Rich text editor libraries put a formatting surface into your own web product, from a comment box to a document tool.
We rank by what the first ninety days cost in developer time, how licence or load charges grow, how content leaves in JSON, HTML or Markdown, and who stands behind the code.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What rich text editor libraries software does
A rich text editor library is embeddable code that lets users format text in a browser, then returns the content as HTML, JSON or Markdown for the host application.
Each rich text editor libraries tool was put through the same five questions, in sequence: how hard is setup, what does it really cost, how does data come back out, can you leave, and who is it for. A challenger rule applies on top. Places 1 to 3 are kept for lesser-known vendors when the category has them; large brands rank from 4. Why those five, and why there is no score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
MIT-licensed editor from a Berlin company that sells cloud documents
Ranked #1 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Open sourcePublished pricingEurope
Tiptap Editor is MIT-licensed and the pricing page charges for platform features and cloud documents instead. Start lists 500 cloud documents per environment and 2 developer licences, Team lists 5,000 documents and 5 licences, and Business lists 50,000 documents and 10 licences.
Start and Team come with a 30-day trial without a card. Annual billing takes 20% off. Extra developer licences are billed per developer, so a growing team pays more even when document counts stay put.
What stands out
Cloud documents
MIT editor core
Developer licences
Where it costs you
The Business plan costs $1,199 a month on monthly billing, with the currency unnamed on the page.
Refunds are not offered, and extra developer licences are charged per developer per month.
Right for
Teams that want a MIT editor core and will pay only for hosted documents
Wrong for
Projects needing a fixed price for every feature
GermanyOpen source editor at no cost; cloud plans published monthly or annual, 30-day trial on two of them
Block-based React editor with a core open to personal and commercial use
Ranked #2 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Open sourcePublished pricingElsewhere
The BlockNote home page lists React as the framework, with Mantine, shadcn/ui and headless use mentioned. Real-time collaboration runs on Yjs, and the example shows a self-hosted Yjs WebSocket server; the page offers no hosted service.
XL packages cover AI integration, PDF, Word and ODT export and multi-column layouts. They are GPL-3.0 for open source projects, so a closed source product has to ask about a subscription before it can ship them.
What stands out
Block editor
React
Yjs collaboration
Where it costs you
The subscription for closed source use of the XL packages has no price on the page.
The site names a maintainer team but no company, owner or country.
Right for
React teams that want a block-style editor with AI and export extras
Wrong for
Teams working outside React or needing a priced contract
Not stated by the vendorCore editor free of charge; XL packages open under GPL-3.0, closed source projects subscribe at an unshown price
Block editor that stores content as JSON, run by a non-profit team
Ranked #3 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Editor.js ships a plugin system with an API for custom blocks, inline formatting and block tunes, plus dozens of ready-made blocks. Output is JSON that records each block's data, which keeps content portable between front ends.
CodeX maintains it and the site asks for optional sponsorship at $2 or $10 a month, or a one-time donation. Nothing on the page names a country, a framework or a support contract, so production users depend on community answers.
What stands out
Block-style
JSON output
Plugin API
Where it costs you
Framework support and hosting model are not stated on the page.
Content is JSON blocks, so a rendering step is needed to produce page HTML.
Right for
Developers who want structured block data rather than a stream of HTML
Wrong for
Authors who expect finished HTML output out of the box
Not stated by the vendorApache 2 licence; sponsorship tiers and one-time donations are optional, no product price stated
API-driven editor that reads and writes JSON, now at version 2
Ranked #4 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Quill's home page puts the API first: content goes in and out as JSON, and the page shows v2.0.3. The licence is BSD-3-Clause, taken from the slab/quill repository, which is active rather than archived.
The site mentions use in small projects and by Fortune 500 companies but offers no plans, no support tiers and no statement about who stands behind it. That is a fair trade for a library, and a gap for a regulated buyer.
What stands out
JSON in and out
API-driven
BSD licence
Where it costs you
No maintainer company, support offer or country is stated on the site.
Framework support is not stated, so wrappers are your own research.
Right for
Developers wanting a small API-first editor that keeps every document as JSON
Wrong for
Buyers who need a vendor, a plan or support terms
Not stated by the vendorBSD-3-Clause licence; the site lists no plans, price or support offer
Editor for messages and comments, maintained by 37signals
Ranked #5 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Trix focuses on a document model that supports embedded attachments and outputs consistent HTML, aimed at messages, comments, articles and lists. The repository sits under the basecamp organisation, shows active issues and pull requests, and carries an MIT-style licence.
The site lists no tiers, no hosted option and no country. Because it describes only writing use cases, buyers who need richer layouts or shared editing should check other entries before committing.
What stands out
Attachments
HTML output
37signals
Where it costs you
The pages read mention no real-time collaboration or framework wrappers.
No country of establishment is given for the maintainer.
Right for
Teams adding a comment or message box with attachments to an app
Wrong for
Products needing collaboration, tables or block layouts
Not stated by the vendorMIT licence; the site shows no plans, pricing or hosted service
Toolkit for building editors, funded by supporting companies
Ranked #6 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
ProseMirror's page describes a modular toolkit with extensible schemas, a plugin system and collaborative editing, working on recent Firefox, Chrome, Safari and Edge as well as Internet Explorer 11.
The site calls it free and open source, but the licence name is not stated there. Supporters listed include Posit, The New York Times, Tiptap and Asana, and development runs on a Forgejo host. No support plan or country is shown.
What stands out
Toolkit
Schemas
Collaborative editing
Where it costs you
The page does not name the licence, so check the repository before shipping.
It is a toolkit, so every editor feature beyond the core is your build.
Right for
Engineering teams building a custom editor on top of a flexible schema
Wrong for
Teams wanting a ready toolbar and quick start
Not stated by the vendorFree to use; the page asks profiting businesses to fund maintenance, no plan or price
Plugin-driven Markdown editor framework that ships without styling
Ranked #7 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Milkdown pitches Markdown first: documents are Markdown, edited visually, with Remark in the stack beside ProseMirror and Y.js. Real-time collaboration comes through Y.js. The headless approach gives full control of appearance, at the price of writing the interface layer.
The footer and repository state the MIT licence, and copyright is credited to Mirone and Meo. The page gives no plans or support offer, so budget developer time rather than licence money.
What stands out
Markdown WYSIWYG
Headless CSS
Y.js
Where it costs you
No company, framework statement or hosting model appears on the page read.
Shipping without CSS means styling the editor is your task.
Right for
Apps that already store Markdown and want a visual editing surface on top
Wrong for
Teams who need a ready-made styled editor and support
Not stated by the vendorMIT licence per footer and repository; no pricing or plans stated
MIT-licensed editor toolkit installed through shadcn components by one author
Ranked #8 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Plate's repository badge and LICENSE link state MIT. The site shows an install command through shadcn for an AI editor component, which implies React without confirming it. One author, zbeyens, is credited, and no company, plans or support terms appear.
A Templates link leads to pro.platejs.org, a page outside our sources, so we make no claim about paid templates. Treat it as a community codebase until a vendor statement says otherwise.
What stands out
shadcn install
MIT source
Templates link
Where it costs you
Framework, hosting model and country are not stated on the pages read.
A separate pro site is linked but was not checked, so paid terms are unknown.
Right for
Developers already working with shadcn components who want an MIT editor
Wrong for
Buyers who need stated pricing or a named company
Not stated by the vendorSource on GitHub under the MIT licence; the site shows no pricing or plan details
Editor billed per editor load, from a Polish company
Ranked #9 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Published pricingEurope
CKEditor's pricing page lists four plans. The $0 plan allows 1,000 loads a month, then $60 per 1,000, with five Word or PDF conversions a month.
Essential is $160 a month ($144 on the annual toggle) with 5,000 loads, Professional is $319 ($289) with 20,000, and Custom is quoted for higher volumes and self-hosted or cloud use. Essential and Professional offer US or EU regions and a 14-day trial. The contact page shows Polish offices.
What stands out
Per-editor-load
Cloud regions
Add-ons
Where it costs you
The $0 plan is limited to the US cloud region and shows a watermark.
AI, CKBox, Image Optimizer and Collaboration are priced separately from the plans.
Right for
Companies wanting vendor support and loads-based pricing across several applications
Wrong for
Teams that need every feature inside one flat fee
PolandPlan ladder published monthly or annual; an entry plan exists with load limits and a watermark
Cloud plans by editor load beside a GPL2+ self-hosted edition
Ranked #10 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Open sourceSelf-hostablePublished pricingElsewhere
TinyMCE's page shows Cloud Free with 1,000 loads a month on one domain plus subdomains and a 14-day trial of advanced features. Essential is $79 a month paid annually with 5,000 loads, Professional is $145 with 20,000, and each charges $40 per 1,000 beyond that.
Enterprise is on request with multiple domains. The open source edition lists 12 integrations. Currency is not named beside the dollar sign, and the legal pages we tried returned 404.
What stands out
Editor loads
GPL2+ edition
Priced add-ons
Where it costs you
Add-ons such as Export to PDF, Import from Word and TinyMCE AI are billed separately.
The provider's country was not stated, and privacy and terms pages returned 404.
Right for
Sites that want a cloud editor with a load-based ladder
Wrong for
Projects that cannot accept GPL2+ terms on self-hosting
Not stated by the vendorCloud ladder published with an entry tier; open source edition under GPL2+, enterprise on request
MIT editor with an optional PRO plugin pack, owner not named
Ranked #11 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Jodit's page lists React through the jodit-react wrapper, Next.js, Angular, Vue.js, Svelte, Node.js and Joomla, and plain JavaScript through npm.
PRO bundles more than 20 plugins such as Export to PDF, Paste from Word and Google Maps, plus priority support, and points to a separate PRO page for terms. We could not verify its price. No company or country is named on the page.
What stands out
PRO plugins
Framework wrappers
MIT licence
Where it costs you
The PRO price and currency are not shown on the page read.
No owner, company or country is stated.
Right for
Developers wanting a free MIT editor that works across many front-end stacks
Wrong for
Buyers needing a named company before paying for PRO
Not stated by the vendorMIT licence for the editor; Jodit PRO adds paid plugins at an unshown price
Lightweight Bootstrap editor kept up by its community
Ranked #12 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Summernote describes itself as a super simple editor built on Bootstrap and jQuery, version 0.9.0, supporting Bootstrap 3.x to 5.x. At about 100KiB it counts as light, and it supports Safari, Chrome, Firefox and Edge on Windows, macOS and Linux.
Options and modules allow customisation. The Summernote team is called community maintained, and the page names no company, no pricing and no country.
What stands out
Bootstrap 3 to 5
jQuery based
About 100KiB
Where it costs you
It depends on both Bootstrap and jQuery.
No company, support offer or country is stated on the site.
Right for
Existing Bootstrap and jQuery sites needing a quick, small editor in place
Wrong for
Component-based apps or buyers wanting vendor support
Not stated by the vendorMIT licence; the site states no price, plan or commercial offer
Licence-based editor sold per year or as a lifetime purchase
Ranked #13 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Froala's cart page shows Professional at $899 a year list ($719 on the sale) or $2,699 lifetime, and Enterprise at $1,999 a year or $5,999 lifetime with unlimited products under a wildcard key.
Platinum support adds $499 a year. The site supports more than 15 frameworks and installs by download or npm. A sister company, Filestack, is mentioned; the dollar sign has no currency named.
What stands out
Lifetime licence
Domain-limited
15 frameworks
Where it costs you
Professional covers one product on up to 3 domains only.
The company country is not stated, and the trial carries a watermark.
Right for
Commercial products that prefer a yearly or lifetime licence over per-load billing
Wrong for
Several products on one plan without upgrading
Not stated by the vendorLicences listed per year or lifetime, with a 30-day watermarked trial; tax excluded
Lightweight, accessible editor framework published by Meta Platforms
Ranked #14 of 14 in Best Rich Text Editor Libraries in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Lexical's site calls it a very lightweight framework, with packages for lists, links and tables added through a plugin interface. It claims to follow WCAG best practices and to work with screen readers.
The GitHub repository shows an MIT licence with copyright 2026 Meta Platforms, Inc., and is not archived. No pricing, framework requirement or country is stated on the site.
What stands out
Plugin interface
WCAG practices
Meta Platforms
Where it costs you
No support plan, price or country is stated on the pages read.
It is owned by Meta Platforms, so roadmap control is not with its users.
Right for
Teams that value screen reader support and a small modular editor core
Wrong for
Buyers who need a vendor contract or paid support
Not stated by the vendorMIT licence; the site states no plans, pricing or framework requirement
A rich text editor library is embeddable code that lets users format text in a browser, then returns the content as HTML, JSON or Markdown for the host application. Work through these questions in order; they separate the products better than a feature matrix does.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
9 vendors on this page sell by quote, while 5 publish a pricing model you can read today: Tiptap, BlockNote, ProseMirror, CKEditor, TinyMCE.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
The vendors on this page are based in 3 countries (Elsewhere 12, Europe 2). The country of the contracting company sets which authorities can ask it for your data, whatever the hosting region.
03
Check the open source options
Open source here means Tiptap, BlockNote, TinyMCE. The price of self-hosting is the time your team spends maintaining it.
Rich text editor libraries: find the billing unit first
The cost of a rich text editor library depends on what the vendor counts. CKEditor and TinyMCE count editor loads, so a busy page raises the bill, while Tiptap counts cloud documents and developer licences. Froala sells licences by year or lifetime with unlimited loads, but limits a plan to a set number of domains. Summernote, Quill, Trix and Lexical state no price at all.
Before shortlisting, estimate monthly page views that mount the editor, the number of documents users create and your developer headcount, then price each vendor against those three numbers instead of the headline plan. A forecast that doubles traffic shows quickly which model stays predictable and which one climbs steeply.
Estimate monthly editor loads, stored documents and developer seats
Check which plan covers your number of domains and products
Ask which add-ons a normal build needs, such as export or AI
Licence terms across BlockNote, TinyMCE and Jodit
Open source does not mean one thing here. Tiptap Editor, Trix, Milkdown, Lexical and Jodit state MIT, Quill states BSD-3-Clause, while the TinyMCE open source edition is GPL2+ and the BlockNote XL packages are GPL-3.0 for open source projects, with closed source use needing a subscription.
Jodit PRO and CKEditor add-ons are paid layers on a free core. ProseMirror's page does not name its licence at all. A copyleft licence can force your own code open if you ship the editor in a closed product, so read the licence file in the repository, not the marketing line. Keep a copy of the licence text you reviewed, with the date, in your records.
Read the licence file in the repository for the exact version
Separate the free core from paid packages you may need
Ask legal whether copyleft terms fit a closed source product
Content formats: Editor.js, Trix and Milkdown compared
What the editor returns decides how hard it is to leave. Editor.js and Quill return JSON, which keeps structure but means you write the code that turns it into page HTML. Trix returns consistent HTML with attachments. Milkdown works in Markdown, which any later tool can read. Milkdown and ProseMirror work from a schema, so a different editor must map those documents back.
Test an export before committing: save ten real documents, load them into a second tool, and note what is lost, especially embedded files, tables and custom blocks. Also ask who owns the code that converts stored content, because that converter often becomes the real lock-in, and whether it is documented well enough for a successor to maintain.
Export ten real documents and re-import them somewhere else
Check how attachments and images are stored
Confirm who writes the JSON or Markdown renderer
Framework fit and collaboration in editor libraries
Some libraries assume a framework, others avoid one. BlockNote targets React, Plate installs through shadcn, Summernote needs Bootstrap and jQuery, and Jodit lists wrappers for React, Next.js, Angular, Vue.js and Svelte. Froala supports more than 15 frameworks. Collaboration is a separate question: BlockNote and Milkdown use Yjs, and ProseMirror lists collaborative editing, while Trix and Summernote mention none.
Decide whether users edit one document together before you shop, because adding it later to an editor without it means a rewrite rather than a plugin. Test it with a realistic number of simultaneous users, and also confirm whether the collaboration server is yours to run, as BlockNote's example shows a self-hosted Yjs WebSocket server.
Name your front-end framework and confirm a maintained wrapper
Decide now whether shared editing is needed
Check who hosts the collaboration server and what it costs
What goes wrong most often when buying rich text editor libraries software
Choosing a toolkit such as ProseMirror when the team needs a finished editor within weeks.
Counting only the base plan and forgetting export, AI and media add-ons that CKEditor and TinyMCE price separately.
Reading a GPL-3.0 or GPL2+ edition as permissive and shipping it inside closed source code.
Picking an editor without testing how its stored content converts into another tool later.
07
Frequently asked questions
8 answers
What is the best rich text editor libraries in 2026?
Tiptap takes first place among the 14 we reviewed. Tiptap GmbH, named in its privacy policy with a Berlin address, keeps the editor MIT-licensed and charges only for cloud documents and platform features.
That suits a small team that wants to start without a licence bill. The catch is the ladder: plans carry a dollar sign with no currency named, Business reaches $999 a month on annual billing, and refunds are not offered.
Which rich text editor libraries tools publish their pricing?
5 of the 14, with the pricing model each one publishes:
Tiptap: Open source editor at no cost; cloud plans published monthly or annual, 30-day trial on two of them.
BlockNote: Core editor free of charge; XL packages open under GPL-3.0, closed source projects subscribe at an unshown price.
ProseMirror: Free to use; the page asks profiting businesses to fund maintenance, no plan or price.
CKEditor: Plan ladder published monthly or annual; an entry plan exists with load limits and a watermark.
TinyMCE: Cloud ladder published with an entry tier; open source edition under GPL2+, enterprise on request.
The other 9 quote per organisation.
Is there a free rich text editor libraries tool?
ProseMirror come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these rich text editor libraries vendors established?
In 3 countries across 2 regions: Elsewhere 12, Europe 2.
Tiptap: Germany.
BlockNote: Not stated by the vendor.
Editor.js: Not stated by the vendor.
Quill: Not stated by the vendor.
Trix: Not stated by the vendor.
ProseMirror: Not stated by the vendor.
Milkdown: Not stated by the vendor.
Plate: Not stated by the vendor.
CKEditor: Poland.
TinyMCE: Not stated by the vendor.
Jodit: Not stated by the vendor.
Summernote: Not stated by the vendor.
Froala: Not stated by the vendor.
Lexical: Not stated by the vendor.
Which rich text editor libraries tools are open source?
Tiptap, BlockNote, TinyMCE.
Which rich text editor libraries tools can you host yourself?
TinyMCE. The remaining 13 run only on the vendor's servers.
What should you use instead of Tiptap?
The next in line are BlockNote, aimed at React teams that want a block-style editor with AI and export extras, and Editor.js, aimed at Developers who want structured block data rather than a stream of HTML.
Who should not buy Tiptap?
Projects needing a fixed price for every feature. The Business plan costs $1,199 a month on monthly billing, with the currency unnamed on the page..
Makers of rich text editor libraries products can ask us to look at theirs. Say what it does and who uses it. We choose what to add, and nothing can be bought; see software advice for what a listing means.
