Finding the Perfect Web Editor

Before I give an editor a final score, I take one more look at the software to see if it has something extra special in it, some feature I haven’t thought of yet or something useful that no other editor has. If it does, I may give it extra points. Some things that some editors have gotten extra points for include:

• save searches
• synchronize host and local directory
• color manager
• favicon creation
• DOM inspector

I may, in the future, add some or all of these to my feature list, but for now, they aren’t a requirement for my perfect editor, just something extra special.

Pricing Web Editors

Many people feel that price should be the first and only consideration when choosing a web editor. But even if you only look at the free web editors, there are still nearly 70 editors to choose from that I’ve evaluated. And there are probably even more out there that I haven’t. So, while price may be important, features are what makes the difference in the perfect web editor.

When I score the web editors, I take the price into account. Editors that are free get another 10 points. Editors that cost between $0.01 and $50 lose 10 points. Between $51 and 100 they lose 20 points. Between $101 and $500 they lose 30 points. Between $501 and $1000, they lose 40 points. Between $1001 and $2000, they lose 50 points. And editors that cost more than $2000 lose 60 points.

But I also look at more than just base pricing. There are also free trials for paid applications and better pricing for return customers (upgrade pricing). I give 10 points if the paid application has a free trial (free applications get this as bonus points as well) and another 5 if they reward returning customers with better prices.

But software can also be penalized if it limits the trial version by anything other than time, such as allowing only a small number of pages to be edited or only providing a sub-set of features in the trial. I find it hard enough to evaluate software during the limited time period, without having to deal with other restrictions. And if the software is only available by subscription, it is penalized. Some companies are adding a subscription model onto their existing pay structure, but unless customers can buy the software separately without a monthly or annual cost, the software won't get the points. Subscriptions are useful for services like web hosting, but they can end up costing a user a lot more for software, especially if they don't upgrade regularly.

Giving the Final Star Rating

Not including the extra points an editor might get, there are a possible 336 points in my scoring matrix. With the bonus points for free editors and any extra points an editor might receive for special features not on my list, it is theoretically possible to get more than 100%. I have never seen any editor get higher than 95%, however.

I evaluate an editor's final score against the total possible to get a percentage. I grade on a curve. Since none of the editors got 100% (or more) of my feature set, I assign my star ratings based on the following curve:

• 90% and up get 5 stars out of 5
• 70% - 89% get 4 stars out of 5
• 30% - 69% get 3 stars out of 5 - this is where the majority of the editors land
• 10% - 29% get 2 stars out of 5
• Below 10% get 1 star out of 5

Still No Perfect Editor

I am still hoping to find the perfect web editor. It hasn't appeared yet.

Below is a table explaining all of my scoring features as well as the points they generate.

Full List of Features Tested for and Their Scores

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