Xed vs Gedit (2025)

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Xed vs Gedit

Minimalists love them. Power users secretly keep them around for quick edits. And distro maintainers? They ship at least one by default. In 2025, Xed and Gedit remain the “open-in-a-blink” text editors that balance speed with just-enough features. Same family tree, different personalities—so which one belongs on your machine?

TL;DR (Quick Verdict)

  • Pick Xed if you want a snappy, classic, no-drama editor that feels right at home on Linux Mint (and other GTK desktops), with a familiar toolbar-first UI and sensible defaults.

  • Pick Gedit if you want a time-tested editor with a mature plugin ecosystem, broad distro availability, and a clean GNOME-centric experience.

Both are lightweight; both do syntax highlighting, tabs, UTF-8, and the usual niceties. The real difference is philosophy, polish, and ecosystem—not raw capability.

Why This Comparison Still Matters

Even as modern IDEs eat the world, you’ll always need a “fast knife”:

  • opening huge logs without spinning fans,

  • jotting a README,

  • quick regex search-and-replace across a folder,

  • peeking into code when a full IDE would be overkill.

Xed and Gedit exist precisely for this “two-second startup, ten-minute task” sweet spot.

At a Glance: Feature Snapshot

Feature Xed Gedit
Startup speed Very fast Very fast
Tabs & split view Tabs (split via window tiling; some builds expose split) Tabs; split commonly via plugins or separate windows
Syntax highlighting Yes (many languages) Yes (many languages)
UTF-8 & international text Full support Full support
Search & replace (regex) Yes (regex support via standard find/replace) Yes (regex capable)
Session restore / autosave Basic session behavior; autosave via plugins/preferences Autosave and session helpers via plugins; robust
Plugins Plugin system (incl. Python-based in many builds) Large, mature plugin ecosystem (gedit-plugins and beyond)
Remote file editing Via GVFS (SFTP, etc.) on GTK desktops Via GVFS (SFTP, etc.) on GTK desktops
Best fit Linux Mint & “classic” GTK users GNOME users & plugin tinkerers

(Exact availability of split panes and certain behaviors can vary by distro build and plugins enabled.)

UX Philosophy: Same Roots, Different Taste

  • Xed embraces the classic “notepad-but-better” vibe: visible menus, straightforward preferences, and zero surprises. It mirrors the old Gedit 2.x sensibility—comfortable, obvious, and productive from minute one.

  • Gedit wears a clean GNOME jacket: streamlined menus, sensible defaults, and a subtle bias toward GNOME’s design language. It’s minimal—until you flip on plugins, and then it quietly levels up.

Performance & Footprint

Both are featherweights. On typical mid-range laptops:

  • Cold start is near-instant for either editor.

  • Large files (multi-MB logs, long JSON) open reliably; navigation is smoother than in many Electron apps.

  • Memory deltas are noise compared with a browser tab. You can open several instances without flinching.

Bottom line: you won’t choose between them on performance alone.

Plugins: The Hidden Superpower

Gedit has long been a plugin champion: code snippets, bracket completion, external tools integration, terminal toggles, spell checks, and more. Distro packages often provide a ready-made bundle (commonly named gedit-plugins)—flip a few switches and you’ve got a surprisingly capable dev companion.

Xed, meanwhile, supports plugins as well (commonly Python-based in many builds). While its catalog is smaller, you still get practical boosts—spell check, compare files, indentation fixes, comment toggles, and similar quality-of-life helpers. For most day-to-day edits, that’s plenty.

If you love tinkering, Gedit’s ecosystem has the edge.
If you value “set and forget,” Xed’s defaults are already dialed in.

Developer Comforts (Without the Bloat)

  • Both do syntax highlighting for a long list of languages and play nice with Git workflows (you’ll still run Git in your terminal, of course).

  • Both handle line numbers, current-line highlight, bracket matching, and configurable indentation.

  • Regex search/replace works in both; for cross-file searches, pair either editor with ripgrep/fd in your shell—or add a plugin.

Keyboard Shortcuts You’ll Actually Use

  • Open: Ctrl + O

  • New Tab: Ctrl + T

  • Save: Ctrl + S

  • Save As: Ctrl + Shift + S

  • Find: Ctrl + F

  • Replace: Ctrl + H

  • Go to Line: Ctrl + L (varies by mapping; check Preferences)

  • Toggle Line Numbers / Wrap: usually in Preferences or View menu

Tip: map your favorite indentation width and soft tabs once—then forget about it.

Installation Cheatsheet (Popular Distros)

You can install both side-by-side—zero drama.

  • Ubuntu / Linux Mint / Debian

    • Xed: sudo apt install xed

    • Gedit: sudo apt install gedit gedit-plugins

  • Fedora

    • Xed: sudo dnf install xed

    • Gedit: sudo dnf install gedit gedit-plugins

  • Arch / Manjaro

    • Xed: sudo pacman -S xed

    • Gedit: sudo pacman -S gedit gedit-plugins

Who Should Use Which?

  • Choose Xed if you:

    • live on Linux Mint (or prefer a classic, toolbar-forward GTK experience),

    • want “just edit the file” speed with sane defaults,

    • dislike hunting for plugins to fix basics.

  • Choose Gedit if you:

    • run GNOME and want a cohesive desktop feel,

    • like toggling plugins to tailor your workflow,

    • want the widest distro docs, tips, and community snippets.

Real-World Scenarios

  • Editing system config quickly: Xed or Gedit—tie. Launch is instant; syntax highlight helps avoid typos.

  • Long, messy logs: Either works; Gedit plugins (e.g., external tools + terminal) can give it a slight edge.

  • Writing a README with spellcheck: Both fine; enable spell plugins if not on by default.

  • Occasional coding without an IDE: Gedit’s plugin catalog tips the scales; Xed still handles the basics well.

FAQ

Is Xed a fork of Gedit?
Indirectly. Xed comes from Pluma, which itself forked from Gedit’s earlier codebase—hence the shared DNA and similar feel.

Does Gedit still matter now that GNOME ships “Text Editor”?
Absolutely. Gedit remains widely packaged and supported, with a robust plugin ecosystem. Many distros and users still rely on it.

Which one is lighter?
In practice, both are tiny compared to full IDEs. Startup speed and memory usage are similarly low.

Can I develop with them seriously?
Yes—paired with a good terminal and tools (linters, formatters). For huge projects, you’ll still want an IDE or a modal editor like Vim/Neovim.

Bottom Line

If you want frictionless editing with classic sensibilities, go Xed.
If you prefer a minimal editor that can quietly grow with plugins, go Gedit.

Either way, you’re choosing a fast, dependable tool that respects your time—and doesn’t need a 500-MB runtime to open a log file.

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