What Is Froala Editor?
Froala Editor is a commercial WYSIWYG HTML editor known for a clean UI and extensive plugin library. It supports inline editing, collaborative features, and has wrappers for all major frameworks. However, Froala is not free for production — all plans require a paid license starting at $199/year per developer. There is a 30-day trial but no perpetual free tier.
This makes Froala unsuitable for open-source projects, side projects, or any use case where budget matters. Developers searching for a free Froala alternative increasingly turn to RayEditor, which offers a comparable feature set under the MIT license.
Licensing: The Deal-Breaker
- Froala: Commercial license required for any non-trial production use. Starts at $199/year.
- RayEditor: MIT — free forever for personal and commercial use. No registration, no API key.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | RayEditor | Froala |
|---|---|---|
| License | MIT (free) | Paid ($199+/yr) |
| Zero dependencies | ✓ | jQuery required |
| Bundle size | ~65 KB | ~200 KB+ |
| Dark mode | ✓ | Paid |
| Markdown mode | ✓ | ✗ |
| Slash commands | ✓ | ✗ |
| Task lists | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plugin API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Tables | ✓ | ✓ |
| React/Vue/Angular/Svelte | ✓ All official | React/Vue/Angular (paid) |
| TypeScript types | ✓ Full .d.ts | ✓ |
Getting Started With RayEditor
npm install @rohanyeole/ray-editorimport { RayEditor } from '@rohanyeole/ray-editor';
import '@rohanyeole/ray-editor/dist/ray-editor.css';
const editor = new RayEditor(document.getElementById('editor'), {
placeholder: 'Start typing...',
toolbar: ['bold','italic','underline','link','table','imageUpload']
});Migration From Froala
Both editors work with contenteditable and output clean HTML, so migrating stored content is straightforward — no format conversion needed. The main migration work is swapping the initialization code and updating toolbar configuration.
When to Choose RayEditor Over Froala
- You need a free, MIT-licensed WYSIWYG editor for a commercial or open-source project.
- Your project already avoids jQuery or aims for zero runtime dependencies.
- You need dark mode, markdown mode, or slash commands without a paid plan.
- Budget is a constraint — Froala's per-developer pricing adds up quickly.
Conclusion
Froala is a polished editor but its paid-only licensing and jQuery dependency make it a poor fit for most modern projects. RayEditor delivers comparable polish, a richer free feature set, zero dependencies, and a genuinely free MIT license. For any project where cost or license matters, RayEditor is the clear Froala alternative in 2026.