phoenix

Phoenix is a browser-based code editor built on Adobe's discontinued Brackets. It runs from a static web server, keeps full Brackets extension compatibility, and is positioned for web development specifically. AGPL-3.0, free.

No installer; it's a webapp. That means you can run it anywhere a browser runs, including locked-down corporate machines that won't let you install VS Code. The trade-off is that an uncompromised local development experience without complex build steps is the explicit goal, so it's lighter than VS Code by design.

Pick this if you teach web development, work in restricted environments, or already have a Brackets workflow you want to keep alive. Solo: free, install nothing. Small teams: same. Large teams doing serious engineering: VS Code, Zed, or Cursor are still better picks.

The catch: a browser-based editor is not a desktop IDE. No remote dev containers, no local file system access without an extension shim, no Copilot-grade integrations yet. Phoenix exists because Brackets shouldn't have died, not because the world needs another VS Code competitor.