16 rules in 5 groups, worth 100 points in all. They were set before any product was scored and apply the same way to all 12.
Version 1, published 8 Oct 2026
In short
Each rule is a yes-or-no fact, a list (such as the systems with an app) or a number with published thresholds, read from the vendor's own pages.
A fact the vendor does not publish earns nothing. A feature in beta or preview does not count.
The list follows the points. A tie goes to the lower price on "price", then to the name.
Code and text editors for individuals that run on Windows. Full IDEs, AI-first editors and discontinued editors are left out. Features count only when the editor or its own project (manual, docs, repository, plugin or extension the project publishes) provides them; third-party add-ons do not count. Open-source editors count as free; a paid plan is priced for one person.
Systems 22 points
Rule
What it takes
Points
Systems besides Windows
An official build for macOS or Linux, or an official version that runs in a web browser. Each one earns 3 points.
9
Portable Windows build
The vendor documents a portable or zip build for Windows that runs without an installer.
5
Remote editing
The vendor documents editing files on another machine from the editor over SSH, in a container or in WSL, built in or through the project's own extension.
8
Code tools 37 points
Rule
What it takes
Points
Language Server Protocol
The vendor documents using Language Server Protocol servers for completion and error checks, built in or through the project's own package or plugin.
10
Debugger
The vendor documents debugging with breakpoints and stepping, built in or through the Debug Adapter Protocol or a debugger plugin the project publishes. Documentation that calls the feature experimental or beta counts as false.
9
Built-in terminal
A terminal panel runs inside the editor window, built in or through the project's own plugin.
6
Git in the editor
The editor shows git changes and can commit from its own interface, built in or through the project's own plugin. Showing changes only, with commits left to a separate tool, counts as false.
6
Multiple cursors
The vendor documents editing at several places at once with multiple cursors or selections.
3
Live collaboration
Two people can edit the same file at the same time, built in or through the vendor's own extension.
3
Extending 11 points
Rule
What it takes
Points
Extension directory
The vendor runs a public directory of extensions or plugins and documents an extension API.
8
Custom key bindings
The vendor documents changing key bindings in a settings file or a settings screen.
3
Licence and price 18 points
Rule
What it takes
Points
Free for work use
The licence lets you use the editor at no cost for commercial work. An editor that needs a paid licence after an evaluation, even one with no stated end, counts as false.
6
Price
The cheapest paid licence for one person, at its regular price, in US dollars per month, ignoring business seat subscriptions when a personal licence exists. A one-time licence is divided by the months of updates it includes (for example $99 with 3 years of updates is $2.75 a month). A free editor counts as 0.
6
Open source
The source code of the editor you download from the vendor is public under an open-source licence. If the vendor's own download is a proprietary build of an open-source repository, it counts as false.
6
Upkeep 12 points
Rule
What it takes
Points
Release in the past year
The vendor's release notes, changelog or tagged releases in its repository list a stable release dated within the 12 months before the research date. Nightly and pre-release builds do not count.
8
Telemetry off or none
The vendor's documentation states that the editor sends no usage data, or documents a setting that switches usage data and crash reports off.