The Best WYSIWYG Editors: A Comprehensive Guide
- Posted on
- By Justin Imperial
- In Editor, General
Table of contents
- What is a WYSIWYG Editor, and why do we need one
- 10 Best JavaScript WYSIWYG editors
- Froala Editor
- Pricing
- Limitations
- CKEditor
- Pricing
- Limitations
- TinyMCE
- Pricing
- Limitations
- Mercury
- Pricing
- Limitations
- Redactor
- Pricing
- Limitations
- ScribeJS
- Pricing
- Limitations
- QuillJS
- Pricing
- Limitations
- Aloha Editor
- Pricing
- Limitations
- Bootstrap WYSIWYG Editor
- Pricing
- Limitations
- CLEditor
- Pricing
- Limitations
- Comparison of the best JavaScript WYSIWYG editors
- How to choose the best WYSIWYG editor for your needs
- Tips on using WYSIWYG Editor
- Conclusion

What is a WYSIWYG Editor, and why do we need one
I get it—coding can be exhausting sometimes, even for the most dedicated developers. It takes a lot of energy and focus to constantly double-check our syntax and ensure everything is in order. And if you’re like me, there are days when you’d rather skip that part altogether. Now, what if you’re not a developer at all but a designer? Your passion lies in colors, aesthetics, and bringing creative ideas to life, not writing lines of code. We need an option to create a stunning web page without diving into complex coding. Honestly, even developers want it sometimes!
That’s why we need WYSIWYG HTML editors, and trust me, they’re a game-changer. These tools let us focus on creating rather than coding. There are plenty of WYSIWYG editors out there, but I’ll help you find the best WYSIWYG editor to suit your needs.
WYSIWYG stands for “What You See Is What You Get.” It’s a tool that allows us to create visual content without the need for manual coding. We can design effortlessly with a user interface that mirrors the final output—whether it’s a web page or document. Features like text formatting, font selection, and image insertion make the process intuitive and enjoyable. Whether for website design, email marketing, or managing content, WYSIWYG editors simplify the journey and save us time, leaving more room for creativity.

10 Best JavaScript WYSIWYG editors
Finding the best HTML editor on the market can be challenging, so we’ve provided you with the top 10 best JavaScript HTML editors. Each editor has its pros and cons so at the end of the day, it really depends on your needs.
Froala Editor
First on the list is, of course, our own editor Froala. Froala is a responsive and customizable JavaScript WYSIWYG HTML text editor that offers a range of formatting options with its simple interface. Its clean and modern interface makes it easy for both beginners and advanced users to familiarize themselves with it. It complements existing editors, like WordPress and other applications easily because it is very lightweight. The spell-checker plugin makes it easy for writers to write content and its mobile-first approach makes it easy for developers to make responsive pages.
Pricing
Froala offers a free trial with limited capabilities. Paid subscription plans start from US$ 719/year.
Limitations
Froala is a premium tool, and its pricing can be high for small businesses or individuals. While it offers robust features, the cost may not justify the needs of those with simpler requirements.
CKEditor
CKEditor is a multifaceted editor since it helps users make various documents, emails, reports, and even chat messages. Its features like auto-formatting, spell detection, mentions, and copy-pasting from various applications like Microsoft Word make it a great editor. This editor is perfect when making content that is text heavy. Content such as news sites and blogs will benefit from CKEditor. Its revision history is great for editing your work.
Pricing
In CKEditor, you will get a 14-day free trial that includes all features and add-ons for all plans. Also, this tool provides a free plan with limited capabilities. The paid subscription plans start at US$ 144 per month when you pay annually.
Limitations
This tool also has feature limitations in the free version. The functionalities like export to Word and PDF, Advanced Productivity including like case change, enhanced paste from Word and Excel, merge fields, etc., and Advance Page Management features come with the paid plans.
TinyMCE
This HTML WYSIWYG editor is really good at being embedded into various web apps. TinyMCE is flexible in a way that it can be used as a basic or advanced editor. It is very customizable and allows content writers to use it to their specific needs. TinyMCE has accessibility features as well. For example, it has keyboard shortcuts for users with disabilities. And its features like WAI-ARIA, defines a way to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities.
Pricing
TinyMCE editor also offers a free cloud-hosted version of the open source editor. Its paid plans start at US$ 67 per month when you pay annually.
Limitations
While basic use is straightforward, taking full advantage of TinyMCE’s capabilities requires knowledge of web development and configuration of APIs.
Mercury
Mercury is easily configurable, letting users add or remove toolbar items or create new tools. It is also maintained by the community on Github, which means it is open-source. It is built on top of HTML5, meaning it natively supports all new HTML5 features.
Pricing
Mercury is an open-source tool, meaning it is free to use. Users can download and configure it without incurring any costs. Since it is maintained by the open-source community, there are no premium plans or licensing fees involved.
Limitations
- Lack of Official Support: Mercury does not offer official customer support, leaving users reliant on community forums and GitHub issues for help.
- Community-Driven Maintenance: Being community-maintained means slower updates and fewer guarantees regarding bug fixes or feature enhancements.
Redactor
To put it simply, this editor can create and edit images and videos. Redactor can also embed code if you want to do the nitty-gritty. And like many other tools on the list, Redactor can be customized as well. Its hybrid interface allows the toolbar to be customized. Lastly, it is fast and minimalistic.
Pricing
Redactor pricing plans start at US$499 per year for the Basis version, which includes Redactor only. You can subscribe for the plans with Email and AI plugins at a higher prices. It does not offer a free plan.
Limitations
- Cost: Redactor’s pricing can be on the higher side compared to some free or open-source editors, which may not be ideal for users on a tight budget.
- Limited Free Options: There is no completely free version of Redactor, limiting accessibility for users who only need basic features.
ScribeJS
Open-source comes to life with this editor. GitHub contributors actively maintains and develops Scribe.js since it’s an open-source software. It provides a simple and modular architecture. This means that makes it easy to create custom editing experiences. It also handle complex text formatting. This includes lists, tables, and inline styles like bold and italic. Scribe.js also has undo and redo. And as for plugins, images, video, and other media, Scribe.js can do the job.
Pricing
ScribeJS offers unlimited free public packages for public package authors. They offer a Pro subscription plan at US$ 7 per month for individual creators with unlimited public and private packages. For teams and organizations, they provide the Teams plan at US$ 7 per user per month with unlimited public and private packages.
Limitations
- Steep Learning Curve for Beginners: As an open-source tool with a modular architecture, ScribeJS may require technical expertise to configure, customize, and integrate properly.
- Limited Support: Being open-source, ScribeJS doesn’t offer dedicated customer support. Users must rely on community forums, GitHub discussions, or documentation for troubleshooting.
QuillJS
QuillJS is a lightweight visual HTML editor. Looking at it, it has a really simple user interface which doesn’t make it look intimidating to new users. Like Scribe.js, it is also an open-source project. It boasts modular architecture with expressive API, which makes it completely customizable despite its simplicity. QuillJS also supports all platforms.
Pricing
Quill is completely free and open-source, and available under the MIT license. Users can download, modify, and use it for personal and commercial projects without any cost.
Limitations
- Limited Out-of-the-Box Features: QuillJS provides a minimalistic core editor. Advanced functionalities such as tables, image resizing, or complex formatting require additional modules or third-party plugins.
- Customization Requires Technical Knowledge: While the modular architecture makes it customizable, users with limited coding experience may struggle to configure and extend the editor for specific needs.
- Lack of Official Support: As an open-source project, QuillJS relies on its community for support, bug fixes, and updates. Users may face delays in issue resolution if they encounter bugs or compatibility problems.
Aloha Editor
Aloha Editor makes it possible to edit websites directly, which is an awesome feature. It is lightweight, which makes it fast. Aloha Editor also allows the user to edit other content besides text, like videos, photos, graphics, and animation.
Pricing
Aloha Editor is an open-source tool and is available for free. There are no licensing fees, making it a cost-effective option for developers and businesses looking for a lightweight in-browser editing solution.
For commercial use, we can contact the Aloha Editor team for licensing options. Additionally, the license terms can be found on their GitHub repository.
Limitations
- Steep Learning Curve for Customization: While Aloha Editor is lightweight and modular, developers need technical expertise to extend its capabilities or integrate it into larger applications.
- Lack of Regular Updates: The editor has not seen frequent updates, which may result in compatibility issues with modern web standards or frameworks.
Bootstrap WYSIWYG Editor
Bootstrap WYSIWYG Editor is another lightweight plugin. It boasts its text editing features since it has a lot of customizability. It has text formatting, color, align, links, pictures, lists, and more. We can also use our own color palette if we think its preset colors are lacking. The editor also allows the user to disable or enable the tooltips if it annoys you. Perhaps one of its unique features is its custom translations.
Pricing
Bootstrap WYSIWYG Editor is free to use as it is an open-source plugin. It does not have any licensing costs, making it an affordable option for developers and businesses looking for a customizable text editor.
Limitations
- Requires Technical Expertise: While highly customizable, it requires coding knowledge and familiarity with Bootstrap for configuration and integration. Non-developers may struggle to use it effectively.
- Bootstrap Dependency: The editor heavily relies on the Bootstrap framework, which may not be ideal for projects that do not use Bootstrap.
CLEditor
CLEditor is a jQuery plugin that we can add to our web pages. It has cross-browser compatibility, text color, highlight color, font name, size, and style. We can also insert images and links. It’s pretty simple, but it gets the job done.
Pricing
CLEditor is an open-source tool and is available for free. There are no licensing fees, making it a cost-effective option for developers and small businesses who need a simple and lightweight WYSIWYG editor for their web pages.
Limitations
- No Official Support: Being an open-source tool, CLEditor does not provide official support or regular updates, which may result in compatibility issues with modern browsers or frameworks.
- Customization Challenges: Extending or customizing CLEditor may require additional coding knowledge, as it does not have a modular architecture like modern editors.
Comparison of the best JavaScript WYSIWYG editors
Tool | Pricing | Key Features | Limitations |
---|---|---|---|
Froala Editor | Free trial, Paid plans start at $719/year | Mobile-first design, highly customizable, lightweight, and responsive. | Premium pricing may be too high for small businesses or individuals. |
CKEditor | Free plan, Paid plans start at $144/month | Auto-formatting, spell check, revision history, Word and Excel support. | Free version lacks advanced features like PDF/Word export and advanced productivity tools. |
TinyMCE | Free version, Paid plans start at $67/month | Accessibility features, flexible API, keyboard shortcuts, highly customizable. | Full utilization requires web development knowledge and API configuration. |
Mercury | Free (Open-source) | Built on HTML5, configurable toolbars, open-source, community-maintained. | Lacks official support, slower updates, and limited guarantees on bug fixes or feature enhancements. |
Redactor | Paid plans start at $499/year | Supports image/video editing, code embedding, fast and minimalistic interface. | No free plan; pricing can be high compared to other editors. |
ScribeJS | Free plan, Pro at $7/month per user | Modular architecture, handles complex text formatting, supports plugins for media content. | Requires technical expertise; no official support for troubleshooting. |
QuillJS | Free (MIT License) | Lightweight, customizable via APIs, modular, simple user interface, platform agnostic. | Limited out-of-the-box features; technical knowledge required for customization. |
Aloha Editor | Free (Open-source) | Direct website editing, lightweight, supports multimedia content (videos, graphics, animation). | Steep learning curve for customization; infrequent updates may lead to compatibility issues. |
Bootstrap WYSIWYG | Free (Open-source) | Highly customizable, supports text formatting, colors, images, tooltips, and translations. | Requires Bootstrap framework and coding knowledge for integration; non-developers may face challenges. |
CLEditor | Free (Open-source) | Simple jQuery plugin, supports text formatting, image and link insertion, cross-browser compatible. | No official support, lacks modularity, and may face compatibility issues with modern web standards. |
How to choose the best WYSIWYG editor for your needs
When choosing, consider the features you need. May it be ease of use, formatting options, and compatibility with platforms you serve. Try to look for something that offers a user-friendly interface if you’re not a developer or a beginner. Support for file formats can be a necessity depending on the service you provide. Customization options are a plus too since it optimizes your workflow. Things like the ability to add custom fonts, themes and other extra features help with content creation. If you work with a team, consider collaborative features. If you want to integrate it with other apps, consider its integration process. Is it easy to troubleshoot or no? Ultimately, the right tool will depend on your specific needs and preferences.
Tips on using WYSIWYG Editor
Despite its ease of use, like any other tool, using a WYSIWYG editor can still be confusing so here are a few tips for making the most out of your WYSIWYG editor.
- Keep it simple: A clear and concise writing style and avoiding complex formatting helps readability.
- Use headings: Heading tags structure your content and make it easy for readers to skim.
- Avoid too much color: No need for many colors, the point is to read your content. Simple colors make it easy on the eyes and not distracting.
- Be consistent: Use a consistent font and formatting style throughout your document to maintain readability.
- Save frequently: Make sure to save your work often to prevent data loss.
- Use tables: Tables are great for organizing lists.
- Check for accessibility: Use alt tags for images. Ensure that your document is accessible to people with disabilities.
- Use bullets and lists: This makes content easy and fast to read.
- Preview your work: Preview your work to see errors and make adjustments immediately.
- Use the help documentation: You get surprised at the extra features your editor has when you check out the documentation.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we’ve talked about the importance of selecting the right features for your WYSIWYG editor, as well as tips for being productive when using it. Selecting features that are important to your specific needs and goals can help you create high-quality content effectively. Additionally, following tips such as previewing your work and being consistent in formatting can help maximize productivity.
The Froala WYSIWYG editor offers a user-friendly interface, mobile responsiveness, and a wide range of customization options. It is suitable for creating various types of content, including blog posts, emails, and web pages. The editor’s customizable toolbar makes it easy to use and efficient.
Choosing the best WYSIWYG editor is important because it can impact the quality and effectiveness of your content creation. Froala, CKEditor, TinyMCE, and many more are all popular options that offer various features and functionality to assist users in creating professional-looking content. By considering your specific needs and the features and functionality of different editors, you can make an informed decision and maximize your productivity. With the right WYSIWYG editor and effective use of its features, you can create high-quality content that meets your desired outcomes.
Justin Imperial
Justin is a web developer, writer, graphic designer and everything in between! He loves technology, philosophy, astronomy and more. He loves learning new thins and his curiosity is insatiable. On his free time, you can find him isolating himself while reading a book or playing video games or out with his friends.
No comment yet, add your voice below!