Skip to main content
TrustRadius
Atom

Atom

Overview

What is Atom?

Atom is a free and open source text editor offering a range of packages and themes.

Read more
Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Atom is a versatile and widely-used text and code editor that offers numerous features and benefits to its users. It is favored by …
Continue reading
Read all reviews

Awards

Products that are considered exceptional by their customers based on a variety of criteria win TrustRadius awards. Learn more about the types of TrustRadius awards to make the best purchase decision. More about TrustRadius Awards

Reviewer Pros & Cons

View all pros & cons
Return to navigation

Pricing

View all pricing
N/A
Unavailable

What is Atom?

Atom is a free and open source text editor offering a range of packages and themes.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

Would you like us to let the vendor know that you want pricing?

8 people also want pricing

Alternatives Pricing

What is Sublime Text?

Sublime Text is a highly customizable text editing solution featuring advanced API, Goto functions, and other features, from Sublime HQ in Sydney.

Return to navigation

Product Details

Atom Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Atom is a free and open source text editor offering a range of packages and themes.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 8.6.

The most common users of Atom are from Mid-sized Companies (51-1,000 employees).
Return to navigation

Comparisons

View all alternatives
Return to navigation

Reviews and Ratings

(89)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Atom is a versatile and widely-used text and code editor that offers numerous features and benefits to its users. It is favored by developers across various organizations and industries for a range of use cases. Users appreciate Atom's clean and simple user interface, making it easy to navigate and use without any issues. With support for multiple programming languages, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, C++, and more, Atom is suitable for diverse coding projects.

One key use case of Atom is as a powerful tool for web development. It enables developers to efficiently write code for websites using languages like PHP, CSS, JS, and HTML. Its features, such as syntax highlighting and autocompletion, make coding in these languages more efficient. Additionally, Atom's integration with Git provides version control capabilities, allowing teams to collaborate on website development projects seamlessly.

Another notable use case of Atom is its popularity among data scientists and analytics professionals. With support for programming languages like Python, R, and Unix, Atom serves as an effective code editor for editing multiple codes in analytics workflows. Its customizable nature allows users to tailor the editor to their specific needs, making it a valuable tool for data analytics and machine learning projects.

Furthermore, Atom is recommended by developers as an alternative to Visual Studio Code due to its relatively basic interface and extensive selection of plugins contributed by the community. This attributes to its widespread usage within organizations as a preferred IDE text editor.

Overall, Atom's versatility, ease of use, extensive plugin ecosystem, and compatibility with various programming languages make it a go-to choice for developers seeking a customizable and efficient coding environment.

Highly Customizable: Many users have praised Atom for its high level of customization. They appreciate the ability to tailor their coding environment to their preferences, with various themes and extensions available. This feature allows them to make their code easier to read and navigate, enhancing their overall coding experience.

Code Hinting Features: Several reviewers have been impressed with Atom's code hinting capabilities. This feature helps them write code faster and integrates well with services like LINT, allowing them to clean up their code according to their team's style choices. Users find this functionality particularly useful in speeding up their coding process.

Free Software: The fact that Atom is free has been seen as a major advantage by many users. They appreciate not having to invest in expensive software while still being able to access a robust coding environment. This affordability makes it accessible to a wide range of developers.

Limited API Requests: Some users have experienced the issue of receiving an error message stating "Error: Request failed with status code 429." Several reviewers have expressed frustration with this limitation, as it hinders their ability to make API requests effectively.

Performance Issues: A number of users have reported performance issues while using Atom. They have noticed sluggishness and lag in the software, particularly when dealing with larger files or projects. This has led to delays and inefficiencies in their workflow.

Lack of Intuitive UI/UX: Several reviewers have mentioned that they find the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) of Atom to be less intuitive compared to other text editors. Users have struggled with finding certain features, customizing their workspace, and navigating through the application smoothly.

Users recommend using the self-hosted version of Atom instead of the cloud version and taking advantage of Atom's package manager. They suggest that Atom is suitable for both beginners and professionals, as well as for web development, Ruby on Rails development, and front-end development. Atom is also considered a lightweight and visually appealing text editor. Users often suggest it as an alternative to Sublime Text and for languages without a dedicated IDE. They encourage exploring the wide range of packages available in the Atom community and customizing Atom to personal preferences. Atom is frequently recommended for learning to code and simple web development projects. However, users caution that it may not be suitable for large projects and advise learning the keyboard shortcuts for improved efficiency. Additionally, they recommend using Atom on a PC with higher RAM capacity and exploring Atom's plugins for added functionality.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 30)
Companies can't remove reviews or game the system. Here's why
January 02, 2024

Joyful coding

Flavio Mauri | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom is incredibly lighter than Dreamweaver, of course it doesn't have the tools DW provides in terms of preview and clicking an element to be taken to the code... but for small web pages this is not necessary.
Atom is more similar to Notepad++ and the very popular vs code... but I prefer it to vs code because of the themes (although i found recently some new additions that are similar to my favourite) and just the feeling when navigating/typing is not the same, it's very hard to describe... but it just doesn't feel "right"
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
For the cost, there isn't another text editor or IDE that has more features, more supports, and better integration with packages than Atom. It may take a bit to get used to it, but once familiar, it's very efficient and feature-packed. I find that developers who put in the time to get familiar with Atom tend to stick with it for a long time.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Our company likes to keep things open, and we don't want to prevent developers from customizing their environment the way they want. Atom seemed to be a lot more open than our existing tools and has good community support on pretty much any programming language. This can create some confusion since adding too many extensions or customizing can make the tool slower than it is supposed to be.
Laura Glover | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
They are both pretty good; however, Sublime is free to use but on a trial basis. Atom is free open source. Sublime doesn't have the Github integration or a project file browser. Sublime does have a workspace view option but haven't really used it as much as Atom.
Deepshi Sharma | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
In beginning stage of project, Atom wins the race against them all. I selected Atom because of its support for many plugins, simplicity, formatting tools, open source control . But for large scale projects, atom is not suitable editor because of its unexpected behaviour in case of large amount of code.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom supports multiple programming languages with debugging options. Other IDEs also have these features but speed matters. I sometimes feel negative about plugins in Atom but all else is good. PyCharm is very heavy as compared to others. VSCode and Sublime are good.
David McCann | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Not listed is Vim, which is another free-form editor that is in the same product category. Vim and Emacs are both supported on more platforms and with lower systems requirements and similar versatility, but don't offer the ease of use (both being primarily keyboard-only applications).

Eclipse on the other hand is a much more heavyweight, resource-intensive app, geared more towards the true IDE set of requirements and use cases.
Jonah Dempcy | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom is not as great for Android development as Android Studio, as great for iOS development as Xcode, C# for Visual Studio, or even Java with Eclipse. Atom is less-preferred for any of those platforms for me. However, it is my preferred IDE for just about every other large-scale project. I still use Sublime Text Editor for a lot of things, like small projects, quick fixes, one-offs and such. But if I'm going to work on a large web project or C++ code, Atom is my go-to Integrated Development Environment. I don't open Atom a great deal but I've enjoyed it considerably when I did use it. I first started using Atom when a mentor of mine suggested it. He uses it for all his contributions to an open source project that spans platforms, supporting a web application, desktop app, as well as Android and iOS implementations. Atom is perfect for projects like that where you need excellent git integration and the ability to switch between languages seamlessly.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Compared to its major competitors, Atom is an IDE that does not run code but on the other hand it is also the one which allows multiple programming languages to exist at the same time, which make certain types of coding such as object-oriented programming much easier than any other product options.
Xiaotong Song | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom is the tool that does not run any code but at the same time, it is also the tool that allows you to write different codes. Even though you cannot use Atom on the cloud, but since it is using pure python, it is still preferred.
Patrick Fong | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
As I've explained earlier, I genuinely believe that VSCode is a superior editor in most ways (stability, feature development, the vibrancy of the community, wealth of plugins, performance).
There is, however, one more editor to consider, and that is Sublime Text. Sublime Text I would say it is the most stable and performance of all 3, is written in native C++. It uses half the memory and loads twice as fast. However, it's feature development and the strength of the community, in my opinion, is on the same level as Atom's and so people still might want to pick VSCode over Sublime Text.
Samuel Hadid | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom is way more user-friendly than other text editors. However, I am not sure if this affects other aspects as compatibility with some languages or other features as having to save a file with a particular extension for autofill to be enabled for the current work. Still, simplicity and ease of use are higher than the other products.
Jason Smith, DPA | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
I like Atom because it is simple and not too complicated. Configurable, full-featured, yet remains nimble. You can not beat the cost of Open Source, so this leaves software like BBEdit out in the cold. Atom is not as hardcore as Vim or Emacs. Less complicated than full IDEs like NetBeans or Eclipse, which is good for lightweight development.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Compared to coding programs, I've found Brackets to be more robust. Some aspects of Atom I've found to be somewhat cumbersome (JSON customization when GUI should be an option), but ultimately Atom is a better experience. Other programs like Dreamweaver tend to be clunky and promise more than they deliver. While basic text edit programs may "do the trick," there is no reason to search further than Atom.
Mark Nowowiejski | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Adobe Dreamweaver is really meant more for designers who don't understand the underlying code/CSS principles etc. While it's improved heaving over the years it's still rights a lot of extra junk/redundant code and isn't taken seriously among true web developers.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom and Visual Studio Code are so similar it's hard to not compare them. But for new users, Atom is the clear winner. If you are looking for a clean interface, Atom is the winner. There aren't as many buttons and distractions in Atom which makes it very easy to just pick up and go.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We needed an opensource program to tailor it to our needs. It was also stable enough to handle small to medium projects. It had one of the best built-in GIT integration. It has a clean UI. The simplicity of Atom is why we use it to train new members.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Both Sublime Text and notepad++ have a long history for being good code editors. However, it's important to realize the changes and growth in the field of text editors, and Atom is simply a lot better now in terms of community and support.
Steven Puringi | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Eclipse
  • Notepad++
  • Visual Studio IDE
Easy to use. doesn't require registration or activation, you can use right after installation. has the option of packages to give the IDE more dynamics in terms of development and debugging. Its flexibility just gives it that edge over other IDE's.
Dylan Cauwels | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom was a program I was familiar with when starting at the company. VSCode, however, has grown in popularity since I've started, and I might switch over in a bit. At this point, it's honestly personal preference. Both platforms have a large user base and accomplish the same purpose in slightly different fashions. It's up to you.
Matthew Deakyne | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Code
  • Notepad++
  • TextEdit
Atom is better than Notepad++ in that it can be used on a Mac. I much prefer Notepad++'s integration of macros for text manipulation, though. It also handily defeats TextEdit.

MS Visual Studio Code is better for developers, and may just require rethinking where notes go by default. Atom makes it easier to just take a note - but VS Code is better at everything else.
Dhruba Jyoti Nag | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Atom has many open source competitors in Sublime Text, Notepad++, etc. When we consider the presence of time tested players like Notepad++, the fact that Atom has been able to carve a niche market of its own says a lot about its capabilities. The user interface is very rich and this has helped in its adoption. It is free and has support which also encourages enterprises to adopt it.
Return to navigation