Architectural Choices for React UI Libraries: Rich Text Editors vs Component Systems
This comparison evaluates four distinct React libraries: @blocknote/react, a modern, headless-rich text editor built on ProseMirror and TipTap; @chakra-ui/react, a component-first library focusing on developer speed and accessibility via style props; @material-ui/core, the legacy v4 implementation of Google's Material Design; and @mui/material, the current, actively maintained v5+ version of the Material UI system. While @blocknote/react solves the specific challenge of building Notion-like document editors, the other three are general-purpose component systems. Crucially, @material-ui/core is deprecated and should not be used in new projects, whereas @mui/material represents the modern standard for Material Design in React. @chakra-ui/react offers a different philosophy centered on rapid prototyping with utility-style props rather than strict design system adherence.
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Architectural Choices for React UI Libraries: Rich Text Editors vs Component Systems
When selecting frontend dependencies, distinguishing between a specialized tool and a general-purpose framework is critical. The packages @blocknote/react, @chakra-ui/react, @material-ui/core, and @mui/material serve different architectural roles. @blocknote/react is a domain-specific library for building rich text editors, while the others are component systems for general UI construction. Furthermore, a vital distinction exists between the legacy @material-ui/core and its successor @mui/material. Let's break down how they differ in practice.
🏗️ Core Purpose: Editor Engine vs. Component System
@blocknote/react provides a pre-configured, block-based editor.
- It abstracts the complexity of ProseMirror and TipTap into a React-friendly interface.
- You use it when your app needs a document editor, not when you need a button or a modal.
// @blocknote/react: Initializing a basic editor
import { BlockNoteEditor, BlockNoteView } from "@blocknote/react";
import "@blocknote/core/style.css";
const editor = BlockNoteEditor.create();
function App() {
return <BlockNoteView editor={editor} theme="light" />;
}
@chakra-ui/react, @material-ui/core, and @mui/material provide standard UI components like buttons, inputs, and layouts.
- They solve the problem of consistent styling and accessibility across an entire application.
- They are mutually exclusive choices for your general UI layer (you typically pick one).
// @chakra-ui/react: Using a Button component
import { Button } from "@chakra-ui/react";
function MyComponent() {
return <Button colorScheme="blue">Click Me</Button>;
}
// @mui/material: Using a Button component
import Button from "@mui/material/Button";
function MyComponent() {
return <Button variant="contained" color="primary">Click Me</Button>;
}
// @material-ui/core: Legacy Button (Deprecated)
import Button from "@material-ui/core/Button";
function MyComponent() {
// Do not use in new projects
return <Button variant="contained" color="primary">Click Me</Button>;
}
🎨 Styling Philosophy: Style Props vs. CSS-in-JS
@chakra-ui/react relies on style props passed directly to components.
- This keeps styling logic close to the markup, speeding up development.
- It uses a theme object under the hood but exposes it via simple props like
mt(margin-top).
// @chakra-ui/react: Styling via props
import { Box, Text } from "@chakra-ui/react";
function Card() {
return (
<Box p={4} bg="white" borderRadius="md" shadow="md">
<Text fontSize="xl" fontWeight="bold">Hello</Text>
</Box>
);
}
@mui/material (and the legacy @material-ui/core) uses the sx prop or styled components for CSS-in-JS.
- This offers more powerful theming capabilities and media query support within the prop.
- It requires understanding the theme structure but allows for complex responsive designs easily.
// @mui/material: Styling via sx prop
import Box from "@mui/material/Box";
import Typography from "@mui/material/Typography";
function Card() {
return (
<Box sx={{ p: 2, bgcolor: 'background.paper', borderRadius: 1, boxShadow: 1 }}>
<Typography variant="h6" fontWeight="bold">Hello</Typography>
</Box>
);
}
@blocknote/react handles styling internally via CSS variables and themes.
- You generally do not style individual blocks manually; instead, you configure the editor's theme.
- This ensures the editor remains consistent and accessible without manual CSS tweaking.
// @blocknote/react: Applying a custom theme
import { BlockNoteView, useCreateBlockNote } from "@blocknote/react";
function App() {
const editor = useCreateBlockNote({
initialContent: [],
// Themes are predefined or customized via CSS variables
theme: "dark",
});
return <BlockNoteView editor={editor} />;
}
⚠️ Maintenance Status: Active vs. Deprecated
@material-ui/core is officially deprecated.
- The team moved to the
@muinamespace starting with version 5. - Using this package means missing out on performance improvements, React 18 features, and security patches.
// @material-ui/core: Import path indicates legacy v4
import { TextField } from "@material-ui/core";
// ❌ Warning: This package is no longer maintained.
@mui/material is the active, supported version.
- It supports modern React features and has a clear migration path for future updates.
- All new development should target this package.
// @mui/material: Import path indicates active v5+
import TextField from "@mui/material/TextField";
// ✅ Recommended for all new projects
@chakra-ui/react and @blocknote/react are both actively maintained.
- Chakra UI continues to receive updates for its v2 and v3 lines.
- BlockNote is rapidly evolving with new block types and collaboration features.
// Both represent current, viable choices in their respective domains
import { Button } from "@chakra-ui/react";
import { BlockNoteEditor } from "@blocknote/react";
🧩 Customization and Extensibility
@blocknote/react excels at extensibility for editing behavior.
- You can create custom block types (e.g., a specialized "Vote" block) using React components.
- It exposes a schema system to define what blocks exist and how they behave.
// @blocknote/react: Defining a custom block
import { createBlockSpec } from "@blocknote/core";
const VoteBlock = createBlockSpec({
type: "vote",
propSchema: { option: { default: "" } },
content: "none",
}, {
render: (block, editor) => <VoteComponent block={block} editor={editor} />
});
@mui/material offers deep theming for visual consistency.
- You can override default component styles globally using the
ThemeProvider. - This is essential for branding an app heavily without rewriting every component.
// @mui/material: Global theme override
import { createTheme, ThemeProvider } from "@mui/material/styles";
import Button from "@mui/material/Button";
const theme = createTheme({
components: {
MuiButton: {
styleOverrides: { root: { borderRadius: 0, textTransform: "none" } },
},
},
});
function App() {
return <ThemeProvider theme={theme}><Button>Branded</Button></ThemeProvider>;
}
@chakra-ui/react allows easy component extension via as props and style overrides.
- You can render a Chakra
Boxas a semanticnavelement effortlessly. - Style overrides are straightforward but less granular than MUI's theme system.
// @chakra-ui/react: Rendering as a semantic element
import { Box } from "@chakra-ui/react";
function Nav() {
return <Box as="nav" bg="gray.100">Links...</Box>;
}
🤝 Similarities: Shared Ground
While their goals differ, these libraries share common React patterns.
1. ⚛️ Component-Based Architecture
All four libraries rely on React components to encapsulate logic and UI.
// Common pattern: Import and render
import { Button } from "@chakra-ui/react";
import ButtonMUI from "@mui/material/Button";
// Both render a button element with internal state and styling
2. ♿ Accessibility Focus
Each library prioritizes accessibility (a11y) out of the box, handling ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation.
// All libraries ensure buttons are focusable and screen-reader friendly by default
// <Button> in Chakra, MUI, and BlockNote toolbar items adhere to WAI-ARIA standards
3. 🎨 Theme Support
Even the editor (@blocknote/react) supports theming, similar to the full UI kits.
// BlockNote
<BlockNoteView theme="dark" />
// Chakra
<ChakraProvider theme={myTheme}>
// MUI
<ThemeProvider theme={myTheme}>
📊 Summary: Key Differences
| Feature | @blocknote/react | @chakra-ui/react | @mui/material | @material-ui/core |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary Use | Rich Text Editor | General UI Components | General UI Components | General UI Components (Legacy) |
| Styling Approach | Internal CSS / Themes | Style Props (p, m, bg) | sx Prop / Styled Components | style Prop / JSS (Legacy) |
| Maintenance | ✅ Active | ✅ Active | ✅ Active | ❌ Deprecated |
| Design System | Block-based (Notion-like) | Flexible / Default Theme | Material Design (Strict) | Material Design (Old) |
| Extensibility | Custom Block Schemas | Component Composition | Theme Overrides | Theme Overrides |
💡 The Big Picture
@blocknote/react is a specialist tool 🛠️. Use it when you need to build a document editor, wiki, or note-taking interface. It replaces the need to build an editor from scratch but does not replace your button or input components.
@chakra-ui/react is a speed-focused kit 🏎️. It is perfect for teams that want to ship features fast with a consistent look without arguing over CSS. It trades some runtime performance and strict design enforcement for developer happiness.
@mui/material is an enterprise standard 🏢. Choose it for large applications where long-term stability, strict design adherence, and a massive component catalog are more important than initial setup speed.
@material-ui/core is a legacy artifact 🏺. It should only exist in your codebase during a migration. Never start a new project with it.
Final Thought: Your choice isn't just about "which library is better." It's about matching the tool to the job. You might use @mui/material for your app's layout and @blocknote/react for the specific page where users write content. Just ensure you avoid the deprecated @material-ui/core entirely.
How to Choose: @blocknote/react vs @chakra-ui/react vs @material-ui/core vs @mui/material
- @blocknote/react:
Choose
@blocknote/reactif your core product requirement is a block-based rich text editor similar to Notion or Linear. It is the ideal choice when you need deep customization of the editing experience, slash commands, and drag-and-drop blocks without the complexity of building a ProseMirror engine from scratch. Avoid it for general UI layout needs, as it is a specialized editor library, not a component system. - @chakra-ui/react:
Choose
@chakra-ui/reactif your team prioritizes development speed, rapid prototyping, and a low barrier to entry for styling components. It is best suited for internal dashboards, MVPs, or projects where designers do not enforce a strict, custom design system, allowing developers to compose UIs directly in JSX using style props. It is less ideal for applications requiring strict adherence to a specific non-default design language or highly optimized runtime performance for massive component trees. - @material-ui/core:
Do NOT choose
@material-ui/corefor any new project. This package corresponds to Material-UI v4, which has reached end-of-life and no longer receives security updates or feature improvements. Using it introduces significant technical debt and compatibility risks with modern React versions. If you encounter this package in an existing codebase, plan a migration to@mui/materialimmediately. - @mui/material:
Choose
@mui/materialif you need a robust, enterprise-grade component library that strictly follows Google's Material Design guidelines or a highly customizable theme system. It is the right choice for large-scale applications requiring comprehensive documentation, a vast ecosystem of pre-built components, and long-term maintenance support. Select this over Chakra UI if you prefer CSS-in-JS styling via thesxprop or styled components over inline style props, and need a more rigid structural foundation.
Popular Comparisons
README for @blocknote/react
Welcome to BlockNote! The open source Block-Based React rich text editor. Easily add a modern text editing experience to your app.
Homepage - Documentation - Quickstart - Examples
Live demo
See our homepage @ https://www.blocknotejs.org or browse the examples.
Example code (React)
import { useCreateBlockNote } from "@blocknote/react";
import { BlockNoteView } from "@blocknote/mantine";
import "@blocknote/core/fonts/inter.css";
import "@blocknote/mantine/style.css";
function App() {
const editor = useCreateBlockNote();
return <BlockNoteView editor={editor} />;
}
@blocknote/react comes with a fully styled UI that makes it an instant, polished editor ready to use in your app.
Features
BlockNote comes with a number of features and components to make it easy to embed a high-quality block-based editor in your app:
Animations:
Helpful placeholders:
Drag and drop blocks:
Nesting / indentation with tab and shift+tab:
Slash (/) menu:
Format menu:
Real-time collaboration:
Feedback 🙋♂️🙋♀️
We'd love to hear your thoughts and see your experiments, so come and say hi on Discord.
Contributing 🙌
See CONTRIBUTING.md for more info and guidance on how to run the project (TLDR: just use pnpm start).
The codebase is automatically tested using Vitest and Playwright.
License 📃
BlockNote is 100% Open Source Software. The majority of BlockNote is licensed under the MPL-2.0 license, which allows you to use BlockNote in commercial (and closed-source) applications. If you make changes to the BlockNote source files, you're expected to publish these changes so the wider community can benefit as well. Learn more.
The XL packages (source code in the packages/xl-* directories and published in NPM as @blocknote/xl-*) are licensed under the GPL-3.0. If you cannot comply with this license and want to use the XL libraries, you'll need a commercial license. Refer to our website for more information.
Credits ❤️
BlockNote builds directly on two awesome projects; Prosemirror by Marijn Haverbeke and Tiptap. Consider sponsoring those libraries when using BlockNote: Prosemirror, Tiptap.
BlockNote is built as part of TypeCell. TypeCell is proudly sponsored by the renowned NLNet foundation who are on a mission to support an open internet, and protect the privacy and security of internet users. Check them out!
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