GNU Emacs- Developer ToolsDeveloper Tools

Name: GNU Emacs
Rating: 4.7 (20000 reviews)

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About

GNU Emacs is the legendary extensible text editor built on Emacs Lisp, home of Org Mode and the ultimate tool for plain-text notes, tasks, and life in text.

An extensible, customizable, free/libre text editor, and more. At its core is an interpreter for Emacs Lisp, a Lisp dialect with extensions to support text editing. Content-aware editing modes with syntax coloring for many file types. Perfect plain-text note-taking with Org Mode: outlines, TODO lists, deadlines, scheduling, tables, and export to HTML, LaTeX, and PDF. Package manager (ELPA) to install thousands of extensions. Native LSP support via Eglot and Tree-sitter syntax highlighting built in. Magit for Git workflows, denote for note-taking, and countless PKM packages. Single unified environment for email (Gnus), IRC (ERC), programming, and writing. Runs on GNU/Linux, BSDs, macOS, Windows, and Android. Emacs 31.1 released August 2026. Steep learning curve rewarded by unmatched customization and longevity since 1976.

Who Is GNU Emacs Best For?

GNU Emacs is particularly well-suited for:

Developer Notes

Plain Text Notes

Org Mode Notes

Technical Documentation

Task Management

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Credibility of This Listing

We show what we know, where it comes from, and what is still incomplete.

Review Coverage

4.7/5

Aggregated score built from 1 public review source.

NoteFinderz Research

Pending

NoteFinderz research date not yet recorded.

Product Freshness

Unknown

Product update date not yet recorded.

Descriptions, use cases, pros, and limitations are written and curated by NoteFinderz. Ratings and review volume are aggregated from public signals when they exist.

Visible Review Sources

20,000 aggregated reviews

GitHub Stars

20,000 reviews

4.7/5

View source

Features

Markdown

Tasks/TODO

Offline Mode

Code Highlighting

Templates

Custom Themes

Keyboard Shortcuts

Command Palette

Local-first

Ratings & Reviews

4.7

(20,000 reviews)

Aggregated from 1 sources

GitHub Stars

4.7

(20,000)

Pricing

Free

Free Tier Available

Project Health

Status

Active

Publisher & Origin

Developer

GNU Project / Free Software Foundation

Source Model

Open source

License

GPL-3.0-or-later

Country of Origin

United States

Headquarters

Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Origin Type

Open-source community

Pros

✓Virtually unlimited customization

✓Org Mode ecosystem

✓Runs everywhere

✓Free and libre

✓Decades of maturity

✓Whole workflow in one program

Cons

⚠Steep learning curve

⚠Configuration required

⚠Older interface by default

⚠Terminal or GUI with its own feel

Frequently Asked Questions

Is GNU Emacs free to use?

Yes, GNU Emacs offers a free tier that you can use without payment. Completely free, libre, and open source

What platforms does GNU Emacs support?

GNU Emacs is available on macOS, Windows, Linux, Android. Download the app for your preferred platform to get started.

Is GNU Emacs open source?

Yes, GNU Emacs is open source. You can view the source code and contribute on GitHub at https://github.com/emacs-mirror/emacs.

Does GNU Emacs work offline?

Yes, GNU Emacs supports offline mode. You can access and edit your notes without an internet connection, and changes will sync when you're back online.