CKEditor
WYSIWYG editors
Editor software
- Features
- Ease of use
- Ease of management
- Quality of support
- Affordability
- Market presence
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$144 per month
Free TrialFree version
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What is CKEditor
CKEditor is a web-based rich text (WYSIWYG) editor used to create and edit formatted content inside browser applications. It is commonly embedded into CMSs, enterprise portals, and custom web apps where non-technical users need word-processor-style editing. The product is available in multiple major versions (including CKEditor 4 and CKEditor 5) and supports extensibility through plugins, integrations, and configurable toolbars. It is offered under open-source licensing with commercial licensing and support options for certain use cases.
Mature, widely embedded editor
CKEditor is a long-established WYSIWYG editor with broad adoption across web applications and CMS integrations. Its long history results in extensive documentation, community knowledge, and common implementation patterns. This maturity can reduce risk for teams that need a proven editor component rather than a new framework.
Extensible plugin architecture
The editor supports customization through plugins, toolbar configuration, and integration hooks. Teams can tailor editing features (e.g., formatting controls, media handling, content rules) to match application requirements. This flexibility is useful when the default feature set does not align with internal content standards or workflows.
Enterprise integration options
CKEditor is commonly used in enterprise contexts where authentication, governance, and controlled content output matter. It offers integration paths for frameworks and build systems and can be packaged as part of larger applications. Commercial offerings and support options can be relevant for organizations that require vendor-backed maintenance and SLAs.
Version fragmentation and migration
CKEditor 4 and CKEditor 5 differ significantly in architecture and APIs. Organizations maintaining older implementations may face non-trivial migration work to move to newer versions. This can affect plugin compatibility, custom integrations, and long-term maintenance planning.
Licensing and feature gating
Some advanced capabilities and enterprise requirements may require commercial licensing rather than purely open-source use. This can introduce procurement steps and ongoing costs compared with editors that keep more functionality in permissive tiers. Legal review is often needed to ensure the chosen license aligns with distribution and SaaS deployment models.
Integration complexity for custom builds
Embedding a rich text editor into complex applications can require careful handling of content sanitization, styling, and output consistency. CKEditor’s configurability can increase implementation effort when strict HTML output, accessibility rules, or custom schemas are required. Teams may need additional development time to align editor behavior with application-specific content models.
Plan & Pricing
| Plan | Price | Key features & notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 per month | Cloud-hosted; 1,000 editor loads per month (then $60 per 1,000 editor loads overage); single cloud region (US only); community support; "Powered by CKEditor" watermark; Free 14-day trial available that includes all features and add-ons. |
| Essential | $160 per month (monthly) / $144 per month (annual) | Cloud-hosted; 5,000 editor loads per month (then $45 per 1,000 editor loads overage); single cloud region (US or EU); commercial license; one application + unlimited domains/subdomains; professional support (2 requests/month); includes CKBox, Image Optimizer and CKEditor AI add-ons (availability/tiers vary). |
| Professional | $450 per month (monthly) / $405 per month (annual) | Cloud-hosted; 20,000 editor loads per month (then $30 per 1,000 editor loads overage); single cloud region (US or EU); commercial license; one application + unlimited domains/subdomains; professional support (4 requests/month); advanced collaboration (Real-time & asynchronous collaboration, Comments, Track Changes, Revision History); Import from Word. |
| Custom (Enterprise) | Custom pricing (contact sales) | Self-hosted and/or cloud-hosted options; multi-region (US+EU), Long-term Support (LTS) Edition, enterprise support with dedicated contacts, multiple applications supported, all add-ons available. |
Add-ons (examples listed on official pricing page):
- CKBox: $99/month ($89/month annual) for base tier (100 GB storage, 100 GB bandwidth); higher tier $199/month ($179/month) available. Overage rates and limits apply per tier.
- Image Optimizer (by Uploadcare): $89/month ($80/month annual) for base tier; higher tier $219/month ($197/month). Includes operations, traffic, storage limits; overage rates apply.
- CKEditor AI: Tiered pricing (e.g., $160/month $133/month annual for a small tier; larger tiers available — pricing varies by operations included).
Seller details
CKSource Holding sp. z o.o.
Warsaw, Poland
2003
Private
https://ckeditor.com/
https://x.com/ckeditor
https://www.linkedin.com/company/cksource/
