Posted Oct 11, 2026. | Updated Oct 13, 2026. | ~7 min read.
I've been a web developer since around 2019. I first started fiddling around with online website builders but soon transitioned to HTML, CSS, and some basic JavaScript. Over the years, I used many a different software, tools, extensions, and utilities. Over those years, I also learned how difficult and sometimes annoying it can be to try and find a good, consistent, and reliable set of utilities that work perfectly for my specific purpose. As such, I decided to compile this list of my personal favorite programs, extensions, resources, and other utilities that I either use on a daily basis or consistently come back to.
* Everything on this list is 100% free, and I am not being paid to promote these products either.
As no surprise to anybody, Visual Studio Code is, by far, the best free code editor out there. It supports almost every programming language (and if it doesn't, there's probably an extension to add support for it), it is highly customizable, it supports a wide variety of different extensions (lower in this post, I made a list of my favorite VS Code extensions too), the UI is simple and clean, yet powerful, and the list of positives just goes on and on.
Visual Studio Code is supported on Windows, Linux, and MacOS.
I use VS Code as my primary code editor.
There are several caveats, though:
If you are against huge corporations, then Notepad++ might just be for you. Notepad++ is an extremely lightweight alternative to the default Windows Notepad app, but it can also serve as a powerful and highly customizable code editor too. The UI isn't the most appealing or user-friendly, and the app lacks many of the quality-of-life features that Visual Studio Code has, such as auto-completion, but it does its job well enough to still be an extremely competent, free, and beloved code editor.
Notepad++ is only supported on Windows.
I will occasionally use Notepad++ as an alternative to VS Code when I get tired of the former.
No, I am not above a slimy and selfish self-plug. A.P.M is my own little web-based utility built primarily for web developers, but it can also be used for practically anything. You don't need to register an account or download anything, and all of your data is saved to your browser's local cache. There is a wide selection of general-purpose tools, such as a Checklist for tracking your progress, a Notepad for taking notes and making plans, a Whiteboard for visualizing ideas, an in-depth Color Picker, Unit Converters, and so many others. You also have full control over the stored data, and I have no access to it, meaning all your data is 100% safe with you. And it's also open-source on GitHub too. That should clear up any security concerns! :3
Since it's a web app, it works on any OS, as long as you have a modern browser and an internet connection. You can also download the source code (through the above-provided GitHub link) and launch the entire web app locally without needing an internet connection (just open "index.html"). You can even modify it and add custom stuff to it too!
It's my app; obviously I use it as my primary web utility.
Caveats:
Photopea is a splendid and extremely powerful online utility for image editing. Basically, think of Adobe Photoshop on the web for absolutely free. You can create images, edit existing images, remove image backgrounds, add text and other elements to an image, compose it, add and edit different layers, draw on top of the image, and so much more!
While Photopea isn't directly tied to web development, most web developers will need an image or two on their website at one point or the other, so it's always good to have a reliable photo editor nearby for when you need it.
Since Photopea is primarily a website, it should work on any OS as long as you have a stable internet connection.
I frequently use Photopea to edit images.
This one is a new contender in the field and is actually a collection of different apps. Just like Photopea, ArtCraft recreated the entire Adobe and, as of recent, Microsoft suite in Rust, and they're now offering it to everyone for 100% free of charge. The entire project is 100% open-source too, so the safety risks are minimal considering anyone can simply look at the code.
Again, while not directly tied to web development itself, the suite offers some very useful apps, such as PhotoCraft (which is an alternative to Adobe Photoshop), VectorCraft (Adobe Illustrator), EffectCraft (Adobe After Effects), and several others that will come in handy for most web developers at one point or the other, and thanks to how lightweight the entire package is, it doesn't hurt having it installed.
The entire ArtCraft suite is available on Windows, Linux, MacOS, and Web (for the most part).
I recently started using ArtCraft to process my images, create vector art, work on my book, and do a bunch of other stuff. When I was first downloading it, I thought the installer crashed on startup because of how quickly the app got installed. I must say, so far so good, but only time will tell whether this proves to be a competent competitor for the industry-standard Adobe suite or a fluke.
Caveats:
This list consists of my favorite general-purpose extensions. I didn't include any specific or very niche entries on the list that focus on one specific thing, as I wanted to make sure that this list is applicable to as many people as possible.
#1: "Auto Rename Tag" by Jun Han
When working in HTML, every element has a starter tag (like <h1>) and an ending tag (like </h1>). When I want to change that element, normally, I would need to manually change both the starter and ending tags separately. Thanks to this extension, however, I can just change one of the two, and the other will automatically change to account for it.
#2: "Error Lens" by Alexander
This is a simple extension that marks any issues, syntax or otherwise, in your code and explains what is wrong/missing.
#3: "vscode-icons" by VSCode Icons Team
An extensive collection of custom-made icons for basically every file type and folder you can imagine. It makes navigating a large project file tree that much easier when everything is nicely color-coded and marked.
#4: "Live Server" by Ritwick Dey
Depending on the language you're working with, to test and see your progress, you would need to upload all of your changes to a live server first. With this extension, you don't have to anymore, as you can simply run your code on a local emulated server away from potentially prying eyes!
#5: "Prettier - Code formatter" by Prettier
Enforces a consistent formatting style to your code. Very useful for those too lazy to stay consistent themselves! ;)
And that just about wraps my list up. I hope this post helped you find your perfect utility, and until next time, cheers! :p