CNC Syntax Editor vs CIMCO Edit, Notepad++ and VS Code

A program has to be changed at the machine: one feed rate, a new offset, a block that went missing. You want an editor that opens in moments on the shop-floor PC, shows the G code clearly, makes the change safely and lets you check it before the program runs. This page compares CNC Syntax Editor with the editors machinists name most often: CIMCO Edit, Notepad++ and Visual Studio Code.

The short answer

For a quick fix and check at the machine, on any Windows PC: CNC Syntax Editor. It is a small program (under 6 MB to download) that starts quickly, keeps the CNC tools one click away and needs no plug-ins and, once activated, no internet connection. The Free Edition costs nothing; the paid editions are one-time licences.
For a complete NC programming environment with solid and machine simulation, built-in DNC and CAM add-ons, where the budget allows: CIMCO Edit.
For reading a program now and then on a PC that already has a general editor: Notepad++ or VS Code with a G-code add-on, if your IT allows add-ons.

Comparison

	CNC Syntax Editor	CIMCO Edit	Notepad++	VS Code
What it is	NC program editor	NC programming environment: editor, backplot, simulation, DNC	general text editor	general code editor
Size	under 6 MB to download (Free Edition under 4 MB)	full suite with a GPU-accelerated 3D backplot	small	well over 100 MB to download; Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit
G-code highlighting	built in: ISO G code, Heidenhain ISO	built in	with a user-defined language file or a plug-in	with an extension
CNC tools: renumber, shift, scale, mirror, rotate, XYZ ranges, feed and speed	built in	built in, plus NC-Assistant	none	renumbering in some extensions
Compare two programs	built in (WinDiff, added by the installer)	built in	with the Compare plug-in	built in
3D backplot	Enterprise: tool path, step, breakpoints	built in, plus solid simulation; machine simulation as an add-on	none	none
Sending to the machine	with DNC Precision (separate product)	built-in DNC	none	none
Works without plug-ins on a locked-down PC	yes	yes	needs a plug-in or a language file	needs an extension
Licence	Free Edition; Professional and Enterprise: one-time licence per computer, 12 months of updates included	Ultra: lifetime licence or subscription, floating (CIMCO shop)	free, open source	free
Internet connection	once, to activate the licence online or by email (a fully offline PC gets it on a USB drive); not needed after that	Ultra: needed to activate and use the licence (CIMCO shop)	not needed to run	not needed to run
Cost	free, or a one-time price (current prices)	Ultra lifetime from USD 1,000 per seat, subscription from USD 26 per 30 days (CIMCO shop, 2 Nov 2026); Core price not listed	free	free
Platforms	Windows	Windows	Windows	Windows, macOS, Linux

CNC Syntax Editor or CIMCO Edit?

CIMCO Edit is a complete NC programming environment: besides the editor and file compare it has the NC-Assistant, a GPU-accelerated backplot, solid simulation with collision and gouge checks, built-in DNC, and add-ons such as machine simulation and the CNC-Calc 2D CAD module. If you program complex parts all day and use those functions, it is worth its price.

CNC Syntax Editor does less, on purpose, and that makes it the better tool for the job most edits are: a quick change and a check before the program runs.

Small and quick. Under 6 MB to download, it runs on Windows 7 to 11 and the Windows Server versions, and opens programs quickly even on an older PC next to the machine.
Simple. One window, with menus, toolbar and shortcut keys that follow Microsoft Word. Each CNC tool is one dialog: renumber the blocks, shift or mirror an axis, find the X, Y and Z ranges, change all feed rates.
Made for the last-minute check. Find the block, change it, check the block numbers for duplicates, compare the program with the original side by side and, in the Enterprise edition, step through the tool path with breakpoints. Then send it with DNC Precision.
Works offline. The licence is activated once, online or by email. If a shop-floor PC is fully offline, the licence is copied over on a USB drive from a computer that has internet. After activation the editor never needs a connection. According to the CIMCO shop, CIMCO Edit Ultra needs an internet connection to activate and use its licence.
Lower cost. The Free Edition is free for personal and commercial use for programs up to 16 KB. Professional and Enterprise are one-time licences per computer with 12 months of updates, at a fraction of a CIMCO Edit Ultra licence. See the current prices and what each edition includes.

What CNC Syntax Editor does not do: its backplotter draws the tool path only (no solid or machine simulation), it does not draw drilling cycles or run macros, and it has no built-in DNC. If you need those, CIMCO Edit is the right choice.

CNC Syntax Editor or Notepad++?

Notepad++ is a free, open-source text editor and a good one. For G code it needs a user-defined language file or a G-code plug-in for highlighting, and the Compare plug-in for side-by-side compare. It has no CNC tools: renumbering blocks, shifting, scaling or mirroring axes, finding XYZ ranges or changing feed rates are manual work, and there is no backplot. On many shop-floor PCs, IT does not allow plug-ins. CNC Syntax Editor has all of this built in, and its Free Edition costs nothing either for programs up to 16 KB.

Windows Notepad opens any NC program too, but without highlighting, compare or CNC tools; see how to open an NC file.

CNC Syntax Editor or VS Code?

Visual Studio Code is a free code editor for programmers. With a G-code extension from its marketplace it highlights G code, and some extensions add or renumber block numbers; file compare is built in. It is a large application (well over 100 MB to download, Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit only) made for software development, it has no backplot for G code, and each extension is one more thing to install and keep approved by IT. For machinists who edit NC programs rather than software, CNC Syntax Editor keeps the CNC tools in plain menus.

Try it on your own programs

Download the Free Edition or the trial. The trial of Professional and Enterprise saves your work and has no 30-minute limit.
Want to look at a program without installing anything? Open it in the free online G-code viewer.
More about the 3D backplotter in the Enterprise edition.

Questions

Can CNC Syntax Editor replace CIMCO Edit? For writing, correcting and checking NC programs, yes: it has syntax highlighting, renumbering, shift, scale, mirror and rotate, file compare and, in the Enterprise edition, a 3D backplotter. It does not offer solid or machine simulation and has no built-in DNC; programs are sent to machines with DNC Precision, a separate product.

Can I use Notepad++ or VS Code for G code? Yes, for reading and small changes. Notepad++ needs a user-defined language file or a plug-in for G-code highlighting and the Compare plug-in for side-by-side compare; VS Code needs a G-code extension. Neither has a backplot, and Notepad++ has no CNC tools such as renumbering or axis transformations.

Does CNC Syntax Editor need plug-ins? No. Highlighting and the CNC tools are built in, and the installer adds Microsoft WinDiff for file compare when Windows does not include it. That matters on shop-floor PCs where IT does not allow plug-ins.

Does CNC Syntax Editor need an internet connection? Only once, to activate the licence online or by email. If the PC is fully offline, the licence can be copied over on a USB drive from a computer that has internet. After activation, the editor works without an internet connection.

Is there a free version of CNC Syntax Editor? Yes. The Free Edition opens programs up to 16 KB and may be used for personal and commercial work. The trial of the Professional and Enterprise editions saves your work and has no 30-minute limit.

Information about other products comes from their publishers' public websites and shops, checked on 2 November 2026, and may change: CIMCO shop, CIMCO Edit, CIMCO Edit Core and Ultra. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.