Best Rich Text Editors of 2025

Use the comparison tool below to compare the top Rich Text Editors on the market. You can filter results by user reviews, pricing, features, platform, region, support options, integrations, and more.

Overview of Rich Text Editors

Rich text editors are the kind of tools that let you type out content and make it look how you want—bold some words, change colors, drop in links or images, and more—all without having to mess with code. They’re the behind-the-scenes magic that powers everything from blog posts and online forms to comment boxes and newsletters. If you’ve ever changed the font size or added a bullet list in an online editor, you’ve used one. It’s like having a mini word processor inside a website or app.

These editors are built to make content creation simple and accessible, even for folks who don’t have a tech background. Whether it’s a marketer writing a campaign or a student turning in an assignment, rich text editors smooth out the process. Some are super lightweight and basic, while others pack in advanced features like real-time collaboration or custom plugins. At the end of the day, they just make writing online a whole lot easier and more flexible.

What Features Do Rich Text Editors Provide?

1. Live Spellcheck: One of the most helpful features is the built-in spellcheck that scans your writing as you type. It flags misspellings and, in some cases, basic grammar issues too. It’s a lifesaver when you’re moving fast and don’t want to slow down to double-check every word. Most editors use squiggly underlines or highlights to make these easy to spot.
2. Embed Goodies Like Images and Videos: Modern rich text editors make it super easy to drop in images, video clips, or even audio files. Whether it’s uploading from your device, linking from the web, or embedding from platforms like YouTube, it’s all done right from the editor—no need to jump between tools. Some even let you resize, align, or add alt text right there on the spot.
3. Table Creator: Need to organize data or create a mini spreadsheet in your document? Tables got you covered. With just a few clicks, you can insert a grid, adjust column widths, merge cells, and even colorize rows. It’s simple and surprisingly powerful for laying out information cleanly.
4. Undo/Redo Buttons: We’ve all made a few wrong turns while editing. The undo and redo buttons let you quickly backtrack or redo something without breaking a sweat. Whether it's fixing a misstep or testing a different phrasing, it’s great to have that safety net.
5. Format Painter or Style Copying: This one flies under the radar, but it’s really handy. Say you’ve styled a headline just right—font, size, color, everything. With the format painter, you can copy that exact styling and apply it elsewhere with a single click. No need to redo each step manually.
6. Hyperlinking Tools: Whether you're referencing a webpage, linking to a file, or adding an email address, hyperlinking makes it quick to turn plain text into clickable links. Editors usually give you the option to open links in a new tab or apply a tooltip, depending on what kind of link it is.
7. Themes and Custom Look: A lot of editors these days offer different themes—light, dark, or something more colorful—to suit your vibe or environment. It’s not just about looks; it can reduce eye strain during long writing sessions too. Bonus: some platforms let you apply your own CSS for total control over how things appear.
8. Bullet Points and Numbering: For breaking down ideas, creating to-do lists, or writing step-by-step guides, list formatting is your go-to. You’ve got your choice between classic bullet points, numbered steps, or even checkboxes in some editors. And yes, you can nest them to get sub-points and keep things tidy.
9. Alignment and Justification: Aligning your content might seem small, but it can make a big difference in how polished everything looks. Left-align for casual documents, center-align for headers or quotes, and justify if you want a clean newspaper-style column. Quick, easy, and helps with readability.
10. Inline Styling Options: Inline styling lets you change specific bits of text without affecting the rest of your paragraph. We’re talking bold, italic, underline, strikethrough—those kinds of quick adjustments. It’s especially useful when you need to highlight something important or make corrections.
11. Source Code View (For the Nerdy Folks): Some editors give you a “view source” option, which lets you peek behind the curtain and edit the HTML directly. If you’ve got a bit of coding knowledge, this is great for fine-tuning things exactly the way you want or embedding custom scripts.
12. Insert Special Characters: Ever need a copyright symbol, a trademark icon, or a math symbol? Instead of hunting it down online, rich text editors often have a special character tool that lets you insert those with a click. Perfect for formal writing or technical documents.
13. Paste Cleanup: Copying from another app (like Word or an email) can bring in all sorts of junk formatting. Rich text editors often have a built-in feature that strips out unwanted code or styles when you paste. This keeps everything looking clean and consistent.
14. Blockquotes: When you’re quoting someone or pulling in a passage from elsewhere, blockquote formatting makes it stand out. It indents the text, sometimes adds a subtle border, and helps signal that “this part is quoted.” It’s a small touch, but it makes a big visual impact.
15. Multi-Language Support: If you’re working in more than one language—or just need to support different writing directions—many editors can handle that too. Right-to-left text? No problem. Accents and characters from different alphabets? Covered. Some even include language-specific dictionaries for spellcheck.
16. Word and Character Counter: For people writing to a limit—like social media posts, essays, or SEO-focused articles—a live word or character counter is super useful. You always know where you stand without needing to copy into another tool.
17. Preview Before Publishing: Before you hit “post” or “submit,” it’s nice to see exactly what your content will look like. Preview modes temporarily hide the toolbar and formatting aids so you can see the final version with fresh eyes. Great for catching last-minute tweaks.
18. Shortcuts and Hotkeys: Keyboard shortcuts help you fly through editing tasks—bolding text, switching heading levels, undoing changes—without reaching for the mouse. Most editors follow standard shortcuts (like Ctrl + B for bold), but many also let you customize them for your own workflow.

Why Are Rich Text Editors Important?

Rich text editors matter because they bridge the gap between raw content and polished presentation. Whether you're drafting a blog post, creating a product description, or writing internal documentation, they give you the tools to make your writing clear, organized, and easy to digest—without needing to know a single line of code. Instead of fumbling with formatting after the fact, you can shape your message as you go, keeping things neat and readable. That saves time and avoids headaches, especially when you're juggling deadlines or working with a team.

Another reason these editors are valuable is because they meet people where they are. Not everyone is a developer or designer, and rich text editors make it possible for anyone—no matter their skill level—to produce content that looks professional. They also help maintain consistency across platforms by enforcing styles or templates, which is key for branding and communication. Whether you're editing solo or collaborating with others, these tools make it simple to focus on what you're trying to say, rather than how to make it look good.

Why Use Rich Text Editors?

1. They Make Content Look Polished Without Needing Design Skills: Not everyone’s a designer—and with rich text editors, you don’t need to be. These tools let you make your writing look sharp and professional just by clicking a few buttons. You can tweak fonts, add headers, throw in some color, and your page looks 10x better without ever touching code or design software.
2. No Coding? No Problem: You can forget about memorizing HTML tags or messing with CSS. Rich text editors let you format your content visually, almost like using a word processor. It’s perfect for people who want control over how things look but don’t have time (or interest) in learning how to write markup.
3. You Can Drop in Media Like It’s Nothing: Adding images, videos, or even audio clips is super simple. Most rich text editors support drag-and-drop or quick upload tools that make integrating media part of your workflow—not a hassle. This means your content can be more engaging and dynamic, especially when you’re trying to keep your audience interested.
4. They’re a Time-Saver, Big Time: Let’s be real—manually styling or building content layouts from scratch is time-consuming. Rich text editors take the grunt work out of content creation. Whether you’re writing a blog, updating a help page, or drafting a newsletter, these tools help you get it done faster without sacrificing quality.
5. Built-In Tools Keep You on Track: Most editors now include helpful features like spellcheck, grammar suggestions, word count, and even real-time feedback. That means fewer typos slipping through the cracks and less time worrying about whether you’re hitting the mark.
6. They’re Great for Team Collaboration: If you’re working with others, rich text editors make it easy to collaborate. A lot of them support real-time editing, so everyone can pitch in without stepping on each other’s toes. Add some comments, make edits on the fly, and keep everything moving smoothly.
7. It’s Easy to Keep Everything Consistent: When you’re working across multiple pages or documents, consistency matters—especially for businesses. Rich text editors often come with templates or style presets that help you keep everything looking uniform. That’s a big deal if you're trying to maintain a professional brand image.
8. Mobile Editing Is Actually Doable: In today’s always-connected world, being able to tweak a document on your phone is a big plus. Many modern editors are mobile-friendly, so you can update content on the go without pulling out your laptop. Whether you're fixing a typo or adding a section, it’s all doable from your pocket.
9. They Can Be Customized to Fit Your Needs: The good ones aren’t one-size-fits-all—they can be tweaked or extended with plugins. Whether you need advanced tables, Markdown support, or custom workflows, there’s usually a way to tailor the editor to fit your specific use case.
10. You Don’t Have to Worry About the Techy Stuff: Behind the scenes, these editors are usually doing a lot: cleaning up bad HTML, filtering out unsafe scripts, and making sure your content behaves the way it should. But you don’t see any of that—you just write. It’s peace of mind, without the technical headache.
11. It Plays Nice With Other Tools: Rich text editors often integrate with CMSs, project tools, email systems—you name it. That means you don’t need to copy and paste everything five different times. One editor can often serve multiple platforms, saving you a lot of manual labor.
12. They Help Make Content More Accessible: It’s easy to overlook accessibility, but a good editor can guide you to do things right. Whether it’s adding alt text to images, structuring content with headings, or keeping layouts clean for screen readers, these editors can gently nudge you in the right direction.

What Types of Users Can Benefit From Rich Text Editors?

• Marketing pros who craft content to convert: These folks are always juggling copy for websites, emails, ads, and more. A rich text editor lets them quickly adjust formatting to suit tone and style—highlighting CTAs, tweaking headlines, adding visuals, or embedding links. It’s their go-to for polishing up words that sell.
• Academic minds knee-deep in research: Students, professors, and scholars often need to lay out long, detailed papers with citations, figures, and sometimes equations. Rich text editors help organize their thoughts clearly—whether it’s outlining a thesis or formatting an article for peer review. They need tools that don’t get in the way of their thinking.
• Team leads and project managers keeping things on track: These users are handling status reports, meeting notes, and cross-functional updates. They need to make information digestible for everyone—bolding key takeaways, organizing tasks into bullet points, and embedding quick links or files. A clean, easy editor saves time and makes communication smoother.
• Customer support and documentation writers: They write knowledge base articles, step-by-step guides, and FAQs. It’s all about clarity. Being able to use headings, numbered lists, code formatting, and screenshots in one place makes it easier to explain solutions without confusion. A solid editor makes their work much more efficient.
• Creative professionals working on campaigns and briefs: Writers and designers working in tandem on big ideas need a flexible space to map things out. Rich text editors help them capture tone, play with structure, and layer in images or media references. It’s less about strict formatting and more about building something with creative flow.
• Everyday people who just want their notes to look nice: Not everyone using a rich text editor is in a professional role. Some just want to make their daily journal, personal to-do lists, or recipe collection look a bit more organized. Simple tools like bold, underline, or adding a photo go a long way for personal use.
• Forum contributors and online community leaders: Whether they’re moderating discussions or answering questions, these users need to keep things readable. Rich formatting helps break up big blocks of text, highlight solutions, and structure long posts. Bonus if the editor supports mentions or emojis—it’s all part of the vibe.
• Legal professionals laying out polished documents: Lawyers and compliance folks don’t mess around when it comes to how text is presented. They often need detailed formatting—numbered sections, footnotes, consistent fonts, and the ability to track edits precisely. For them, a good editor is about maintaining accuracy and presentation at the same time.
• Startups putting together pitch decks and one-pagers: When you’re building a business, you need to create content fast—maybe a funding summary today, a product sheet tomorrow. Rich text editors help startups throw together well-formatted documents without needing design software. It’s about being nimble and getting things done.
• Developers documenting what they built: Even devs, who live in code, need to explain what they’re doing in plain language sometimes. Whether it’s a README file, an internal wiki, or setup instructions, a rich text editor that handles code blocks and markdown helps bridge the gap between technical and human-readable.

How Much Do Rich Text Editors Cost?

Pricing for rich text editors really comes down to what you need them to do. If you're just looking for something basic to plug into a blog or a small web app, you can probably find a free version that gets the job done. But once you start needing more bells and whistles—like real-time collaboration, autosave, or integration with cloud services—you’ll usually have to pay. Some options use a monthly fee, while others charge based on how many people will be using it. Depending on how advanced the features are, you could be looking at anywhere from a few bucks a month to a much steeper yearly bill.

For teams or businesses that rely heavily on content creation, paying for a premium editor often makes sense. The cost might seem high at first, but it usually comes with things like priority support, API access, and the ability to tailor the editor to fit your workflow. If you're running a content-heavy platform or need consistent reliability, investing in a more polished, feature-rich solution can actually save time and headaches later. It’s not always about the cheapest option—it’s about what gives you the right tools without getting in your way.

What Do Rich Text Editors Integrate With?

Rich text editors can work with a wide variety of software tools, especially those built around creating or managing content. You’ll often find them in platforms that let users write and edit information in a clean, styled way—think knowledge bases, forums, and chat apps. When developers build these kinds of tools, they add rich text editors so users can change fonts, colors, spacing, and insert links or images without diving into code. It’s a way to give people more control over how their words and content appear, especially when polished formatting matters. This kind of flexibility is useful in everything from internal documentation systems to customer-facing web apps.

You’ll also see rich text editors folded into tools that don’t focus strictly on writing but still benefit from formatted text. Bug tracking software, for example, often includes them so developers and testers can leave detailed, easy-to-read notes. Same goes for HR platforms where someone might need to add styled descriptions to employee profiles or job listings. Even messaging apps for businesses, like Slack or Microsoft Teams, sometimes include mini rich text editors so users can make certain text bold or add bullet points to keep their thoughts organized. Basically, if the software involves inputting and sharing text, especially where readability counts, there’s a good chance a rich text editor can be integrated.

Rich Text Editors Risks

• Malicious content slipping through the cracks: When people can paste anything into an editor, you better believe someone will try to sneak in scripts or sketchy code. If an RTE doesn’t scrub the content properly, it’s like leaving your front door wide open for cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks. One bad payload and your whole app could be compromised.
• Inconsistent output across platforms: Just because it looks good in the editor doesn’t mean it’s going to behave the same everywhere else. RTEs can render content differently on various browsers, devices, or frameworks — especially when exporting to HTML, Markdown, or plain text. You might see clean formatting on your laptop, while your mobile version turns into a jumbled mess.
• Bloated and messy code under the hood: Some editors generate overly complicated HTML. We’re talking deeply nested tags, inline styles everywhere, and redundant elements that can slow down your site or break your layout. What you see might be clean, but what’s behind the curtain can be pure chaos — and that’s not fun to clean up later.
• Hard-to-maintain customizations: Want to tweak the toolbar? Add a custom block? Depending on the editor, you might need to dig through poorly documented APIs or override a mountain of default behaviors. It can quickly turn into a nightmare when updates break your changes or you have to retrain your team on how things work.
• Performance hits on larger documents: Rich text editors can choke on large or complex documents, especially if they rely on a DOM-heavy structure. Users may experience lag, freezing, or even browser crashes. And that’s just on desktop — the situation is often worse on mobile.
• Trouble syncing edits in real time: Trying to get two or more people editing the same doc at once sounds great — until something breaks. Real-time collaboration can lead to conflicts, data loss, or weird ghost edits if not handled properly. Some editors try to support this with CRDTs or similar tech, but when they fail, they really fail.
• Weak accessibility support: Not all editors are built with accessibility in mind. If your app needs to meet ADA or WCAG guidelines, an RTE that doesn’t support screen readers, keyboard navigation, or proper ARIA labels could land you in hot water — legally and ethically.
• Users wrecking formatting unintentionally: Even well-meaning users can mess up a beautifully structured document by pasting in weirdly formatted text from Word or some email app. This often brings along invisible styles, broken layouts, and lots of cleanup work. Some editors try to auto-clean this, but they rarely get it 100% right.
• Dependency and vendor lock-in: If your rich text editor is tightly coupled with a vendor’s backend, API, or storage format, switching later becomes a headache. Even if a new tool comes out with better features, migrating your old content without losing formatting or metadata might not be worth the effort.
• Lack of true version control: You’d think editing text would come with a robust way to track changes or roll back mistakes. But most RTEs don’t offer much in terms of version history unless you build it yourself. That means once someone overwrites or deletes something — poof, it’s gone unless you’ve backed it up elsewhere.
• Feature overload confusing users: Some editors try to be everything to everyone — but all those buttons, icons, and menus can overwhelm non-technical users. The result? People get frustrated, formatting gets inconsistent, and the content quality suffers. Simplicity often wins, but many editors go the opposite direction.

Questions To Ask Related To Rich Text Editors

1. How easy is it to tailor the editor to our needs? You're not just looking for something that works out of the box—you want to know how flexible the editor is when it comes to customization. Can you remove buttons you don’t need? Can you add plugins or your own UI tweaks? Some editors are super modular while others lock you into their structure. This matters a lot if your brand, your layout, or your features are unique.
2. Does it support collaborative editing in real-time? If you're building something where multiple users can work on the same content at the same time, this is a big deal. Not every editor is built with live collaboration in mind. You need to check if it has that built in or if you’ll have to bolt it on with a separate tool or service. Think Google Docs-style editing—if that's the experience you're aiming for, the editor better deliver it or get out of the way.
3. What does integration actually look like with our tech stack? It's one thing to say an editor “supports React” or “works with Vue.” It’s another to actually integrate it without ripping your hair out. You want to know if the setup is lightweight or heavy, if the documentation is clear, and if it plays nicely with your build tools, backend, and deployment processes. Bonus points if it’s been tested in environments similar to yours.
4. Is the editor optimized for performance, especially under load? When content gets long—think 10,000+ words with media, tables, links—the editor shouldn’t get sluggish. That kind of lag can drive users crazy. Make sure you test or ask for benchmarks. You want to know how it holds up when pushed to its limits, not just when it’s handling a few paragraphs.
5. How does it handle different types of content input and output? This is about formats. Can the editor switch between HTML and markdown? What happens when you paste from Word or Google Docs? How clean is the output code? Some editors will leave you with bloated HTML and inline styles everywhere. Others are better at giving you structured, clean, reusable markup. Depending on your app, this could really matter down the road.
6. What are the licensing terms, and do they change based on usage? Don't skip the legal stuff. Some rich text editors look free at first but get pricey when you start scaling or want premium features. Others are open source but come with tricky licenses that might not be ideal for commercial use. Make sure you understand if there’s a per-user cost, or if things change based on storage, usage, or volume.
7. Is there an active team behind the product—and a real community? Even the best software runs into bugs. When that happens, you want to know someone’s listening. Check the changelog, see how often issues get fixed, and whether the team interacts with users. A lively repo or Discord server can be gold when you’re troubleshooting. Don’t go with a dead project unless you’re ready to maintain it yourself.
8. Can we control security, especially around user input? This is especially important if you’re accepting content from end users. Rich text editors can be a gateway for XSS attacks if they’re not properly sanitizing input. Ask what security mechanisms are in place, whether you can configure them, and what kind of filtering is available. Also check if the editor works well with CSP (Content Security Policy), since that’s becoming more common in secure deployments.
9. What does the mobile experience actually feel like? Lots of editors say they’re “responsive,” but that doesn’t always mean they’re pleasant to use on a phone. Buttons get cramped, formatting becomes annoying, and things just feel off. If your users are mobile-heavy, try it out on a real device. Don't take the marketing copy at face value—experience it yourself.
10. What’s the learning curve for our end users and dev team? Slick features mean nothing if no one knows how to use them. Is the editor intuitive for someone writing their first post? Can your developers figure out how to make changes without reading 30 pages of docs? Time-to-productivity matters here—both for the folks building the tool and the people who’ll be using it every day.