Is Notepad++ or Steampipe better?

Neither clearly leads. Notepad++ starts at Free and Steampipe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.

Which is cheaper, Notepad++ or Steampipe?

Notepad++ starts at Free and Steampipe at Free.

Does Notepad++ or Steampipe run on more platforms?

Notepad++ runs on windows. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.

Can I use Notepad++ for free?

Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.

What is Notepad++ best used for?

Notepad++ is most often used for quick editing of code and config files on windows, batch find-and-replace across multiple files with regex, lightweight alternative to a full ide for scripting, viewing and editing logs or large text files. Of those, quick editing of code and config files on windows and batch find-and-replace across multiple files with regex are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.

What can Notepad++ do that Steampipe cannot?

Notepad++ covers Syntax Highlighting, Tabbed Editing, Plugin System, Regular Expression Search. Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Developer Tools · head to head

Notepad++ vs Steampipe

Notepad++

Developer Tools

Free, lightweight source code and text editor for Windows

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

Steampipe

Developer Tools

Query cloud APIs, SaaS tools and code with SQL, with no extract or load step

From: Free
Rated: -

Full review Website

The short version

Each has a real cost: Notepad++ windows-only, with no official native macOS or Linux build.; Steampipe aGPL-3.0 across all four engines is a procurement blocker at organisations that ban the licence outright, and the network clause reaches any internal portal or service that puts a web interface in front of it.
They diverge on capability: Notepad++ covers Syntax Highlighting, Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs.
Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Notepad++ and Steampipe actually diverge.

Attributes where Notepad++ and Steampipe differ
Attribute	Notepad++	Steampipe
Pricing model	open-source	Open source, with paid hosting through Turbot Pipes
Platforms	windows	macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web
Founded	2003	Unknown

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Developer Tools).

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 Notepad++

Syntax Highlighting
Tabbed Editing
Plugin System
Regular Expression Search
Function List

Only in Steampipe

SQL over live APIs
Wide plugin set
Embedded Postgres
Compliance benchmarks
Joins across providers
Hosted option

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Notepad++

Quick editing of code and config files on Windowsnot Steampipe
Batch find-and-replace across multiple files with regexnot Steampipe
Lightweight alternative to a full IDE for scriptingnot Steampipe
Viewing and editing logs or large text filesnot Steampipe

Steampipe

Security teams answering posture questions against live cloud accounts rather than a nightly exportnot Notepad++
Compliance evidence gathering where the answer must reflect the account at the moment it is askednot Notepad++
Inventory and drift questions spanning several cloud providers in one querynot Notepad++
Engineers who would rather write SQL than learn each provider command line toolnot Notepad++

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

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.

Steampipe

AGPL-3.0 across all four engines is a procurement blocker at organisations that ban the licence outright, and the network clause reaches any internal portal or service that puts a web interface in front of it.
Dashboards, benchmarks and mods were removed from Steampipe entirely at version 1.0 in October 2024 and now live in a separate product, so pre-2024 documentation and tutorials describe commands that no longer exist.
Live querying is bound by cloud provider API rate limits and keeps no persistent store by default, which is why a separate DuckDB-backed product exists for log volumes and why large accounts return slowly.
The company is fifteen people and bootstrapped, maintaining four command line tools plus a hosted service plus two further products, and the newer tools have thin community traction relative to that surface area.
Hosted tiers include only three users regardless of tier, with additional Enterprise users charged separately, so a team of thirty costs an order of magnitude more than the headline figure before compute and storage are counted.

Pricing, plan by plan

Notepad++

Free

FreeFree
- Full editor and plugin ecosystem, no paid tiers

Steampipe

Free

Steampipe CLIFree
- AGPL-3.0
- All plugins
- No user or query limits
Pipes DeveloperFree
- One user
- 400 compute minutes
- 3GB storage
Pipes Team$49/month
- Three users
- 2,000 compute minutes
- 20GB storage
Pipes Enterprise$249/month
- Three users
- 10,000 compute minutes
- 100GB storage

Which should you pick?

Choose Notepad++ if

You need syntax highlighting.
You want to start without paying.
You work on windows.
You also want tabbed editing.

Notepad++ review

Choose Steampipe if

You need sql over live apis.
You want to start without paying.
You work on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
You also want wide plugin set.

Steampipe review

Questions people ask

Is Notepad++ or Steampipe better?: Neither clearly leads. Notepad++ starts at Free and Steampipe at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Notepad++ or Steampipe?: Notepad++ starts at Free and Steampipe at Free.
Does Notepad++ or Steampipe run on more platforms?: Notepad++ runs on windows. Steampipe runs on macOS, Linux, Windows, Docker, Web.
Can I use Notepad++ for free?: Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Notepad++ best used for?: Notepad++ is most often used for quick editing of code and config files on windows, batch find-and-replace across multiple files with regex, lightweight alternative to a full ide for scripting, viewing and editing logs or large text files. Of those, quick editing of code and config files on windows and batch find-and-replace across multiple files with regex are not what Steampipe is typically brought in for.
What can Notepad++ do that Steampipe cannot?: Notepad++ covers Syntax Highlighting, Tabbed Editing, Plugin System, Regular Expression Search. Steampipe covers SQL over live APIs, Wide plugin set, Embedded Postgres, Compliance benchmarks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Notepad++: Is Notepad++ free?

Yes, Notepad++ is free and open-source software distributed under the GNU General Public License, with no paid tiers.

Source

Steampipe: When did Steampipe become AGPL?

May 2021, about four months after the project went public. It is a settled licence rather than a recent change, and predates the Business Source Licence wave it is often confused with.

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.

Source

Steampipe: Where did the dashboards and benchmarks go?

Into Powerpipe. They were deprecated in March 2024 and removed from Steampipe at version 1.0 in October 2024, so the check, dashboard, mod and variable commands are gone.

Notepad++: Which operating systems does Notepad++ support?

Notepad++ runs exclusively on Microsoft Windows; there is no official native build for macOS or Linux.

Source

Steampipe: Is it fast on a large cloud estate?

Not always. Queries call provider APIs at request time, so rate limits rather than query planning set the pace, and there is no persistent store by default.

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.

Source

Steampipe: Does the AGPL affect internal use?

Running it internally for your own analysis is fine. Putting a web interface in front of it that other people use is where the network clause becomes a question for your legal team.

Notepad++: 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.

Source

Steampipe: Is a bootstrapped vendor a risk?

It cuts both ways. There is no investor pressure toward a licence change or an exit, and there are also fifteen people supporting a large product surface.

Notepad++ vs Steampipe

Notepad++

Steampipe

The short version

Where they differ

What each one covers

Only in Notepad++

Only in Steampipe

What people use each for

Notepad++

Steampipe

Where each one falls short

Notepad++

Steampipe

Pricing, plan by plan

Notepad++

Steampipe

Which should you pick?

Choose Notepad++ if

Choose Steampipe if

Questions people ask

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Related pages

More on Notepad++

More on Steampipe

Keep looking

Other head to heads