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Kate

KDE's free, open-source text editor with LSP, terminal and multi-cursor editing.

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About Kate

Kate is the advanced text editor from the KDE community, available for Linux, Windows and macOS. It sits between a simple editor and an IDE: you get tabs and split views, a project sidebar, syntax highlighting for over 400 languages, multi-cursor and multi-selection editing, a built-in terminal, search and replace across files, a Git integration and a preview plugin for Markdown, HTML and SVG. Language server support gives completion, go-to-definition and diagnostics, and plugins add a build tool, GDB debugger front end, SQL client and more. It also has a full Vi input mode and handles very large files well. Kate is free and open source, developed by volunteers and supported by KDE donations, and it is the default advanced editor on KDE Plasma desktops. It is a great choice on Linux for people who want a capable native editor without Electron. On Windows and macOS it works but feels less integrated, and its plugin ecosystem is much smaller than VS Code's.

Best for: Linux users who want a capable, native editor with LSP support and no Electron.

Pros and cons

What works

  • Free and open source from KDE
  • Syntax highlighting for 400+ languages and LSP support
  • Built-in terminal, Git and Vi mode

Why people leave

  • Feels less at home outside KDE Plasma
  • Much smaller plugin ecosystem than VS Code
  • No built-in AI features of note

Top Kate alternatives

See all 5
  1. 1Visual Studio Code logo
    Visual Studio Code

    Far larger extension library, at the cost of Electron's weight.

    78.2
  2. 2Zed logo
    Zed

    A fast native editor with AI and collaboration, now on Linux too.

    70.9
  3. 3Neovim logo
    Neovim

    A terminal editor for keyboard-driven developers who want full control.

    69.0
  4. 4Sublime Text logo
    Sublime Text

    A fast, polished cross-platform editor with a one-time licence.

    67.0
  5. 5Geany logo
    Geany

    Even lighter, with a GTK interface and simple build tools.

    62.6

Why people left Kate

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Kate, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

Reviews

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Kate: common questions

Is Kate free?

Yes. Kate is free, open-source software.

Is Kate open source?

Yes.

What platforms does Kate run on?

Kate is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Kate?

The highest-ranked Kate alternatives right now are Visual Studio Code, Zed and Neovim. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 5 Kate alternatives