GNU Emacs vs Kate

GEGNU Emacs9.2Visit Kate9.0Visit

Higher score GE GNU Emacs #3 in Text Editors 9.2/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit GNU Emacs

vs

Kate #5 in Text Editors 9.0/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit KDE

• GNU Emacs fits best

  Mature customization-focused editor users

• Kate fits best

  Free cross-platform coding and text editing

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.

Side by side

Feature	GEGNU Emacs 9.2/10 Visit ↗	Kate 9.0/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.2	9.0
Ranking	#3 in Text Editors	#5 in Text Editors
Best for	Mature customization-focused editor users	Free cross-platform coding and text editing
Pricing model	Free	Free
Starting price	Free plan	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	—	—
Deployment	Desktop, Mobile	Desktop
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux, Android	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Community, Docs	Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features GNU Emacs 5/5 · Kate 4/5
Multi-cursor editing	✓	✓
Macro recording	✓	✓
Column editing	✓	✓
Large-file handling	✓ (best)	Not checked yet
Extension support	✓	✓
Specs
Supported platforms	GNU/Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, BSD, Haiku, Solaris, MS-DOS/FreeDOS	Linux, BSD, Windows, macOS
Our review
Pros	Free/libre and open source with no paid plans Macros, column editing, Unicode, and large-file handling Projects, version control, debugging, mail, calendars, and IRC	Supports syntax highlighting for more than 300 languages Combines multi-cursor editing, macros, projects, and split views Includes terminal, Git, LSP, DAP, plugins, and scripting
Cons	Multi-cursor editing is not verified as a built-in feature Its broad feature set extends well beyond text editing Advanced customization depends on Emacs Lisp or graphical settings	Its documented integration surface is narrower than broader editor ecosystems Its programming features may exceed the needs of basic text editing Language and debugging workflows center on LSP and DAP support
Our verdict	GNU Emacs is a free/libre, open-source text editor and computing environment for users who want extensive control over editing behavior. It provides content-aware editing modes, syntax coloring for many file types, Unicode support for… Read the review →	Kate is a free, open-source, multi-document text editor developed by KDE for programmers and others working with text files. It runs on Linux, Windows, and macOS, and supports tabs, horizontal or vertical split views, syntax highlighting… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• GNU Emacs — where it wins

  • Free/libre and open source with no paid plans
  • Macros, column editing, Unicode, and large-file handling
  • Projects, version control, debugging, mail, calendars, and IRC

  Where it doesn't

  • Multi-cursor editing is not verified as a built-in feature
  • Its broad feature set extends well beyond text editing
  • Advanced customization depends on Emacs Lisp or graphical settings

• Kate — where it wins

  • Supports syntax highlighting for more than 300 languages
  • Combines multi-cursor editing, macros, projects, and split views
  • Includes terminal, Git, LSP, DAP, plugins, and scripting

  Where it doesn't

  • Its documented integration surface is narrower than broader editor ecosystems
  • Its programming features may exceed the needs of basic text editing
  • Language and debugging workflows center on LSP and DAP support

• GEGNU Emacs9.2/10 · Free plan

  A mature, highly customizable editor for users who value breadth and control.

  Visit GNU EmacsFull verdict →
• Kate9.0/10 · Free plan

  A free, open-source editor with broad coding features across Linux, Windows, and macOS.

  Visit KDEFull verdict →