Files from the same folder are grouped together with the same coloured tabs, which is a brilliant touch. We also liked its drag-and-drop editing, which lets you highlight text and drag it to a new location.
Some of the tools on the ribbon bar are designed for coders but are useful if you are using the editor for this kind of work. It detects the type of code you’re using from the file extension and highlights text appropriately.
We like the ribbon interface but it isn’t as coherently designed as Microsoft’s and looks scrappy in places. It gives too much priority to the tools for coders, which is wasted space on the ‘main’ toolbar if you don’t use them, and more obvious tools such as the Print button are located on the secondary ‘other’ toolbar. The software can use plugins but they’re a fiddle to find and install.
OUR VERDICT
BowPad’s ribbon toolbar is a welcome and familiar addition to this Notepad alternative but it’s heavily weighted towards coders, leaving basic tools demoted to sub-menus.
Metapad
Metapad looks a lot like Notepad, which is a bonus if you just want some additional tools without changing the general appearance. The only real change is the addition of a toolbar across the top, which provides quick and easy access to basic tools such as save, search, copy and even word wrap without having to open a menu.
Apart from supplementing Notepad’s tools, there are few further additions. However, these are useful and thoughtfully applied, such as drag-anddrop editing and the option to save regularly accessed files as favourites.
Metapad is better than Windows Notepad but it falls short of its rivals. Most notably, it doesn’t have a tabbed interface for opening more than one text document at a time. The only add-ons available are for adding foreign languages to the software, so you can’t add new tools, and it doesn’t offer any extra tools for coders.
OUR VERDICT
The great thing about Metapad is that it isn’t crammed with an overwhelming array of tools. It keeps things simple by only offering a few basics on top of what Notepad provides, such as drag-and-drop editing, a useful toolbar and a favourites list.
TotalEdit Pro
TotalEdit Pro used to be paid-for software but it’s now free. It looks the most polished of all the text editors we reviewed, and has a coherent user interface. However, there are a few niggles, including its habit of presuming that you’re always going to open an HTML file rather than a text document, which means text files don’t appear in the Open dialogue box unless you change the ‘Files of type’ drop-down box to All Files.
AkelPad
AkelPad is a basic Notepad replacement but its features are very limited. It can open more than one document at a time but only in a separate Window. Once you’ve got used to the tabs in our Gold and Silver award-winners, you won’t want to return to this basic system. There is a good selection of add-ons, which you only need to select from the Plugins menu to install, but it’s too basic without them.
Komodo Edit
The fact that Komodo Edit is really a trimmed down version of Komodo’s paid-for programmers’ tool is given away by its dark colour scheme, though there are actually tons of skins to choose from (try Greenscreen for an Eighties terminal feel). It looks like it has a limited number of options with a small collection of toolbar buttons but the Alt key opens up a meaty set of menu options. However, it’s still geared towards coders and offers a lot of tools that basic users won’t need.