Best Rich Text Editors for React

Rich text editing capabilities have become standard requirements for modern web applications. React developers need reliable, performant, and feature-rich text editing solutions that integrate smoothly with their applications. This guide examines the most effective rich text editors available for React projects in 2024.

TinyMCE React Integration

TinyMCE stands out as a mature rich text editor with comprehensive React support. The official React integration package @tinymce/tinymce-react (current version 4.3.2) provides a wrapper component that makes implementation straightforward.

Setting up TinyMCE requires minimal configuration:

1import { Editor } from '@tinymce/tinymce-react';
2
3function MyEditor() {
4  return (
5    <Editor
6      apiKey="your-api-key"
7      init={{
8        plugins: 'link image code',
9        toolbar: 'undo redo | bold italic | alignleft aligncenter',
10        height: 500
11      }}
12    />
13  );
14}

TinyMCE offers extensive customization options through its configuration API. The editor supports real-time collaboration, custom plugins, and various content filtering options. Performance remains strong even with large documents, making it suitable for enterprise applications.

Draft.js Framework

Facebook's Draft.js framework provides a powerful foundation for building rich text editors. Draft.js uses an immutable model for content management, which helps maintain consistent state and enables advanced features like undo/redo functionality.

Draft.js requires React 16.8+ and can be installed via npm:

1npm install draft-js react-draft-wysiwyg

A basic implementation looks like this:

1import { Editor } from 'react-draft-wysiwyg';
2import { EditorState } from 'draft-js';
3import 'react-draft-wysiwyg/dist/react-draft-wysiwyg.css';
4
5function DraftEditor() {
6  const [editorState, setEditorState] = useState(EditorState.createEmpty());
7
8  return (
9    <Editor
10      editorState={editorState}
11      onEditorStateChange={setEditorState}
12      wrapperClassName="wrapper-class"
13      editorClassName="editor-class"
14    />
15  );
16}

Draft.js excels in scenarios requiring custom formatting controls and complex content structures. Its modular architecture allows developers to build exactly what they need without unnecessary overhead.

Slate.js Modern Editing

Slate.js represents a modern approach to rich text editing in React. Version 0.94.1 introduces a flexible architecture that makes complex editing behaviors easier to implement. Slate uses plugins for extensibility and maintains a clear separation between core functionality and custom features.

Basic Slate.js setup requires multiple packages:

1npm install slate slate-react slate-history

Here's a minimal Slate editor implementation:

1import { createEditor } from 'slate';
2import { Slate, Editable, withReact } from 'slate-react';
3
4function SlateEditor() {
5  const [editor] = useState(() => withReact(createEditor()));
6  const [value, setValue] = useState([
7    { type: 'paragraph', children: [{ text: '' }] },
8  ]);
9
10  return (
11    <Slate editor={editor} value={value} onChange={setValue}>
12      <Editable />
13    </Slate>
14  );
15}

Slate.js particularly shines in applications requiring custom document schemas or specialized editing behaviors. Its architecture makes it easier to implement features like tables, nested documents, and collaborative editing.

Quill Editor Integration

Quill provides a balanced mix of features and performance, with good React integration through react-quill (version 2.0.0). It offers a smaller bundle size compared to TinyMCE while maintaining rich functionality.

Setting up Quill in a React application:

1npm install react-quill

Basic implementation example:

1import ReactQuill from 'react-quill';
2import 'react-quill/dist/quill.snow.css';
3
4function QuillEditor() {
5  const [value, setValue] = useState('');
6
7  return (
8    <ReactQuill
9      theme="snow"
10      value={value}
11      onChange={setValue}
12      modules={{
13        toolbar: [
14          ['bold', 'italic'],
15          ['link', 'image'],
16        ],
17      }}
18    />
19  );
20}

Quill works well for projects requiring standard rich text features without the complexity of more extensive frameworks. Its delta-based change tracking system provides reliable content management.

Performance Considerations

When implementing rich text editors in React applications, monitoring performance metrics becomes crucial. The Browser Information Analyzer can help identify potential compatibility issues across different browsers and devices.

For applications handling large documents, implementing proper error boundaries and loading states helps maintain responsiveness. The JSON Formatter can assist in debugging editor state and content structure during development.

Rich text editors often need to process and validate HTML content. The HTML to JSX Converter proves valuable when converting existing HTML content for use within React components.

Each editor solution presents different trade-offs between features, performance, and implementation complexity. Testing thoroughly with real content and user scenarios remains essential for selecting the right editor for specific project requirements.