9 Best CSS Editors for Windows & Mac (2026)

List of the best CSS editors

Here are some of the best CSS editors out there, each with their own unique strengths and features:

1. Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a versatile and fast code editor, appreciated for its fluidity and numerous features. It is particularly appreciated for its refined interface and its ability to effectively manage large-scale projects.

Features

• “Goto Anything” for quick access to files, symbols, or lines
• “Multiple Selections” allows you to modify several lines simultaneously
• Full customization with plugins and themes

Rates

• Free license with occasional purchase reminders
• Full license at $80

Sublime Text is a great choice for developers looking for a lightweight but powerful editor. It's perfect for those who prefer extensive customization and a fast interface.

Discover Sublime Text here

2. Atom

Atom, developed by GitHub, is an open-source text editor that offers great flexibility and perfect integration with Git and GitHub. Its open-source nature means that it is constantly being improved by an active community.

Features

• Support for custom plugins and themes
• Integrated Git and GitHub integration
• Real-time collaborative work functionality with Teletype

Rates

• Entirely free

Atom is ideal for developers who are looking for a free, customizable solution and who appreciate the tight integration with GitHub for effective project management.

Discover Atom here

3. Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code, created by Microsoft, has become one of the most popular code editors. It offers advanced editing features and tight integration with developer tools.

Features

• Integrated debugging
• Full Git support
• Large selection of extensions and themes

Rates

• Gratuit

Visual Studio Code is a robust choice for developers looking for a comprehensive tool with advanced debugging and version management support.

4. Brackets

Brackets is an open-source text editor focused on web design and front-end development. It is known for its “Live Preview” feature, which shows changes in real time in the browser.

Features

• Live preview and CSS preprocessing
• Easy to understand for beginners
• Extract extension to get design information from PSD files

Rates

• Entirely free

Brackets is perfect for front-end developers and web designers who are looking for a lightweight editor with specific features for web development.

Discover Brackets here

5. Stylizer

Stylizer is a CSS editor for Windows and Mac, designed to provide a real-time preview of your CSS edits. It is compatible with all popular browsers and eliminates the need for temporary files.

Features

• Real-time preview of CSS changes
• Compatible with all common browsers
• CSS editing without temporary files

Rates

• Price: $79
• Free trial version available

Stylizer is ideal for anyone looking to get an instant overview of their CSS edits, thanks to its intuitive interface and real-time preview features. However, its $79 price may be a drag for casual users or newbies.

Buy Stylizer here

6. TopStyle

This editor is used more for coding than as a WYSIWYG editor. Its latest available version is 5.0.0.108.

Features

• FTP live editing
• Adobe Dreamweaver integration
• Syntax coloring for multiple languages

Rates

• Latest Version Available: 5.0.0.108

TopStyle is a solid choice for experienced web developers, especially for those who value live FTP editing and compatibility with tools like Dreamweaver. However, the cessation of the development of the tool limits its attractiveness in the face of more modern options.

Discover TopStyle here

7. Rapid CSS Editor

Rapid CSS Editor, for Windows, includes advanced features like cross-browser preview and plugin management.

Features

• Integrated file explorer
• Syntax coloring for multiple languages
• Autocompletion of quotation marks, brackets, etc.

Rates

• Free version available
• Paid plans at $39.95 and $49.95

Rapid CSS Editor stands out for its autocompletion and plugin management capabilities, making it suitable for developers looking for a more advanced CSS editing experience. It's reasonably priced for the features offered, but newbies might find it a bit complex.

Buy Rapid CSS Editor here

8. Espresso

Espresso is a text and CSS code editor for Mac, supporting numerous languages like CSS, HTML, PHP, and more.

Features

• Multiple selection and multiple editing
• Search and replace function
• Plugin support

Rates

• Price: $79

Espresso is a powerful tool for Mac users, offering a multitude of advanced features like multiple selection and plugin support. Its weak point is that it is exclusive to Mac, which limits its access to users of other operating systems.

Explore Espresso here

9. CODA.

It is a text editor that can be used on Mac and iPad. It has many features like CSS replacement, publishing, local indexing, etc.

Features

• It will show you a pixel-perfect overview.
• It will help you manage local and remote files.
• Syntax highlighting.
• It has an integrated terminal and a MySQL editor.
• It allows you to instantly switch between the editor and preview panes.

Benefits

Features can be added through plug-ins and it also supports existing plugins.

Disadvantages

it is only available for Mac OS.

Rates

$99.

Understanding CSS: A Complete Guide

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) is a style language used to define the presentation of structured textual documents, primarily HTML. CSS allows you to determine how items will be displayed on different media, such as computer screens, printers, or projectors.

Difference between CSS and HTML

The difference between HTML and CSS is essential in web design:

HTML (HyperText Markup Language)

• Usage : Markup language for structuring the content of a document on the web.
• Function : Define the structure of the document with tags (titles, paragraphs, lists, etc.).
• example : HTML code for a web page with a title (<h1>) and a paragraph (<p>).

CSS (Cascading Style Sheets)

• Usage : A style language to describe the appearance and layout of HTML or XML documents.
• Function : Allows you to separate the structure of the content from its visual presentation, facilitating maintenance and development.
• Integration : Usually in a separate file, linked to the HTML document by the element <link> or <style>.
• CSS rule example : Define the elements <p> so that they are displayed in red with an 18px font.

Interaction between CSS and HTML

• CSS changes the appearance : CSS rules change the way HTML elements are displayed in browsers.
• Team work : HTML structures content, while CSS determines how it looks.
• Result : Together, they create aesthetically appealing and functional websites.

In summary, HTML and CSS are two complementary languages: HTML to structure content, and CSS to define how that content is displayed. This combination is crucial for creating modern and engaging web pages.

How CSS and DOM work

The process of combining HTML content and CSS style involves two main steps:

1. Creation of the DOM : Browsers transform HTML and CSS content into a Document Object Model (DOM), a representation of the document in computer memory.
2. Content Display : The browser displays the content according to the DOM tree and the CSS rules applied.

The DOM plays a crucial role in the way CSS works. It consists of nodes representing each piece of text, attribute, and markup language element. Understanding the DOM is critical to maintaining, designing, and debugging CSS.

Applying CSS to the DOM

By applying CSS rules to the DOM, you can significantly change the appearance of elements in a browser. For example, by applying styles to elements<span>, you can change the color and style of text.

Methods for Applying CSS to HTML

There are several ways to apply CSS to HTML:

• External Style Sheets : The CSS is placed in a separate file with a.css extension and is referenced via an element <link> in the HTML.
• Internal Style Sheets : CSS is included in the section <head> HTML inside an element <style>.
• Online styles : Specific CSS styles are applied directly to individual HTML elements via a style attribute.

Each method has its pros and cons, and the choice will depend on the specific requirements of the project.

Conclusion

CSS is a powerful tool for web developers, allowing precise customization of the presentation of HTML documents. Mastering it requires understanding its basic concepts, how the DOM works, and the different methods to effectively apply it to HTML documents.

Different CSS Versions

There are several versions of CSS, each offering more advanced features:

• CSS1 : First official version released in 1996, introducing the basics of style for HTML documents.
• CSS2 : Released in 1998, it expanded the functionality of CSS1 with media types, pseudo-classes, and pseudo-elements.
• CSS3 : Currently the most used version, launched after 1998, introducing features like rounded corners, shadows, gradients, transitions, and animations.
• Evolution of CSS3 : Although there is no official “CSS4", CSS3 continues to evolve with the addition of new modules and features, such as variables, grid layouts, and improved selectors.

Each version is backwards compatible, ensuring the functionality of websites using older versions in modern browsers.

FAQs

What is CSS editing software?

CSS editing software is a tool used to create and edit cascading style sheets (CSS). These programs offer features like syntax highlighting, autocompletion, and live preview to facilitate the design of web styles.

What are the benefits of using CSS editing software?

Benefits include ease of use, time savings through advanced features, and the ability to visualize changes in real time. This allows for a more efficient and accurate design of website styles.

What is the difference between a CSS editor and a regular text editor?

CSS editing software is specially designed to work with CSS and offers dedicated features such as real-time preview, autocompletion, and integration with CSS frameworks. A regular text editor, on the other hand, is more general and may not offer these advanced CSS features.

Conclusion

CSS editors make coding easy and these editors also make updates easy. So we can conclude that CSS code editors provide developers with more flexibility.