draft-js vs react-quill vs @ckeditor/ckeditor5-react | Rich Text Editors for React Comparison

Package	Downloads	Stars	Size	Issues	Publish	License

draft-js	808,010	22,680	-	954	5 years ago	MIT
react-quill	727,429	6,982	405 kB	428	-	MIT
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react	236,370	451	436 kB	79	a month ago	SEE LICENSE IN LICENSE.md

Customization and Extensibility

draft-js:
draft-js provides a high level of customization, allowing developers to define their own content models, styling, and behavior. It is designed to be flexible, enabling the creation of unique editing experiences, but requires more effort to implement advanced features.
react-quill:
react-quill allows for some customization, particularly in terms of toolbar configuration and styling. However, it is more limited compared to CKEditor and Draft.js in terms of extensibility, making it less suitable for highly specialized use cases.
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react:
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react offers extensive customization options, including the ability to create custom plugins, toolbar configurations, and themes. Its modular architecture allows developers to include only the features they need, making it highly extensible.

Collaboration Features

draft-js:
draft-js does not provide built-in collaboration features, but its architecture allows developers to implement custom solutions for real-time editing and collaboration if needed. This requires additional development work and integration with external services.
react-quill:
react-quill does not have native support for collaboration. However, developers can implement collaborative features using third-party libraries or by integrating with real-time databases, but this would require additional coding and setup.
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react:
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react includes built-in support for real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to edit the same document simultaneously. This feature is particularly useful for team environments and applications that require collaborative content creation.

Ease of Integration

draft-js:
draft-js is designed for seamless integration with React, but its flexibility and customization capabilities may require a steeper learning curve for developers who want to fully leverage its potential. The documentation is thorough, but building a fully-featured editor can be time-consuming.
react-quill:
react-quill is very easy to integrate into React projects, thanks to its simple API and lightweight nature. It requires minimal setup, making it a great choice for developers who need to add rich text editing capabilities quickly.
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react:
@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react is relatively easy to integrate into React applications, especially with its well-documented API and examples. However, its extensive feature set may require some time to configure and customize according to specific needs.

Code Example

draft-js:

draft-js Example

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { Editor, EditorState } from 'draft-js';
import 'draft-js/dist/Draft.css'; // Import default styles

const MyDraftEditor = () => {
    const [editorState, setEditorState] = useState(EditorState.createEmpty());

    const handleEditorStateChange = (state) => {
        setEditorState(state);
    };

    return (
        <div>
            <Editor
                editorState={editorState}
                onEditorStateChange={handleEditorStateChange}
                placeholder="Type something..."
            />
        </div>
    );
};

export default MyDraftEditor;

react-quill:

react-quill Example

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import ReactQuill from 'react-quill';
import 'react-quill/dist/quill.snow.css'; // Import Quill styles

const MyQuillEditor = () => {
    const [value, setValue] = useState('<p>Hello, world!</p>');

    return (
        <div>
            <ReactQuill 
                value={value} 
                onChange={setValue} 
                theme="snow" 
            />
        </div>
    );
};

export default MyQuillEditor;

@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react:

@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react Example

import React from 'react';
import { CKEditor } from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-react';
import ClassicEditor from '@ckeditor/ckeditor5-build-classic';

const MyEditor = () => {
    return (
        <CKEditor
            editor={ClassicEditor}
            data="<p>Hello, world!</p>"
            onReady={editor => {
                // You can store the editor instance and use it later if needed.
                console.log('Editor is ready to use!', editor);
            }}
            onChange={(event, editor) => {
                const data = editor.getData();
                console.log({ data });
            }}
            onBlur={(event, editor) => {
                console.log('Blur.', editor);
            }}
            onFocus={(event, editor) => {
                console.log('Focus.', editor);
            }}
        />
    );
};

export default MyEditor;