Top CLEditor Alternatives: Find Your Perfect WYSIWYG Editor

CLEditor is an open source jQuery plugin renowned for providing a lightweight, full-featured, cross-browser, and extensible WYSIWYG HTML editor. It's been a popular choice for developers looking to easily integrate a rich text editor into their websites. However, as web development evolves and project requirements diversify, many are seeking a robust CLEditor alternative that offers enhanced features, broader platform support, or a different development philosophy. This guide explores some of the best alternatives available today.

Best CLEditor Alternatives

Whether you're looking for a simpler solution, more advanced customization, or specific integration capabilities, these CLEditor alternatives offer a wide range of options to meet your needs.

Markdown

Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool that offers a vastly different approach to content creation compared to WYSIWYG editors like CLEditor. As a free and open-source solution available on Mac, Windows, and Linux, it allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, which is then converted to HTML. Its features include excellent Markdown support, text formatting, and even support for Windows Hello, making it a great CLEditor alternative for those who prefer a less visual, more text-centric editing experience.

TinyMCE

TinyMCE is a highly popular and platform-independent web-based JavaScript HTML WYSIWYG editor control. Released as Open Source under LGPL by Moxiecode Systems AB, it offers both freemium and commercial options. Available for Web, Self-Hosted, and WordPress, TinyMCE stands out as a strong CLEditor alternative due to its robust plugin architecture and comprehensive WYSIWYG support, allowing for extensive customization and functionality.

CKEditor

CKEditor is an easy-to-implement Open Source JavaScript WYSIWYG rich text editor for any web browser. Offering both commercial and open-source options, it's a powerful CLEditor alternative for Web and Self-Hosted environments. Key features include browser-based editing, colored text, extensive customizability, drag-and-drop functionality, embeddable content, extensibility via plugins, real-time collaboration, and support for ReactJS, providing a feature-rich editing experience.

Trumbowyg

Trumbowyg is a very small jQuery plugin (16 kB minified) for creating a powerful WYSIWYG editor. As a free and open-source solution for the web, it serves as an excellent lightweight CLEditor alternative. It boasts features like customizable options, extensibility by plugins, and full WYSIWYG support, all within a compact footprint, making it ideal for projects where file size is a critical concern.

ContentTools

ContentTools is a collection of small, flexible, extensible, and framework-agnostic JavaScript libraries designed for HTML content. This free and open-source web-based WYSIWYG editor is a beautiful CLEditor alternative, offering features such as customizable options, drag-and-drop functionality, and extensibility through plugins, providing a modern and user-friendly editing experience.

WebsiteBaker

WebsiteBaker is a free, easy, secure, flexible, and extensible Open Source Content Management System (CMS) that helps you create the website you want. While not a direct WYSIWYG editor in the same vein as CLEditor, it functions as a comprehensive platform for website building on the web, often including its own editing capabilities. It’s a suitable CLEditor alternative if you’re looking for an integrated CMS solution rather than just a standalone editor.

SCEditor

SCEditor is a lightweight WYSIWYG BBCode & HTML editor. As a free and open-source web-based solution, it offers a compelling CLEditor alternative for those needing a compact yet functional editor. Its key features include its lightweight nature and full WYSIWYG support, making it an efficient choice for various web projects.

AlloyEditor

AlloyEditor is a modern WYSIWYG editor built on top of CKEditor, designed to create modern and gorgeous web content. As a free and open-source web-based editor, it provides robust WYSIWYG support, making it a powerful and visually appealing CLEditor alternative for developers looking for a contemporary editing experience.

N1ED

N1ED is a modern page builder with a full set of features available as an add-on for CKEditor and TinyMCE. Supporting Bootstrap, it's available as a free, web-based, self-hosted, and SaaS solution, integrating with platforms like Drupal and WordPress. Its features include browser-based operation, plugins, file management, image editing, Java and PHP support, a dedicated page builder, and comprehensive WYSIWYG support, offering a more extensive and integrated CLEditor alternative, especially if you're already using CKEditor or TinyMCE.

Summernote

Summernote is a WYSIWYG editor built with jQuery, Bootstrap, and Font-Awesome, released under an MIT license. As a free and open-source web-based editor, it provides excellent WYSIWYG support, including handy features like pasting images from the clipboard and rich text from Google Docs. With over 2500 stars on GitHub, Summernote is a well-regarded and actively maintained CLEditor alternative.

Choosing the right WYSIWYG editor depends heavily on your project's specific needs, whether that's a lightweight solution, extensive features, or particular framework compatibility. Explore these CLEditor alternatives to find the best fit for your next web development project.