"Notepad++" - Best Text Editor Ever!
December 09, 2019

"Notepad++" - Best Text Editor Ever!

Chris Oros | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with Notepad++

Notepad++ is currently being used on a user-preference basis. Though not required or formally instituted, it is essentially the de facto choice for those in our organization's IT department that review documents with different code languages. Developers, DBAs, and IT analysts all use Notepad++. The application is leveraged because of its readability: Notepad++ has a feature where it can easily recognize and then display various coding languages with colored syntax to help users more quickly and efficiently read code.
Additionally, business users in our organization use Notepad++ because of its very detailed character location information (e.g. displays exact column space, line number, character selection, etc.).
  • Being able to open a document, select from numerous different coding languages, and then automatically have Notepad++ display the document with that language's color-coded syntax is extremely helpful for quickly analyzing and dissecting code.
  • Being able to download Plugins for various purposes allows Notepad++ to continually adapt and expand for continued use.
  • The fact that Notepad++ is free and open-source software is great for a budget-conscious buyer, but it also means that there is no ulterior motives (e.g. cross-selling products) nor is there a worry about licensing.
  • One convenient feature about Notepad++ is that any document you are working on is always saved in memory. This is very helpful if you accidentally close out of the app, or if you are forced to close out (e.g. software update, lose power), you will not lose the work you had opened.
  • The ability to search through a document and have it highlight instances (in a specific color, for easy readability) of the selected phrase you're searching for is incredibly helpful. Buiding on this, the ability to quickly compare two documents to identify any difference- line by line- has proved incredibly helpful when comparing code and when comparing non-code document.
  • The "Style Token" feature on Notepad++ could use improvement. Color markings are unpredictable when applied, making a potentially very helpful feature unusable.
  • Notepad++ does have an issue in displaying and handling very large volumes of data. That is, files exceeding 50MB usually lag when opened in Notepad++ and are difficult to copy and paste.
  • The reduced time it takes to read and analyze code due to Notepad++'s features (color-coding syntax, automatic formatting), has increased personal productivity of all users.
  • Notepad++ being free and not requiring licenses means the department budget is not negatively impacted whatsoever.
  • The relatively small size of the application allows for a quick install. Additionally, the innocuous nature of the app makes it an easy candidate for installation for those in organizations where you are not an administrator and need help-desk approval in order to install applications.
TextEdit and MS Notepad are two alternatives to Notepad++. Neither one of these applications offer the diversity of features that Notepad++ offers via its base ability and Plugin additions. Notepad++ is an application that was designed by developers and those familiar with code, so its design and navigation is easy and intuitive for those in our IT department. Though you could argue TextEdit and MS Notepad were not designed specifically for developers or code-readers in mind, that is only another reason to use a free, easy-to-use product as an alternative.
Since Notepad++ is a free, open-source product, there is no help-desk or customer service support, per se. This is a tradeoff you make when using a free service. However, the available forums and FAQ on Notepad++ have been extremely helpful in providing answers for questions or concerns that I have had, whether on the Plugins or base product.

Do you think Notepad++ delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Notepad++'s feature set?

Yes

Did Notepad++ live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Notepad++ go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Notepad++ again?

Yes

Notepad++ is very well suited for reading various coding languages, specifically because of it color-codes language syntax to make it easier to read. Being able to quickly discern language syntax reduces code interpretation and analysis time greatly.
Additionally, the Plugins that Notepad++ offers serve a multitude of purposes. For example, if reading an XML document, not only will Notepad++ color-code the syntax, a plugin will format the actual code in the native language format (i.e. automatically interpreting and indenting the tags). Another plugin allows two documents to be compared to identify any differences, a key feature when comparing various versions of code.