Why Froala WYSIWYG HTML Editor Is The Best Lexical Alternative

Key Takeaways

Lexical is an extensible headless text editor framework, meaning we need to build the user interface ourselves. It has a limited number of ready-made features, though it is simple, lightweight, and offers the permissive MIT license. In contrast, Froala is a powerful WYSIWYG HTML editor with a wide range of basic and advanced features already implemented. It can be set up in under five minutes, allowing you to use it right away.

If you’re uncertain whether Froala or Lexical is the better fit for your project, this comparison will help you find the ideal solution. By the end of this article, you will clearly understand the key differences between Froala and Lexical.

Editor Setup and Initialization

To grasp the differences between Lexical and Froala, let’s explore how to basic setup them up by initializing each editor in Vanilla JS and examining their resulting interfaces.

In Lexical, the basic initialization code is

import {createEditor} from 'lexical';

const config = {
  namespace: 'MyEditor',
  theme: {
    ...
  },
  onError: console.error
};

const editor = createEditor(config);

const contentEditableElement = document.getElementById('editor');

editor.setRootElement(contentEditableElement);

This displays a very basic plain editable area to the users, with no toolbar or buttons to format the text. You still have to use the Lexical API to build the editor toolbar and add the required buttons one by one.

For Froala, you simply include the Froala Stylesheet and JavaScript files, then call the initialization function.

   var editor = new FroalaEditor('#example');

This will display the full-featured editor, enabling users to rich-edit content, including advanced features like inserting videos, images, and tables.

Built-in Features

Froala offers a wider range of features than Lexical, including more advanced rich-text editing capabilities. Additionally, Froala’s features are immediately available upon initialization, whereas Lexical requires extra steps to display them on the toolbars. Here’s a comparison between supported features in both editors.

Custom Features and Extensibility

Both Lexical and Froala offer powerful APIs that allow developers to extend their functionality through custom features and integrations. However, the level of effort required to do so differs between the two editors.

Integrations

Froala and Lexical are framework-agnostic editors, meaning they can be integrated with a wide variety of web development frameworks and libraries. However, the level of integration support and ease of use differs between the two editors.

Froala Integrations: Froala provides official SDKs and plugins to integrate the editor with popular front-end frameworks and libraries. These official integrations make it significantly easier to set up and customize the Froala editor within these frameworks. The SDKs handle the boilerplate code, event handling, and other integration details, allowing developers to focus on the core functionality.

Lexical Integrations: While Lexical is also framework-agnostic, it does not provide the same level of official integration support as Froala.

Integrating Lexical with a specific framework typically requires more manual setup and boilerplate code. This can result in more development time and effort, especially for projects that require tight integration with the surrounding application.

In addition to client framework SDKs, Froala also offers server SDKs, making uploading images and videos to your server a piece of cake.

In summary, Froala’s extensive integration support and official SDKs make it easier to set up and customize the editor within popular front-end frameworks, while Lexical requires more manual integration effort due to its more minimal, framework-agnostic approach.

License and Pricing

Lexical is an open-source project available under the MIT license, making it project-friendly. In contrast, using the Froala Editor requires purchasing one of its pricing plans based on your needs.

Lexical is free, but you will incur development costs to create and maintain your final solution, which may exceed the cost of Froala. Even if you are a developer, the time spent on development is a cost to consider.

Support

Froala is actively maintained by a dedicated professional team. It undergoes continuous development, with periodic releases that add new features and fix user-reported issues. For example, last week Froala V4.3 was released, which included a new, reliable advanced image editor as well as file uploading and cloud storage capabilities.

Froala vs. Lexical: Choosing the Optimal Rich Text Editing Solution for Your Project

Lexical’s API allows developers to create custom plugins and components to extend its functionality, but this requires more development effort compared to Froala’s built-in features. It’s the best solution if you don’t have money to buy Froala.

Froala, on the other hand, provides a wide range of pre-built plugins and customization options, making it easier to add new capabilities without extensive coding. This can be particularly beneficial for projects with limited development resources or tight timelines, as Froala’s comprehensive feature set can be leveraged more quickly.

Comparing an editor framework to a traditional editor may feel awkward, but we’ve aimed to provide helpful information to assist with your analysis. We suggest you supplement this comparison with your own research.

Before making your final choice, try Froala for free. The free trial provides you with all Froala features. Play, customize, choose wisely, and elevate your editing experience today!