Lots of freeware is available on the Internet for download. You can
find programs for both OSX and Windows for designing and coding
websites. Unfortunately not everybody has the money for premium software
or the time to learn the interfaces.
I have put together this guide with just a few examples of some great
software applications. Each example is totally free to download and
install for your own personal use. Designing websites is a very
difficult job and requires the right set of tools. This article may not
contain everything you need, but I’m hoping to share these resources as a
starting point for web designers on a budget.
Notepad++
I think a lot of developers know about
Notepad++
since it has been mentioned in so many articles. This is a fantastic
piece of open source software which supports a number of programming
languages. Even aside from backend web development you can build full
software applications in Java or C++, the list of syntax features is
enormous.

If you want to learn more about the software check out their
official features listing
and some of the accompanying screenshots. Right now the software only
runs on Windows machines, and I do not know of any plans for porting
this in the future. But it is an excellent alternative to Dreamweaver or
some other higher-end IDEs.
NetBeans
Getting into a solution for all OS choices we have
NetBeans IDE.
This is a free development environment for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The
software supports a myriad of syntaxes and also some 3rd party
Java/C++/PHP frameworks. There are just so many great things to say
about NetBeans.
Check out the
latest release
with more documentation and information on their updates. Currently the
software supports many foreign languages, which is great for
programmers around the world. This is truly the universal solution for
an open free coding environment, regardless of operating system.

If you want to get involved in the community they have
developer forum threads
for getting in touch on support topics. Other programmers may also join
the team in patching bugs and helping to push new releases. And even
better you can find a
huge list of plugins for the software which is growing very quickly.
Amaya
The Amaya software is actually an older project started by the W3C.
It was originally launched in 1996 and has seen many updates since then.
Currently the
Amaya IDE is in release version 11.4 with support for Windows and Mac OSX.
I feel their software is a bit behind in the standards department, or
at least you can see this on the website. It doesn’t mention a lot
about HTML5 and CSS3 specifications or code syntax highlighting. But you
also won’t find code suggestions setup by default with many other
programs, either. Give Amaya one shot if you have the time – but there
also may be other alternatives worth trying for coding websites.
Smultron
The
Smultron text editor
is a program built for Mac OS X and mobile iOS devices. The software
has syntax highlighting features which include over 90 different
languages. You can also create new documents stored in your iCloud
account to retrieve from any computer. This is one rich IDE to grab
right off the Mac App Store and it’s great for perfect developers.
FileZilla
Web designers and developers will both need to use FTP access at some
point. You can’t publish a website without pushing the files onto a
server. Luckily there are a couple open source FTP programs which most
webmasters can follow, and
FileZilla is the big choice for Windows users.
The software is free to use forever and has many of the basic
features you would expect. You can store custom FTP website settings for
quick connections. Also you can setup long queues of files to download
and let them go over an extended period of time. Anyone who needs a free
FTP program on Windows XP/Vista/7 should go with FileZilla.
Cyberduck
Now on the Mac OS X spectrum
Cyberduck
is definitely the best free FTP software. You can grab the app right
from the Mac App Store on your computer. It is also available for
Windows users as well, if you feel that FileZilla just isn’t enough.

What I love about Cyberduck is the simplicity in user interface
performance. You can quickly scan your remote server to detect files and
download specific sub-folders. The program will also allow you to
preview images before downloading. And Cyberduck is even cooler because
you can directly connect into cloud storage services like Google Drive
and Amazon S3.
GIMP/GimpShop
Some people get confused with the difference between GIMP and
GimpShop. Both are free and open source to download on Windows and Mac
computers. GIMP stands for
GNU Image Manipulation Program
which is the original software release. Fans of the program will
recognize the interface and all the typical tools involved with image
editing.
Now
GimpShop is also free and
built of similar open source code. However this software is designed to
look and feel more similar to Adobe Photoshop. So graphics designers can
pick up GimpShop and start practicing if you ever need to work with
Adobe software. This is basically a free software package for editing
images, banners, buttons, even complete website mockups.

If you are debating between the two I say check them both out and
decide for yourself. There is no right answer since you can accomplish
just about anything between the two of them. I personally like the
Photoshop-esque UI of GimpShop and would ultimately choose to work in
that graphics suite. But you should get a sense feeling them both out
and devise your own conclusions.
Inkscape
This is another one of my favorite graphics editors which is perfect for upcoming web designers.
Inkscape
is an open source project for working with vector graphics. You could
think of this as the free alternative to Adobe Illustrator supported on
Windows, Linux, and Mac.

The best part about working with Inkscape is how you can work
directly with W3C SVG vector graphics. These have been granted a lot of
support in recent years to be embedded directly into webpages. Now web
browsers can display SVG graphics and you can use them for a multitude
of purposes.
Greenfish Icon Editor
Unfortunately this is a Windows-only program but it doesn’t do
anything too special you couldn’t accomplish in GimpShop. But I love the
Greenfish Editor
because you can quickly create icon sets which match your website
layouts. These could be displayed in your webpage, or even used as a
favicon designs.

The software is 100% free to download and runs on all Windows
platforms. You may have to spend a bit of time learning the ropes and
various menu controls. But I feel it is worthwhile for those web
designers who love to get close-up right into each pixel.
Lots of freeware is available on the Internet for download. You can
find programs for both OSX and Windows for designing and coding
websites. Unfortunately not everybody has the money for premium software
or the time to learn the interfaces.
I have put together this guide with just a few examples of some great
software applications. Each example is totally free to download and
install for your own personal use. Designing websites is a very
difficult job and requires the right set of tools. This article may not
contain everything you need, but I’m hoping to share these resources as a
starting point for web designers on a budget.
Notepad++
I think a lot of developers know about
Notepad++
since it has been mentioned in so many articles. This is a fantastic
piece of open source software which supports a number of programming
languages. Even aside from backend web development you can build full
software applications in Java or C++, the list of syntax features is
enormous.

If you want to learn more about the software check out their
official features listing
and some of the accompanying screenshots. Right now the software only
runs on Windows machines, and I do not know of any plans for porting
this in the future. But it is an excellent alternative to Dreamweaver or
some other higher-end IDEs.
NetBeans
Getting into a solution for all OS choices we have
NetBeans IDE.
This is a free development environment for Windows, Mac, and Linux. The
software supports a myriad of syntaxes and also some 3rd party
Java/C++/PHP frameworks. There are just so many great things to say
about NetBeans.
Check out the
latest release
with more documentation and information on their updates. Currently the
software supports many foreign languages, which is great for
programmers around the world. This is truly the universal solution for
an open free coding environment, regardless of operating system.

If you want to get involved in the community they have
developer forum threads
for getting in touch on support topics. Other programmers may also join
the team in patching bugs and helping to push new releases. And even
better you can find a
huge list of plugins for the software which is growing very quickly.
Amaya
The Amaya software is actually an older project started by the W3C.
It was originally launched in 1996 and has seen many updates since then.
Currently the
Amaya IDE is in release version 11.4 with support for Windows and Mac OSX.
I feel their software is a bit behind in the standards department, or
at least you can see this on the website. It doesn’t mention a lot
about HTML5 and CSS3 specifications or code syntax highlighting. But you
also won’t find code suggestions setup by default with many other
programs, either. Give Amaya one shot if you have the time – but there
also may be other alternatives worth trying for coding websites.
Smultron
The
Smultron text editor
is a program built for Mac OS X and mobile iOS devices. The software
has syntax highlighting features which include over 90 different
languages. You can also create new documents stored in your iCloud
account to retrieve from any computer. This is one rich IDE to grab
right off the Mac App Store and it’s great for perfect developers.
FileZilla
Web designers and developers will both need to use FTP access at some
point. You can’t publish a website without pushing the files onto a
server. Luckily there are a couple open source FTP programs which most
webmasters can follow, and
FileZilla is the big choice for Windows users.
The software is free to use forever and has many of the basic
features you would expect. You can store custom FTP website settings for
quick connections. Also you can setup long queues of files to download
and let them go over an extended period of time. Anyone who needs a free
FTP program on Windows XP/Vista/7 should go with FileZilla.
Cyberduck
Now on the Mac OS X spectrum
Cyberduck
is definitely the best free FTP software. You can grab the app right
from the Mac App Store on your computer. It is also available for
Windows users as well, if you feel that FileZilla just isn’t enough.

What I love about Cyberduck is the simplicity in user interface
performance. You can quickly scan your remote server to detect files and
download specific sub-folders. The program will also allow you to
preview images before downloading. And Cyberduck is even cooler because
you can directly connect into cloud storage services like Google Drive
and Amazon S3.
GIMP/GimpShop
Some people get confused with the difference between GIMP and
GimpShop. Both are free and open source to download on Windows and Mac
computers. GIMP stands for
GNU Image Manipulation Program
which is the original software release. Fans of the program will
recognize the interface and all the typical tools involved with image
editing.
Now
GimpShop is also free and
built of similar open source code. However this software is designed to
look and feel more similar to Adobe Photoshop. So graphics designers can
pick up GimpShop and start practicing if you ever need to work with
Adobe software. This is basically a free software package for editing
images, banners, buttons, even complete website mockups.

If you are debating between the two I say check them both out and
decide for yourself. There is no right answer since you can accomplish
just about anything between the two of them. I personally like the
Photoshop-esque UI of GimpShop and would ultimately choose to work in
that graphics suite. But you should get a sense feeling them both out
and devise your own conclusions.
Inkscape
This is another one of my favorite graphics editors which is perfect for upcoming web designers.
Inkscape
is an open source project for working with vector graphics. You could
think of this as the free alternative to Adobe Illustrator supported on
Windows, Linux, and Mac.

The best part about working with Inkscape is how you can work
directly with W3C SVG vector graphics. These have been granted a lot of
support in recent years to be embedded directly into webpages. Now web
browsers can display SVG graphics and you can use them for a multitude
of purposes.
Greenfish Icon Editor
Unfortunately this is a Windows-only program but it doesn’t do
anything too special you couldn’t accomplish in GimpShop. But I love the
Greenfish Editor
because you can quickly create icon sets which match your website
layouts. These could be displayed in your webpage, or even used as a
favicon designs.

The software is 100% free to download and runs on all Windows
platforms. You may have to spend a bit of time learning the ropes and
various menu controls. But I feel it is worthwhile for those web
designers who love to get close-up right into each pixel.