CKEditor 5 vs BlockNote

CKEditor 59.3Visit BlockNote7.4Visit

Higher score CKEditor 5 #1 in Rich Text Editor Software 9.3/10 Free plan · 14-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 3 of 3 features Visit CKEditor 5

vs

BlockNote #11 in Rich Text Editor Software 7.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 3 of 3 features Visit BlockNote

• CKEditor 5 fits best

  Teams needing a complete production editor

• BlockNote fits best

  React teams building block-based documents

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Side by side

Feature	CKEditor 5 9.3/10 Visit ↗	BlockNote 7.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	7.4
Ranking	#1 in Rich Text Editor Software	#11 in Rich Text Editor Software
Best for	Teams needing a complete production editor	React teams building block-based documents
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Starting price	$144/mo	$195/unit/mo
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	14 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Self-hosted
Platforms	Web, iOS, Android	Web
Support	Community, Docs, Tickets	Docs, Community
Integrations	15 integrations	7 integrations
Built for	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features CKEditor 5 3/3 · BlockNote 3/3
Structured content	✓	✓
Real-time collaboration	✓	✓
Table editing	✓	✓
Specs
Deployment	Both	Self_hosted
Framework support	Angular, React, Next.js, Nuxt, Vue.js, Svelte, Spring Boot, jQuery, Electron, Salesforce, SharePoint SPFx, Drupal, .NET, Laravel	React, Next.js, vanilla JavaScript, Mantine, Shadcn, Ariakit
Media handling	Image upload, drag and drop, clipboard and URL insertion; media embedding for YouTube, Vimeo, Spotify, Dailymotion, Instagram, Twitter, Google Maps, Flickr and Facebook	Images, video, audio, and file blocks with configurable file uploads
Our review
Pros	Structured content model with tables, media, and customizable builds Real-time collaboration, comments, track changes, and revision history Framework integrations plus cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployment options	Nested blocks, custom schemas, tables, media, and comments Real-time collaboration through Yjs providers Free Community tier with broad editor and UI capabilities
Cons	Self-hosted deployment is available only with the Custom plan Professional collaboration features are not included in Essential Paid plans start at $144 per month with annual billing	Commercial use of selected XL packages requires a paid license Business pricing starts at $195 per month Business covers one application per license
Our verdict	CKEditor 5 is a JavaScript rich-text editing framework for developers adding content creation to web applications and business software. Its plugin-based architecture supports customizable editor builds, structured tree-based content,… Read the review →	BlockNote is an open-source, block-based rich text editor for teams embedding structured document editing into web applications. It is particularly suited to React teams building editors with nested content, custom block types,… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• CKEditor 5 — where it wins

  • Structured content model with tables, media, and customizable builds
  • Real-time collaboration, comments, track changes, and revision history
  • Framework integrations plus cloud-hosted and self-hosted deployment options

  Where it doesn't

  • Self-hosted deployment is available only with the Custom plan
  • Professional collaboration features are not included in Essential
  • Paid plans start at $144 per month with annual billing

• BlockNote — where it wins

  • Nested blocks, custom schemas, tables, media, and comments
  • Real-time collaboration through Yjs providers
  • Free Community tier with broad editor and UI capabilities

  Where it doesn't

  • Commercial use of selected XL packages requires a paid license
  • Business pricing starts at $195 per month
  • Business covers one application per license

• CKEditor 59.3/10 · Free plan · 14-day trial

  A structured editor framework with collaboration, media, export, and flexible deployment.

  Visit CKEditor 5Full verdict →
• BlockNote7.4/10 · Free plan

  A flexible React editor for structured documents, collaboration, and custom block experiences.

  Visit BlockNoteFull verdict →