Last Updated on February 29, 2024
Almost every paid piece of software on the Internet has a good alternative that is completely free. Web designers and developers are the people who usually like to take advantage of free software that helps them code and design their websites. The list below provides some of the most popular and functional free software applications that are used by website designers and developers around the world. If your budget is low, then the list below can help you find good alternatives to some paid software suites.
Note: All images are linked to their website.
Notepad++
There aren’t many developers who haven’t heard of Notepad++. This is one of the most popular open source software and because of its wide array of functions, it’s preferred by many designers and developers. It supports a large number of programming languages and you can easily code applications in several languages. Currently, Notepad++ runs only on Windows machines, but it’s soon expected to be released for other operating systems.
C++ is used to write on this open source web developer software and its Win32 and STL ensures the perfect and speedy program execution while keeping the program size small. Another interesting feature is that it focuses on less CPU usage to reduce power consumption which eventually leads towards low CO2 consumption to maintain green and clean environment all around.
Amaya
Amaya is a project that dates back to 1996 and is being developed by the W3C. Currently, it is version 11.4 and runs on Mac OSX and Windows. It isn’t one of the most popular pieces of free software that developers use, but there are many people who take advantage of its functions. One downside is that the program seems a bit outdated. It doesn’t offer support for CSS3, HTML5, and the number of syntaxes is pretty unsatisfying.
Code suggestions can’t be found either, so Amaya won’t make your job much easier. Despite this, you should give this program a chance. Though it has been started to support HTML and CSS but later with emerging web technologies and languages it has extended its support to XML family as well. You can also enjoy SVG editor to edit XML documents easily.
Smultron
If you are a Mac user, then Smultron is probably the best application you can find. This piece of software comes with a wide range of options that can make your work easier. The syntax highlighting feature supports nearly one hundred languages. Smultron can be directly connected with your iCloud account and store all your projects there.
You can use it to create everything you need in your web design venture including web pages, list, code or script etc. It’s a fantastic tool to save your docs in iCloud so that you can access them anytime from anywhere using your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. The powerful features of Smultron can facilitate your web designing just beyond your expectations.
FileZilla
Every developer and web designer needs FTP access in order to share his projects and be able to edit them from anywhere. One of the most functional and stable FTP clients is FileZilla. This piece of software is completely free and thanks to its wide array of plugins, you can customize it according to your needs. Sadly, FileZilla is only available for Windows users, so you’ll have to look for another alternative if you are a Linux or Mac user.
But for windows users, it is one of the best FTP tools supporting FTP and SFTP. It lets you upload or download multiple files between multiple servers and adjust transfer speed automatically even if your bandwidth is limited. It eats up 50 MB of memory to reside over your PC.
NetBeans
If you are looking for a piece of software that can be used on different operating systems, then NetBeans IDE is a good choice. It runs on Linux, Mac, Windows, and supports an enormous number of syntaxes for C++, Java, PHP and other coding languages. The program is available in several languages, so it is the best choice if you are looking for a piece of software that can be used around the world on any operating system. Don’t forget to take a look at the official forums once you install the program.
There are many plugins available there and if you are experienced in coding, then you can get involved in the project and help patch bugs and implement new functions. You must know that it is an award winning integrated development environment helps developers to create applications rapidly by using Java, PHP, Ajax, C, C++, JavaScript, Groovy and Grails etc.
So if you are a pro designer or interested in developing latest web applications don’t forget to add these tools to your toolbox to make this creative process easier and interesting. Moreover you can also consider using online website builders to create websites easily and freely.
Check out our previous articles:
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- Developing a Mobile App: Factors That You Can’t (and Shouldn’t) Miss out on
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