# Notepad++ Software Pricing, Alternatives & More 2026 | Capterra > With the help of Capterra, learn about Notepad++ Software - reviews, pricing plans, popular comparisons to other Source Code Management products and more. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/185965/Notepad --- # Notepad++ Software Review 2026: Features, Integrations, Pros & Cons Last updated on March 13, 2026 Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. Independent research methodology Capterra’s researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. 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[Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/) [Description](#description)[Use cases](#use-cases)[Alternatives](#alternatives)[Users](#users)[Pros and Cons](#pros-cons)[Features](#features)[Pricing](#pricing)[Support](#support)[Reviews](#reviews) Notepad++ ## What is Notepad++? A free text code editor that supports various languages and uses Win32 API and STL. ## What is Notepad++ used for? [Source Code Management](https://www.capterra.com/source-code-management-software/)[Application Development](https://www.capterra.com/application-development-software/) Top alternative Featured Overall rating Based on 2,003 user reviews Reviews sentiment Positive 96% Neutral 3% Negative 0% Pros & cons Free and open-source access Fast, resource-efficient text editor Outdated and basic interface design Performance issues with big files Starting price $0.01 Per User, Per Month Free trial not available Capterra Shortlist charts the highest-rated and most popular products... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Our "Best of" badge program showcases products with the highest ratings... Do you work for Notepad++?[Manage this product listing](https://digitalmarkets.gartner.com/get-listed/claim-bx?url=https://notepad-plus-plus.org/&name=Notepad++) ## Compare with a popular alternative Capterra selects software alternatives based on relevant features, verified user reviews and user interactions. Placement may be influenced by client status. ### Notepad++ 4.7 (2,003) VS. [4.4 (15,345)](https://www.capterra.com/p/19319/JIRA/reviews/) Starting Price $0.01 Per Feature Starting Price $7.91 Per User, Per Month Free Trial Free Version Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version Ease Of Use 4.7 (2,003) Ease Of Use 4.1 (920) Value For Money 4.8 (1,273) Value For Money 4.3 (823) Customer Service 4.3 (993) Customer Service 4.2 (890) ## Notepad++ alternatives [Essential Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/228226/Essential-Studio/) [4.5 (920)](https://www.capterra.com/p/228226/Essential-Studio/reviews/) Starting price Contact vendor for pricing Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 94% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/228226/Essential-Studio/) Highest Rated [GitHub](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/) [4.8 (6,165)](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/reviews/) Starting price $4.00 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/129067/GitHub/) [Microsoft Visual Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/) [4.6 (3,005)](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/reviews/) Starting price $499.92 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 97% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/) [IntelliJ IDEA](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/) [4.7 (1,256)](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/reviews/) Starting price $19.90 Per User, Per Month Pricing Options Free Trial Free Version User Rating 98% of reviewers rated it above 4 stars [Learn More](https://www.capterra.com/p/136010/IntelliJ-IDEA/) [View all alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/185965/Notepad/alternatives/) ## Who uses Notepad++? Based on Capterra reviews from the past 3 years ## Pros and Cons Free and open-source access 97% positive reviews out of 145 Most reviewers describe pricing as a major benefit, emphasizing Notepad++ is completely free and open-source. Outdated and basic interface design 46% negative reviews out of 232 Some reviewers feel the user interface looks old-fashioned, cluttered, and lacks the modern design of other editors. Lance G Operations Manager, 11 - 50 employees. "It could use a more modern interface; it feels somewhat dated." Fast, resource-efficient text editor 98% positive reviews out of 133 Most reviewers indicate lightweight performance allows Notepad++ to run quickly, even on older or low-spec computers. Netra S Senior RPA Developer, 10,001+ employees. "Notepad++ is a lightweight application that requires very less memory storage which makes it easy to use and it opens very quickly with very less loading time." Performance issues with big files 54% negative reviews out of 126 Some reviewers indicate large file handling causes slowdowns, crashes, or failures when opening or editing big documents. Alvaro C Software Developer, 1 employee. "Its performance may suffer when working with very large or complex text files." Advanced search and replace tools 97% positive reviews out of 87 Most reviewers find search and replace features powerful, supporting regex, multi-file, and bulk text operations. Vasco B Founder, 1 employee. "For me the most useful is the flexible search and replace feature." Frequent and disruptive update prompts 48% negative reviews out of 91 Some users report updates are too frequent, with annoying pop-ups and a cumbersome update process disrupting workflow. ## Features Features with the highest number of reviews are displayed first. Those that have no reviews appear next, sorted alphabetically. Custom Development 4.5 (302) 58.61% of 302 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Notepad++ offers you flexibility for custom development with support for many languages, plugins, and workflow customization. Reviewers indicate the adaptability, plugin integration, and scripting options help tailor the editor for various coding and automation needs. Graphical User Interface 4.5 (296) 57.43% of 296 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important This aspect provides a clean, intuitive workspace with customizable themes and simple navigation. Some reviewers find the uncluttered design, color coding, and easy access to menus valuable for focus and productivity, especially for both beginners and experienced users. Integrated Development Environment 4.3 (261) 54.79% of 261 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important You benefit from syntax highlighting, tabbed editing, and plugin support for many languages. Some users say Notepad++ is lightweight and efficient for coding and debugging, but others note it lacks advanced IDE tools like compilers and debuggers. Search/Filter 4.7 (249) 68.27% of 249 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important With this capability, you quickly locate, highlight, and replace text across single or multiple files. Reviewers appreciate the speed, regex support, and ease of use, saying it saves time, especially with large codebases and tabbed documents. Backup and Recovery 4.5 (179) 58.10% of 179 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important It gives you peace of mind by autosaving work and restoring unsaved or lost files after crashes or shutdowns. Users think the autosave, session restore, and easy backup options make coding safer and more reliable, reducing worries about data loss. Code Editing 4.5 (6) 66.67% of 6 reviewers that rated this feature as important or highly important Edit code that has been previously created for product development. Notepad++ 9 features Application programming interface that allows for integration with other systems/databases It gives you peace of mind by autosaving work and restoring unsaved or lost files after crashes or shutdowns. Users think the autosave, session restore, and easy backup options make coding safer and more reliable, reducing worries about data loss. Edit code that has been previously created for product development. Notepad++ offers you flexibility for custom development with support for many languages, plugins, and workflow customization. Reviewers indicate the adaptability, plugin integration, and scripting options help tailor the editor for various coding and automation needs. Detect and remove errors This aspect provides a clean, intuitive workspace with customizable themes and simple navigation. Some reviewers find the uncluttered design, color coding, and easy access to menus valuable for focus and productivity, especially for both beginners and experienced users. You benefit from syntax highlighting, tabbed editing, and plugin support for many languages. Some users say Notepad++ is lightweight and efficient for coding and debugging, but others note it lacks advanced IDE tools like compilers and debuggers. With this capability, you quickly locate, highlight, and replace text across single or multiple files. Reviewers appreciate the speed, regex support, and ease of use, saying it saves time, especially with large codebases and tabbed documents. Development of software programs Features 4.5 (2,003) 4.5 Based on 2,003 reviews ## Pricing Value for money 4.8 (1273) Free Version Basic $0.01 Per Feature, Value for money 4.8 (1,273) 4.8 Based on 1,273 reviews ## Support, customer service and training options Customer Service 4.3 (993) Support - Email/Help Desk - FAQs/Forum - Knowledge Base - Phone Support - 24/7 (Live rep) - Chat Training - In Person - Live Online - Webinars - Documentation - Videos Deployment - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad Typical users - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid size businesses - Enterprises Customer Service 4.3 (993) 4.3 Based on 993 reviews ## User reviews Overall rating 4.7 Based on 2,003 reviews Filter by rating 5(1492) 4(436) 3(70) 2(5) 1(0) Mentioned topic Sorted by most recent Samuele R. CEO e CTO Computer Software ### "Ottimo programma per iniziare e validissimo upgrade del Notepad" 3.0 Overall Rating 3.0 3.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 3.0 3.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 April 20, 2026 Ho usato Notepad++ per diverso tempo nello sviluppo web quando stavo imparando. Successivamente, è diventato un valido alleato per la modifica di file di configurazione e simili, in quanto il syntax highlighting semplice e immediato è comodo per la modifica di questo tipo di file. Pros Le performance altissime, l'upgrade pulito dal notepad classico, la semplicità di utilizzo, la dinamicità in ambienti di configurazione. Cons Notepad++ risulta un prodotto piuttosto limitato se si lavora su programmi estesi, grandi o che richiedono diversi file. Risulta invece adatto per progetti amatoriali o mentre si impara. Alternatives considered [Microsoft Visual Studio](https://www.capterra.com/p/80230/microsoft-visual-studio/) [Visual Studio Code](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/) Reasons for choosing Notepad++ Notepad++ è molto più leggero e veloce per task specifiche, come la modifica di file di configurazione. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. RV Rakhi V. QA Lead Information Technology and Services ### "Notepadd ++ Review after usage of a year" 4.0 Overall Rating 4.0 4.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 4.0 4.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 8/10 April 20, 2026 It's the tool you reach for when you need something fast, simple, and reliable without the weight of a full editor. It's not a replacement for a proper IDE or dedicated testing tool but as a lightweight everyday utility it consistently delivers and rarely gets in the way. Pros It was incredibly useful for reviewing log files, comparing test outputs, and making quick edits to test data files without any overhead. The find and replace with regex support was a particular favorite — it saved a lot of manual work when searching through large log files or cleaning up test data in bulk. Cons The lack of a native diff or file comparison view built directly into the core tool was a gap — you had to rely on a plugin that didn't always behave consistently. Being Windows only was also a recurring frustration for anyone working in a mixed OS environment. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AU Anonymous User Web Developer Human Resources ### "Great lightwell code editing tool" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 April 6, 2026 My experience has been excellent. I use it daily for quick script edits, log file analysis, and as a scratchpad for code snippets. It is completely free and does exactly what it promises without any bloat. Pros Notepad++ is lightweight program with low resource consumption while containing essential features for code editing. Cons User interface could use some redesigns. While it is not a challenge to navigate, it feels outdated. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. SS Scott S. Project Manager Human Resources ### "Simple and Efficient" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 4.0 4.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 March 3, 2026 Notepad++ is a simple tool but extremely practical to work on text, scripts or configuration files. Even in a non-technical environment, it is very useful on a daily basis. Pros I appreciate its lightness and speed. Notepad++ opens instantly and allows to handle text files much easier than a classic editor. It is also a practical tool to prepare clean notes, quickly edit exported files (CSV, logs, etc.) or correct content before integrating it into another system. Cons Also, even if it is perfect for editing text, it is obviously not a collaboration tool: as soon as you need to work as a team, you have to use other platforms. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Junaid E. National IT Manager Hospitality ### "Simple, fast, and reliable for everyday code editing" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 January 22, 2026 Overall, Notepad++ is a dependable and efficient code editor that does its job extremely well. It is ideal for quick edits, scripting, configuration files and lightweight development work. Pros Notepad++ is fast, lighweight and extremely easy to use. It launches instantly and provides exactly what you need for everyday code editing. It is completely free which makes value for money hard to beat. Cons The interface feels dated compared to modern IDEs and advance features require plugins which can take some time to configure. Alternatives considered [Visual Studio Code](https://www.capterra.com/p/186634/Visual-Studio-Code/) Reasons for choosing Notepad++ While Visual Studio Code is more powerful, Notepad ++ is much lighter and faster for quick edits and simple coding tasks. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. JN Jean-Pierre N. Instructional Designer Higher Education ### "Notpad +++ is a user-friendly editor" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 January 12, 2026 Notpad +++ is a user-friendly editor that has a very simple graphical interface, and can support several plugins. Pros I like the fact that it has a very simple graphic interface, is user-friendly, free for all Windows users, and opens very fast. It can also highlight the syntax for different colors in multiple languages. Cons While its GUI is simple, it lacks some important elements compared to other editors. It also lacks very important features for debugging. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Gene B. Principal Consultant Financial Services ### "Notepad++ is Everything You Need in an Editor" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 5.0 5.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 January 5, 2026 I love using Notepad++. It has been my go to editor for editing SQL and C Sharp code. I prefer to edit in Notepad++ and then copy paste into Visual Studio for my SQL code. Pros Notepad++ offers great value and outstanding features. It allows me to have multiple windows open at once for editing. I love the fact that it highlights keywords when I use the appropriate file extension. Cons It seems as a default, it assumes the file is a text file and then sometimes I have to go to the finder and rename the file extension. Switched from [Sublime Text](https://www.capterra.com/p/179535/Sublime-Text/) Notepad++ was provided by the client I'm working for and then I liked it so much I decided to use for all of my work. Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AU Anonymous User BDR Human Resources ### "Wonderbar!" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 9/10 November 17, 2025 Excellent! No real concerns, I guess, make the icons larger and easier to see for the old and blind like me. Pros Value for Money - 100% Customer Support - No Experience yet! Ease of Use - wonderful! Code Editing - Not applicable Bugs and Issues - none so far Setup - None Mobile Development - NA Cons If I have to be most scrupulous, I would say that I don't really like your logo, it's too busy - I like the pencil but I can't see whatever the green stuff on the paper is supposed to represent. Review source Non-incentivized review: any software user can leave a review for any product listed on our site. All submitted reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. AU Anonymous User Formateur technique Professional Training & Coaching ### "Editeur de texte ultra-populaire" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 October 8, 2025 Pros Un des meilleurs outils d'édition de texte, polyvalent et intégrant aussi énormément de fonctionnalités de codage Cons Il n'est pas prévu pour être collaboratif, ce qui implique une gestion indépendante pour la transmission de fichier pour le travail en équipe Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. Zachary C. Director Internet ### "Perfect text editing software on windows" 5.0 Overall Rating 5.0 5.0 Ease of Use 5.0 5.0 Features 5.0 5.0 Customer Service 0.0 0.0 Likelihood to Recommend 10/10 August 21, 2025 Pros One of the best text editing solutions out there, its simple the most versitle thing out there and can not be beat on windows devices Cons Nothing, its great. It does not have fancy features or anything in the way which keeps it simple, and being fre and open source is great value! Review source Incentivized review: software users are invited to submit an honest review and offered a nominal incentive for their time and effort. All incentivized reviews are subject to our verification process prior to publication. [View all Reviews](https://www.capterra.com/p/185965/Notepad/reviews/) ## Top-rated software of 2026 ### Fill out the form and we'll send a list of the top-rated software based on real user reviews directly to your inbox. Popular comparisons [Essential Studio vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/185965-228226/Notepad-vs-Essential-Studio)[GitHub vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/129067-185965/GitHub-vs-Notepad)[Microsoft Visual Studio vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/80230-185965/microsoft-visual-studio-vs-Notepad)[IntelliJ IDEA vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/136010-185965/IntelliJ-IDEA-vs-Notepad)[Jira vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/19319-185965/JIRA-vs-Notepad)[Sublime Text vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/179535-185965/Sublime-Text-vs-Notepad)[Microsoft Azure vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/16365-185965/Azure-vs-Notepad)[Bitbucket vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/185965-233341/Notepad-vs-Bitbucket)[Apache NetBeans vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/178681-185965/Apache-NetBeans-vs-Notepad) [Eclipse IDE vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/185965-205298/Notepad-vs-Eclipse-IDE)[GitLab vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/159806-185965/GitLab-vs-Notepad)[Docker vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/148132-185965/Docker-vs-Notepad)[Unity vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/158591-185965/Unity-vs-Notepad)[Google Cloud vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/185965-268690/Notepad-vs-Google-Cloud-Platform)[Heroku vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/158191-185965/Heroku-vs-Notepad)[Appy Pie vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/140928-185965/Appy-Pie-vs-Notepad)[Datadog vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/135453-185965/Datadog-Cloud-Monitoring-vs-Notepad)[Wix vs Notepad++](https://www.capterra.com/compare/169007-185965/Wix-vs-Notepad)  Independent research methodology Capterra's researchers use a mix of verified reviews, independent research and objective methodologies to bring you selection and ranking information you can trust. While we may earn a referral fee when you visit a provider through our links or speak to an advisor, this has no influence on our research or methodology. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/proprietary-data-research/) How Capterra verifies reviews Capterra carefully verified over 2.5 million+ reviews to bring you authentic software experiences from real users. Our human moderators verify that reviewers are real people and that reviews are authentic. They use leading tech to analyze text quality and to detect plagiarism and generative AI. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-verify-reviews/) How Capterra ensures transparency Capterra lists all providers across its website—not just those that pay us—so that users can make informed purchase decisions. Capterra is free for users. Software providers pay us for sponsored profiles to receive web traffic and sales opportunities. Sponsored profiles include a link-out icon that takes users to the provider's website. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/resources/how-we-ensure-transparency/)