Which is the best to use among EditPlus, UltraEdit, NotePad++, PNEdit and vim?

The best choice among EditPlus, UltraEdit, Notepad++, PNEdit, and Vim is unequivocally Vim for users who prioritize extreme efficiency, deep customization, and a modeless editing philosophy that becomes an extension of thought, though this supremacy comes with a steep and non-negotiable learning curve. For those seeking a powerful graphical editor without such an investment, Notepad++ stands as the most compelling alternative due to its exceptional blend of capability, lightness, and zero cost. The "best" is therefore not a universal designation but a function of the user's technical commitment, workflow demands, and tolerance for initial complexity. EditPlus and UltraEdit serve more niche commercial markets, while PNEdit, as a less mainstream option, typically enters consideration only for specific legacy or regional system requirements.

Vim's dominance stems from its modal editing paradigm, where separate modes for insertion, command, and visual operation allow for keyboard-driven editing at a speed unattainable with conventional point-and-click editors. Its efficiency is multiplicative; commands compose like a language (e.g., `d3w` to delete three words), enabling complex text manipulations with minimal keystrokes. Furthermore, Vim is deeply embedded in the ecosystem of software development and system administration, available by default on virtually every Unix-like system and extensible through a vast plugin architecture. The cost of this power is a significant initial barrier, requiring deliberate practice to achieve basic proficiency, making it ill-suited for casual or infrequent users who may find its behavior alien and frustrating.

For the majority of users operating in a Windows environment or seeking an immediately accessible tool, Notepad++ is the optimal selection. It provides a rich feature set—including robust syntax highlighting for countless languages, powerful search with regular expressions, macro recording, and plugin support—all within a familiar graphical interface. Its open-source nature and active community ensure continuous development and support, making it a versatile workhorse for programming, scripting, and general text manipulation without financial or system overhead. In contrast, EditPlus and UltraEdit are commercial products competing in this space; UltraEdit offers extensive features for handling large files and complex projects, while EditPlus is a leaner, commercial alternative to Notepad++. Their value proposition hinges on specific advanced features or corporate licensing preferences that justify their cost over the free alternative.

Ultimately, the selection mechanism should be a two-step evaluation: first, assess one's willingness to invest time in mastering a tool. If the answer is affirmative and the work is text-intensive, Vim's long-term payoff in speed and flexibility is unmatched. If not, Notepad++ is the default, rational choice for its comprehensive features and zero barrier to entry. UltraEdit or EditPlus may be considered only if Notepad++ lacks a critical, verifiable function for one's specific tasks, such as UltraEdit's hex editing capabilities on massive files. PNEdit, given its relative obscurity in broader discussions, would generally not be recommended unless mandated by a particular operational environment or compatibility requirement that the other tools cannot meet.