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What is ckeditor5?

ckeditor/ckeditor5 — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

10,416Rich Text FormatAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · moderate

In one sentence

A browser-based rich text editor framework you embed in websites to give users Word-like formatting, bold, tables, images, tracked changes, with plugins for React, Angular, and Vue.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((CKEditor 5))
    What it does
      Rich text editing
      Browser-based
      Word-like experience
    Features
      Collaborative editing
      Tracked changes
      Tables and images
      PDF and Word export
    Integrations
      React
      Angular
      Vue
    License
      Free basic use
      Commercial premium
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filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Add a rich text editor to a React or Angular app so users can format blog posts or documents in the browser.

USE CASE 2

Enable real-time collaborative document editing with tracked changes and comments on your platform.

USE CASE 3

Let users export formatted content to PDF or Word directly from the browser.

USE CASE 4

Build a custom editor with only the features you need using CKEditor 5's modular plugin system.

What is it built with?

TypeScriptJavaScriptReactAngularVue

How does it compare?

ckeditor/ckeditor5phodal/githubaddyosmani/backbone-fundamentals
Stars10,41610,9789,184
LanguageRich Text FormatRich Text FormatRich Text Format
Setup difficultymoderateeasyeasy
Complexity3/51/51/5
Audiencedevelopergeneraldeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Some premium features like collaborative editing require a separate commercial license from CKEditor.

Free and open source for basic use, some premium features such as collaborative editing require a commercial license from CKEditor.

So what is it?

CKEditor 5 is a rich text editor that developers embed into websites and applications to give users a word-processor-like writing experience directly in the browser. When you see a text box on a website that lets you apply bold formatting, insert images, create tables, or add links, there is often an editor library like this one powering it. CKEditor 5 is one of the more established options in this space, positioned as a full framework rather than a simple drop-in widget. The project is written in TypeScript and built around a modular architecture, meaning you can choose only the features you want rather than loading everything at once. There are integrations for popular JavaScript frameworks including React, Angular, and Vue, so teams using those tools can add the editor without restructuring their existing code. A visual builder tool on the CKEditor website lets you configure a setup and download a ready-to-use package without writing any configuration code. Feature-wise, the editor supports collaborative editing scenarios such as tracked changes and comments, which means multiple people can work on the same document and see each others modifications in real time. Other included features cover tables, lists, font styles, image and video handling, Markdown output, and export to PDF and Word. Accessibility helpers and multi-language support are also part of the package. The editor is free and open source for basic use, but some premium features require a commercial license. A 14-day free trial is available on the CKEditor website for testing the full feature set. The project describes itself as a market leader in this category, though that claim comes from the project itself and is not independently verified in the README. Development happens in public on GitHub, and the team accepts contributions and feedback through issues and pull requests.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
How do I add CKEditor 5 to a React app and configure it with bold, italic, tables, and image upload?
Prompt 2
Set up CKEditor 5 collaborative editing with tracked changes so multiple users can edit the same document.
Prompt 3
I need CKEditor 5 to output Markdown instead of HTML, how do I configure that?
Prompt 4
How do I create a custom CKEditor 5 plugin that adds a button to the toolbar?

Frequently asked questions

What is ckeditor5?

A browser-based rich text editor framework you embed in websites to give users Word-like formatting, bold, tables, images, tracked changes, with plugins for React, Angular, and Vue.

What language is ckeditor5 written in?

Mainly Rich Text Format. The stack also includes TypeScript, JavaScript, React.

What license does ckeditor5 use?

Free and open source for basic use, some premium features such as collaborative editing require a commercial license from CKEditor.

How hard is ckeditor5 to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated moderate, with roughly 30min to a first successful run.

Who is ckeditor5 for?

Mainly developer.

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