Cybersecurity · head to head
BigID vs Notepad++
BigID
Cybersecurity
Data discovery and classification across cloud, on-premise and unstructured stores
- From
- On request
- Free plan
- No
Notepad++
Developer Tools
Free, lightweight source code and text editor for Windows
- From
- Free
- Free plan
- Yes
The short version
- Only Notepad++ has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: BigID pricing scales with data sources and volume, so the cost rises exactly as the estate you need to scan grows, and the modules shown in a demo, including AI security posture and headless deployment, are frequently separate licences that appear only in the final quote.; Notepad++ windows-only, with no official native macOS or Linux build.
- They diverge on capability: BigID covers Structured and unstructured scanning, Notepad++ covers Syntax Highlighting.
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which BigID and Notepad++ actually diverge.
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in BigID
- Structured and unstructured scanning
- Identity correlation
- Data security posture management
- Access intelligence
- Privacy request support
- Retention and minimisation
- AI data controls
- Policy and remediation workflow
Only in Notepad++
- Syntax Highlighting
- Tabbed Editing
- Plugin System
- Regular Expression Search
- Function List
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
BigID
- A bank that has to prove which of thirty year old file shares contain customer identifiers before a data centre migrationnot Notepad++
- A privacy team that cannot fulfil deletion requests because nobody knows which unstructured stores hold a given customer’s recordsnot Notepad++
- A security team wanting to find sensitive data sitting in publicly readable object storage buckets before an attacker doesnot Notepad++
- A company building retrieval augmented AI that must exclude regulated personal data from the index it feeds to a modelnot Notepad++
Notepad++
- Quick editing of code and config files on Windowsnot BigID
- Batch find-and-replace across multiple files with regexnot BigID
- Lightweight alternative to a full IDE for scriptingnot BigID
- Viewing and editing logs or large text filesnot BigID
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
BigID
- Pricing scales with data sources and volume, so the cost rises exactly as the estate you need to scan grows, and the modules shown in a demo, including AI security posture and headless deployment, are frequently separate licences that appear only in the final quote.
- Scanning large unstructured estates is slow and computationally expensive, so most organisations sample rather than scan everything, which reintroduces uncertainty into the very question they bought the tool to settle.
- Classification accuracy on messy unstructured content requires tuning, and out of the box false positives on things like reference numbers create a large triage backlog that a small governance team cannot clear.
- It discovers and reports but does not remediate, so realising value requires a separate process and often separate tooling to actually delete, restrict or move the data it flags.
- It is built for large enterprises and both the price and the administrative overhead are disproportionate below a few thousand employees, where a lighter DSPM tool covers the security use case for far less.
Notepad++
- Windows-only, with no official native macOS or Linux build.
- Lacks built-in debugging or project/build management found in full IDEs.
- Plugin quality and maintenance varies since they are community-contributed.
- No built-in version control integration beyond what plugins provide.
Pricing, plan by plan
BigID
On request- BigID Platform$undefined/year
- Priced by number of data sources and data volume
- Discovery and classification core
- Optional DSPM, access intelligence and AI security modules licensed separately
Notepad++
Free- FreeFree
- Full editor and plugin ecosystem, no paid tiers
Which should you pick?
Choose BigID if
- You need structured and unstructured scanning.
- You work on Web, API, Self-hosted.
- You also want identity correlation.
Choose Notepad++ if
- You need syntax highlighting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on windows.
- You also want tabbed editing.
Questions people ask
- Is BigID or Notepad++ better?
- Neither clearly leads. BigID starts at On request and Notepad++ at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, BigID or Notepad++?
- Notepad++ has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for BigID and Free for Notepad++.
- Does BigID or Notepad++ run on more platforms?
- BigID runs on Web, API, Self-hosted. Notepad++ runs on windows.
- Can I use Notepad++ for free?
- Yes. Notepad++ has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. BigID starts at On request.
- What is BigID best used for?
- BigID is most often used for a bank that has to prove which of thirty year old file shares contain customer identifiers before a data centre migration, a privacy team that cannot fulfil deletion requests because nobody knows which unstructured stores hold a given customer’s records, a security team wanting to find sensitive data sitting in publicly readable object storage buckets before an attacker does, a company building retrieval augmented ai that must exclude regulated personal data from the index it feeds to a model. Of those, a bank that has to prove which of thirty year old file shares contain customer identifiers before a data centre migration and a privacy team that cannot fulfil deletion requests because nobody knows which unstructured stores hold a given customer’s records are not what Notepad++ is typically brought in for.
- What can BigID do that Notepad++ cannot?
- BigID covers Structured and unstructured scanning, Identity correlation, Data security posture management, Access intelligence. Notepad++ covers Syntax Highlighting, Tabbed Editing, Plugin System, Regular Expression Search.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
BigID: What does BigID cost?
It is quoted by data source count and volume. Reported contracts run from roughly 15,000 to 175,000 US dollars a year, and add-on modules such as AI security posture are licensed on top.
Notepad++: Is Notepad++ free?
Yes, Notepad++ is free and open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License, with no paid tiers.
SourceBigID: Does it handle unstructured data?
Yes, and that is its main advantage. It classifies data in files and shares and correlates findings back to individuals, not just to data types.
Notepad++: What license does Notepad++ use?
Notepad++ is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0 (GPLv2), meaning its source code is freely available and modifiable under GPL terms.
SourceBigID: Will it delete the data it finds?
Not by itself in most deployments. It identifies and routes findings; deletion and remediation happen through your own processes or connected systems.
Notepad++: Which operating systems does Notepad++ support?
Notepad++ runs exclusively on Microsoft Windows; there is no official native build for macOS or Linux.
SourceBigID: Is it a privacy tool or a security tool?
Both are sold from the same discovery core. Buyers increasingly come from security wanting data security posture management rather than from legal wanting privacy.
Notepad++: How do I install plugins in Notepad++?
Plugins are installed and managed through the built-in Plugins Admin (plugin manager), which lists community plugins available for download and update.
SourceNotepad++: Where can I get help or documentation for Notepad++?
Official documentation is at the User Manual site, and community support is available through the Notepad++ community forum and GitHub issue tracker.
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