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Textmate VS Xcode

Compare Textmate VS Xcode and see what are their differences

Textmate logo Textmate

TextMate brings Apple's approach to operating systems into the world of text editors.

Xcode logo Xcode

Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.
  • Textmate Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-11
  • Xcode Landing page
    Landing page //
    2024-07-04

Textmate features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    TextMate offers a clean and intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.
  • Extensible
    The editor supports a variety of plugins and bundles, allowing users to extend its functionality to meet their specific needs.
  • Snippets and Macros
    TextMate has robust support for snippets and macros, enabling users to automate repetitive tasks and increase productivity.
  • Language Grammars
    It provides excellent syntax highlighting and language grammars for a wide array of programming languages.
  • Multi-File Search and Replace
    TextMate allows for efficient search and replace operations across multiple files, which is useful for large projects.
  • Lightweight
    Despite its powerful features, TextMate is lightweight and does not consume significant system resources.

Possible disadvantages of Textmate

  • MacOS Only
    TextMate is exclusive to MacOS, which means users on other operating systems cannot use it.
  • Not Free
    While it offers a trial period, TextMate is a paid software, which may not be ideal for users looking for free solutions.
  • Limited Collaboration Features
    TextMate does not offer robust built-in collaboration tools, making it less suitable for team-based workflows compared to some other editors.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Though it has a user-friendly interface, leveraging some of its more advanced features can require a steep learning curve.
  • Limited Debugging Tools
    TextMate lacks comprehensive debugging tools, which might necessitate the use of external software for full-fledged development work.

Xcode features and specs

  • Integrated Development Environment
    Xcode offers a fully integrated development environment for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS. This integration includes code editing, project management, compilers, and debugging tools all in one application.
  • Interface Builder
    Interface Builder is a graphical tool included with Xcode that allows developers to design user interfaces visually. This can speed up the development process and allow for easier customization of user interfaces.
  • Swift and Objective-C Support
    Xcode provides robust support for both the Swift and Objective-C programming languages, which are essential for Apple's ecosystem.
  • Simulator
    Xcode includes simulators for all Apple devices, allowing for rapid testing and debugging of applications without the need for physical hardware.
  • In-depth Debugging Tools
    Xcode provides a comprehensive suite of debugging tools like breakpoints, stack trace analysis, and memory management tools, helping developers identify and resolve issues efficiently.
  • Performance and Profiling Tools
    Xcode includes Instruments, a powerful performance analysis and profiling toolset. This helps developers optimize the performance and memory usage of their applications.
  • Documentation and Resources
    Xcode has built-in access to extensive Apple Developer Documentation and resources, making it easier to find information and solutions related to Apple's APIs and frameworks.

Possible disadvantages of Xcode

  • macOS Exclusive
    Xcode is only available for macOS, meaning that developers must use an Apple computer to build applications for Apple's platforms.
  • Resource Intensive
    Xcode can be demanding on system resources, particularly RAM and CPU, which can affect performance on older or less powerful machines.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    For new developers, Xcode can be overwhelming due to its complexity and the vast array of features and options available.
  • Update Frequency
    Frequent updates to Xcode can sometimes introduce new bugs or require developers to update their project settings and code to maintain compatibility.
  • Limited Cross-Platform Capabilities
    Xcode is designed specifically for Apple's ecosystems and provides limited support for cross-platform development, restricting its use for developers targeting multiple platforms.
  • Build Times
    Build times for larger projects can become lengthy, potentially slowing down the development cycle and time to market.

Textmate videos

TextMate Review

More videos:

  • Review - Screencast #90: Simple TextMate Tips

Xcode videos

Getting Started: An Overview of Xcode

More videos:

  • Review - Xcode 15 - What's New

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Textmate and Xcode)
Text Editors
30 30%
70% 70
IDE
24 24%
76% 76
Software Development
33 33%
67% 67
Developer Tools
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Textmate and Xcode

Textmate Reviews

Boost Your Productivity with These Top Text Editors and IDEs
TextMate offers powerful features like project organization, instant project-wide search, and code snippets. It supports a wide range of programming languages and offers extensive customization options. With TextMate, you can unleash your creativity and boost your productivity on your Mac.
Source: convesio.com
13 Best Text Editors to Speed up Your Workflow
To get started, TextMate strictly works on the macOS. It seems like a simple editor at first, but it actually has quite a bit of functionality crammed into a small package. Some of the standards you would expect from a text editor include find search and replace tools, autocompletion, and board management. All programming languages are supported by TextMate, and it does have...
Source: kinsta.com
15 Grammarly Alternatives to Fix Your Writing Mistakes in 2021 ( Spelling, Punctuation, and More)
TextMate is a top app that can be used as a Grammarly alternative for Mac. It’s considered as an open-source platform that assists you in shaping your content into a perfect one. This tool works on macOS 10.12 and in some other versions. You have a file search option in it where you are accessible to anything you look for.
10 Best Notepad++ Alternatives in 2020
TextMate is a versatile plain text editor for mac with unique and innovative features. The tool offers support for many programming languages, writing prose in structured formats such as blogging, running SQL queries, writing screenplays, etc.
Source: www.guru99.com
10 Best Sublime Text Alternatives in 2019
TextMate is a versatile plain text editor for mac with unique and innovative features. The tool offers support for many programming languages, writing prose in structured formats such as blogging, running SQL queries, writing screenplays, etc.
Source: www.guru99.com

Xcode Reviews

Explore 9 Top Eclipse Alternatives for 2024
While Xcode is primarily free, a subscription to the Apple Developer Program is required for iOS app development at $99 per year.
Source: aircada.com
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
Occupying the sixth spot on my list is Xcode, Apple's flagship IDE. And yes, it's probably most well-known for macOS, iOS, watchOS, and tvOS development, but Xcode is also an excellent choice for C++ developers working on the macOS platform.
Source: hackr.io
Android Studio Alternative
Apple’s integrated development environment (IDE) for macOS is Xcode, which can be used to create software for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. In addition, it provides Command Line Tools (CLT), which enable UNIX-style development via the Terminal app in macOS. Xcode also has built-in support for source code management via the Git version control system and protocol,...
Source: www.educba.com
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
The XCode cloud is a constant integration and a type of delivery service. It is a type of cloud that is ideally designed for apple users. It is only made for MAC OS X; hence, you need to try other ways if you have a Windows PC. The main goal of Xcode is to develop the software system for various IOS systems.
Best Eclipse Alternatives to Use
Xcode includes a code editor supporting syntax highlighting, intelligent code completion, and code snippets, as well as an interface builder, which is designed for developing graphical user interfaces. Xcode supports the entire lifecycle of an application, including code editing, compilation, debugging, testing, and deployment.
Source: eclipsewin.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Xcode should be more popular than Textmate. It has been mentiond 145 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.

Textmate mentions (15)

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Xcode mentions (145)

  • An Animated Introduction to Programming in C++ [Full Course]
    There are practice problems in each section so that you can practice while learning from the content. These are in the 'Hands-On Practice' section in each section. Integrated Development Environments (IDEs) are tools that allow you to write your own programs. There are some great, free C++ IDEs out there like Visual Studio, Xcode, and CLion. The simplest way to get started is to use a web-based IDE. Replit works... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Which App Debugging Tools are the Best?
    2. Xcode Debugger Xcode remains the standard iOS app debugging tool. Its debugger is exceptional at identifying memory leaks, helping to discover thread races, and even focusing on the cause of crashes. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • Must-Use Mobile Accessibility Testing Tools in 2025
    XCode inspector offers VoiceOver Simulation to read out app elements for identifying if descriptions mentioned for the UI are meaningful and informative. It helps to make your app accessible to users with disabilities. Apart from that the Accessibility Inspector offers a complete audit of the app’s UI elements. Also as you make changes to your app the tool offers immediate feedback on accessibility issues. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • From React to React Native – A Beginner-Friendly Guide🚀
    Set Up Android Studio and Xcode: To develop for Android, you need Android Studio installed. For iOS development, Xcode is required (macOS only). - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
  • How To Build a TikTok Clone With SwiftUI
    To follow along with this tutorial, you will need an Xcode installation. It is recommended to download Xcode 15 or a later version. Also, to provide access to the user's camera feed in this app, we will use the Stream Video SDK. The Video SDK allows developers to build FaceTime-style video calling](https://getstream.io/blog/facetime-clone/), Twitch-like content... - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Textmate and Xcode, you can also consider the following products

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.

Microsoft Visual Studio - Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.

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

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

Android Studio - Android development environment based on IntelliJ IDEA

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