CodeEdit
A free, open-source code editor built natively for macOS, aiming to feel like a Mac app.
- Stars
- 23.1k
- Forks
- 1.2k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Swift
- Last update
- 19 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
CodeEdit is a code editor written specifically for macOS by a community of contributors. The README lists features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, project-wide find and replace, snippets, a terminal, task running, debugging, git integration, code review, and extensions. The project says it wants to stay lightweight like TextEdit while growing toward the feature set of Xcode when needed.
- Editing and searching code across a whole project with find and replace
- Running tasks and using an integrated terminal while writing code
- Viewing git changes and doing code review inside the editor
- Trying out pre-release versions and reporting issues on GitHub
Great for
- Developers on a Mac who work on non-Apple projects and want a native macOS editor
- People who prefer open-source software that is free and licensed under MIT
- Users who want to test pre-release editor builds and give feedback
- Contributors who are comfortable with Swift and SwiftUI/AppKit
Not ideal for
- Teams that need a production-stable editor, since the README says it is in development and not yet recommended for production use
- Users on Windows or Linux, since the project is written entirely for macOS
- People who need the full, mature feature set of Xcode for Apple platform development
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
You'll need: macOS (exact version not stated in the README excerpt)
Download the latest release
git clone https://github.com/CodeEditApp/CodeEdit - 2
Run it
- Go to the GitHub releases page and download CodeEdit.dmg from the latest release (v0.3.6).
- Open the .dmg file and drag CodeEdit into your Applications folder.
- Launch CodeEdit from Applications.
- Open a project folder from within the app to start editing.
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the Contribution Guide if you want to help build features or fix bugs
- Join the Discord community and weekly Saturday meetup to follow development priorities
- Submit issues on GitHub to report bugs or request features
- Check the project board to find issues to work on
Downloads
Strengths
- Native macOS app written in Swift, in line with the project's goal of avoiding Electron
- Free and open source under the MIT license, with a stated commitment to stay free
- Active community with Discord, GitHub Discussions, and a weekly public meetup
Trade-offs
- The README says it is still in development and not yet recommended for production use
- Only runs on macOS, so it does not serve cross-platform developers
- The README does not give detailed system requirements or a full feature-completeness status
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CodeEdit (this) | 23.1k | App | beginner | 19 days ago | Developers on a Mac who work on non-Apple projects and want a native macOS editor |
| vscode | 194k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers who want a lightweight editor that can be extended with add-ons |
| ipatool | 12.1k | CLI | intermediate | 12 days ago | Developers who want to script App Store searches or downloads from the terminal |
| MonitorControl | 34.6k | App | beginner | 22 days ago | Mac users with an external monitor who want keyboard brightness keys to work on it |
| AeroSpace | 23.7k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Keyboard-centric users who want to manage windows without the mouse |
| cua | 31.6k | Dev tool | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers building agents that operate desktop apps or browsers |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.