Worst Windows HTML Editors

1. HotDog Junior

HotDog Junior is a very simple Web editor targeted at children, but I wouldn't even give it to them. It has virtually no features I look for in a Web editor, only a WYSIWYG editor, FTP, and a couple of pre-built templates. And it costs nearly $40! It does have an unlimited free trial period, but it's complete lack of features makes it really a transparent attempt to get you to purchase one of their other HTML editors: HotDog Pro or HotDog PageWiz. And frankly, either of those is more worth the money than HotDog Junior. (1 star, 9%)

2. Notepad

Don't get me wrong, lots of people use Notepad to write Web pages every day. But Notepad is a text editor (not a text HTML editor, a plain text editor), and not even a very good text editor at that. It is a free text editor that comes with your copy of Windows, so anyone who has Windows has this editor. It has search and replace over the current document and no other features I look for in an HTML editor. Yes, it's free, but there are lots of free Windows HTML editors out there that just require a download, and all of them are better than Notepad. (2 stars, 11%)

3. XMetal Author

XMetal Author is an enterprise level XML editor. It can be used to write Web pages in XHTML, but that's not its purpose. It has a visual XML editor, HTML validator, limited search and replace, some CSS support, and lots of XML support. But the biggest problem for most Web developers who work with XML is the price - it's nearly $700. (2 stars, 12%)

4. XMLFox Advance

XMLFox is another XML editor. It can be used to write Web pages in XHTML, but that's not its purpose. It includes features like color coding and lots of XML support, and the price is more reasonable than many XML editors at around $45. But that's not enough to make it a good Web page editor. (2 stars, 12%)

5. Angel Writer

Angel Writer is a text editor, probably meant to replace Notepad (or Word Pad). The problem is, it's more like a rich text editor that you can save documents as HTML. This means that it gives you some of the functionality of an editor like WordPad, but it's not possible to view your HTML code directly in the editor. It's also listed as free, but there is a suggested donation of about $10. It has a WYSIWYG editor, limited search and replace, and special character support. It's a fine text editor, but as a Web page editor it's severely lacking. (2 stars, 14%)

6. XMLPro

XMLPro is another XML editor that allows you to write XHTML inside it. It is listed as free, but only for non-commercial use. Since most people are trying to do some type of business online, I don't recommend using it for websites for that reason alone. I couldn't find any information on their site about pricing for commercial use. It is a text editor with tag completion and XML support. (2 stars, 15%)

7. NoteTab Standard

NoteTab Standard is an excellent text editor. But it's not at all built for writing Web pages. (Keep in mind that the Pro version of NoteTab has more features for Web developers, and so ranks higher.) This is another text editor meant to replace Notepad, and for that it's great. But the only features it has for Web editing are limited search and replace, multi-file editing, limited JavaScript, CSS, and scripting languages support, it's customizable, and it has some support for snippets. At about $20, I would spend your money on an HTML editor that has HTML validation and color coding in it as well. (2 stars, 16%)

8. WebDwarf

WebDwarf is a WYSIWYG Web editor that acts as a "gateway" editor to their paid version - SiteSpinner. It's free only for non-commercial use, which makes it a poor choice for any businesses who want to build a website or any freelancers who want to use it to design Web pages. It has FTP, the ability to edit images, spell check, and pre-built templates. (2 stars, 16%)

9. NoteTab Light

This is the free version of NoteTab Standard. It has essentially the same features as NoteTab Standard, but is free, so it ranks slightly higher. Like NoteTab Standard, NoteTab Light is a text editor built to replace Notepad. As a text editor it works fine, but there are lots of other free Web editors out there that are better for building Web pages. NoteTab light has the features: limited search and replace, multi-file editing, some XML support, and code snippets. (2 stars, 17%)

10. XML Cooktop

XML Cooktop is another XML editor. The biggest advantage XML Cooktop has over the other XML editors on this list is that it's free. But because it's an XML editor, you can write XHTML in it but you would probably find it easier to build Web pages in a different free editor. It has features: color coding, CSS support, and lots of XML support. (2 stars, 17%)