Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GNU Emacs VS Scriptly

Compare GNU Emacs VS Scriptly and see what are their differences

GNU Emacs logo GNU Emacs

GNU Emacs is an extensible, customizable text editor—and more.

Scriptly logo Scriptly

Webocton
  • GNU Emacs Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-19
  • Scriptly Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-22

GNU Emacs features and specs

  • Highly Extensible
    GNU Emacs is highly customizable, allowing users to configure nearly every aspect using Emacs Lisp. This makes it remarkably adaptable for various workflows.
  • Rich Plugin Ecosystem
    There is a wide array of plugins available for Emacs, extending its functionality for programming, text editing, project management, and more.
  • Versatile
    Aside from text editing, Emacs can function as an email client, web browser, terminal emulator, and more, making it a powerful multi-purpose tool.
  • Free and Open Source
    GNU Emacs is free to use and modify, with source code available under the GNU General Public License, encouraging collaborative improvement and transparency.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Emacs runs on many different operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and various Unix-like systems, ensuring a wide reach and consistent experience across platforms.

Possible disadvantages of GNU Emacs

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its vast array of features and unique keybindings, new users often find Emacs difficult to learn initially.
  • Performance
    Emacs can be slower compared to more lightweight text editors, especially when heavily customized or handling large files.
  • Keyboard-Centric Interface
    Emacs relies heavily on keyboard shortcuts, which can be overwhelming and complex, leading to potential finger strain from extensive use.
  • Complex Configuration
    While its customizability is a strength, configuring Emacs to fit personal needs can be time-consuming and complex, requiring knowledge of Emacs Lisp.

Scriptly features and specs

  • Free and Lightweight
    Scriptly (formerly Webocton-Scriptly) is a free text and code editor for Windows that is lightweight and does not consume significant system resources, making it suitable for older or less powerful machines.
  • Syntax Highlighting
    The editor supports syntax highlighting for multiple programming and scripting languages including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, and more, making it easier to read and write code.
  • Built-in Preview
    Scriptly includes a built-in browser preview feature that allows developers to quickly view their HTML and web pages without needing to switch to an external browser.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    The editor has a clean and straightforward interface that is easy to navigate, making it accessible for beginners who are just starting with web development or coding.
  • Code Assistance Features
    Scriptly provides helpful features such as code completion, line numbering, and bracket matching, which can speed up the coding process and reduce errors.

Possible disadvantages of Scriptly

  • Limited Community and Support
    Scriptly has a relatively small user base compared to popular editors like VS Code or Sublime Text, which means fewer community resources, tutorials, and plugins are available.
  • No Longer Actively Developed
    The editor appears to have limited or no active development, meaning it may not receive updates, bug fixes, or support for newer web technologies and standards.
  • Windows Only
    Scriptly is available only for the Windows platform, which limits its usability for developers working on macOS or Linux systems.
  • Limited Plugin/Extension Ecosystem
    Unlike modern code editors that offer extensive plugin marketplaces, Scriptly lacks a robust extension ecosystem, limiting its ability to be customized and expanded for various workflows.
  • Lacks Modern Editor Features
    Scriptly does not include many features found in modern code editors such as integrated terminal, Git integration, advanced refactoring tools, or multi-cursor editing, which can be a significant drawback for professional developers.

Analysis of GNU Emacs

Overall verdict

  • GNU Emacs is widely considered to be a powerful and versatile text editor, especially among programmers and developers.

Why this product is good

  • Highly Customizable: Emacs can be extensively customized with Emacs Lisp, enabling users to tailor the editor to fit their specific workflow.
  • Rich Ecosystem: There is a large variety of plug-ins and extensions available, which can transform it into much more than just a text editor.
  • Built-in Tools: Emacs includes numerous built-in tools such as a debugger, calendar, email client, and file manager, making it a comprehensive development environment.
  • Cross-Platform: Emacs runs on multiple platforms, which makes it accessible to a broad audience.

Recommended for

  • Programmers and developers who appreciate a customizable and extensible tool.
  • Users who want to integrate various development tools into a single environment.
  • Individuals comfortable with learning Emacs Lisp to create and understand custom scripts and configurations.
  • People interested in a text editor that has a strong and supportive community.

Analysis of Scriptly

Overall verdict

  • Scriptly by Webocton is a solid, lightweight and affordable web development IDE particularly well-suited for PHP, HTML, CSS, and JavaScript development, especially favored by users seeking a Windows-native, resource-friendly alternative to heavier IDEs.

Why this product is good

  • Fast and lightweight compared to bulkier IDEs like PHPStorm or Visual Studio
  • Strong PHP-specific tooling including syntax highlighting, code completion, and debugging support
  • Built-in FTP/SFTP client for easy remote file editing and deployment
  • Affordable one-time licensing model rather than subscription-based pricing
  • Regularly updated by an active solo developer with responsive support
  • Good balance of features without being bloated with unnecessary extras

Recommended for

  • Freelance web developers working primarily with PHP and web technologies
  • Small teams or solo developers who want a fast, no-frills coding environment
  • Users who prefer Windows-native applications over Electron-based editors
  • Developers looking for an affordable alternative to premium IDEs
  • Those who frequently work with FTP/SFTP for website management

GNU Emacs videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GNU Emacs and Scriptly)
Text Editors
98 98%
2% 2
IDE
97 97%
3% 3
IDEs And Text Editors
95 95%
5% 5
Software Development
94 94%
6% 6

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GNU Emacs and Scriptly

GNU Emacs Reviews

14 BEST LaTeX Editor for Mac & Windows in 2022
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It is one of the best LaTeX editor for Mac that allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com
The Top 7 Notepad++ Alternatives for You
Emacs has been around in its various forms since 1976 and is another very worthy Notepad++ alternative. When I first started using Emacs I have to admit that I didn’t find it the easiest to use. But once I got used to it I realized just how powerful Emacs is for the programming community.
10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com
7 open source alternatives to Dreamweaver
Vim or Emacs. Without participating in the holy war between these two traditional text editors, I can safely say that there are a number of enhancements for web editing available for both. So if you're already a terminal junkie, take your pick. Or, if those don't satisfy, try one of these Emacs/Vim alternatives.
Source: opensource.com
10 Best Sublime Text Alternatives in 2019
Emacs is a Unix based text editor tool which is used by programmers, engineers, students, and system administrators. It allows you to add, modify, delete, insert, words, letters, lines, and other units of text.
Source: www.guru99.com

Scriptly Reviews

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GNU Emacs seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 6 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GNU Emacs mentions (6)

  • Emacs daemon as sytemd service in debian 12 (gnome)
    Cat .config/systemd/user/default.target.wants/emacs.service [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1) https://gnu.org/software/emacs/ [Service] Type=notify ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/emacs --fg-daemon # Emacs will exit with status 15 after having received SIGTERM, which # is the default "KillSignal" value systemd uses to stop services. SuccessExitStatus=15 # The location of the... Source: about 3 years ago
  • Why does emacs exec path variable not just copy the users path variable?
    ## If your Emacs is installed in a non-standard location, you may need ## to copy this file to a standard directory, eg ~/.config/systemd/user/ . ## If you install this file by hand, change the "Exec" lines below ## to use absolute file names for the executables. [Unit] Description=Emacs text editor Documentation=info:emacs man:emacs(1)... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Hi DM's, what medium do you use to organise your campaign?
    For gathering notes, writing and organizing, Org-Roam which implies Org and Emacs. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • This Guy is getting out of control at this point.
    I was heading to gnu.org/software/emacs to prove my point and it said:. Source: almost 5 years ago
  • opam doesn't see emacs?
    <><> Version-specific details <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> 🐫 Version 1 Repository default Homepage: "http://gnu.org/software/emacs" Bug-reports: "https://github.com/ocaml/opam-repository/issues" Authors: "anil@recoil.org" Maintainer: "anil@recoil.org" License: "GPL-1.0-or-later" Flags: conf Synopsis Virtual package to install the Emacs editor Description This... Source: almost 5 years ago
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Scriptly mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Scriptly yet. Tracking of Scriptly recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GNU Emacs and Scriptly, you can also consider the following products

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft

Notepad++ - A free source code editor which supports several programming languages running under the MS Windows environment.

Sublime Text - Sublime Text is a sophisticated text editor for code, html and prose - any kind of text file. You'll love the slick user interface and extraordinary features. Fully customizable with macros, and syntax highlighting for most major languages.

Adobe Dreamweaver - Adobe Dreamweaver is a proprietary web development tool developed by Adobe Systems.

Vim - Highly configurable text editor built to enable efficient text editing

Pinegrow - A professional visual editor for Bootstrap 4 and 3, Foundation, responsive design, HTML, and CSS. Convert HTML to WordPress themes.