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BBEdit 16 Brings In-Image Grep Search, Streaming AI and Much Faster SFTP

BBEdit 16 modernizes automation and AI workflows to speed common developer and power-user tasks.

Overview

  • BBEdit 16 was released on May 21, 2026, and is sold for $60 with upgrades priced at $29.99 for recent BBEdit 15 buyers and $39.99 for older users, while customers who bought BBEdit 15 on or after November 1, 2025, get a free upgrade.
  • The update adds multi-file text search inside images with OCR and full grep/pattern support so users can find text in screenshots, photos, and other image assets from BBEdit’s existing search interface.
  • BBEdit exposes a broad set of text-transformation actions to macOS Shortcuts via App Intents, letting Shortcuts run operations like sort, delete or replace-with-grep without BBEdit being visibly open.
  • AI Worksheets now support streaming API responses so results appear as they arrive, and BBEdit can query providers for current model lists to let users pick available LLM models directly.
  • Under-the-hood work delivers large performance gains, with SFTP transfers reported as one to two orders of magnitude faster, improved emoji handling, Notebook indexing and per-project color schemes, and the app keeps its Free Mode and a reset 30-day trial.