RichTextEditor vs BlockNote
Looking for a BlockNote alternative? A Notion-style block editor for React vs a finished editor for any stack. A factual comparison for teams shortlisting a rich text editor in 2026 — pricing model, AI, collaboration, and when each option is the right call.
$7,020 (Business, 3 yrs at $195/mo) vs $129 once
Side by side
| RichTextEditor | BlockNote | |
|---|---|---|
| License | Perpetual, per-domain, from $129 one-time | Core free and liberally licensed; XL packages GPL-3.0 or $195/mo |
| AI features | Built-in AI Toolkit (Ask AI, AI Chat, AI Review) with BYOK - no add-on fee | AI is an XL package - GPL-3.0, or a paid plan for closed source |
| Real-time collaboration | Per-node Yjs CRDT engine included | Included in the free core, with comments |
| Self-hosting | Fully self-hosted; no phone-home, no load counting | Client-side library; self-hostable |
| Stacks supported | Plain JS, ASP.NET Web Forms / MVC / Core, Blazor, PHP, React, Vue, Angular, Svelte | React only |
| Editing model | HTML document, block and inline, with a node type registry over it | Block-based (Notion style), built on ProseMirror and Tiptap |
| .docx import | In-browser, library-free, including tables and comments | Import is documented for HTML and Markdown; no .docx import listed |
| .docx / PDF export | Both in-browser; PDF is vector and tagged for 508 / EN 301 549 | Client-side exporters, in the paid XL packages |
| Review workflow | Track changes, revision history and comments | Comments in the core; no track changes or revision history documented |
| Long-document features | Pagination, footnotes, legal lists, TOC, mail merge | Multi-column layouts (XL); the rest are not provided |
| Notion-style block UX | Toolbar-first, with drag handles on blocks | Purpose-built: drag-and-drop blocks, slash menu, block handles |
Choose BlockNote when…
- You are building a React app and want a Notion-style block editor with that interaction model out of the box.
- Your project is open source, so the XL packages are free to you under GPL-3.0.
- Block-based editing is the product, and you do not need Word-shaped documents.
Choose RichTextEditor when…
- Your stack is not React - BlockNote does not ship for ASP.NET, PHP, Blazor, Angular or plain JavaScript.
- You need Word interchange: .docx in as well as out, with tables and comments surviving the round trip.
- Your project is closed source and you would rather pay once than $195 every month for AI and export.
Frequently asked
Is BlockNote free?
The core is, and generously so - their pricing page calls it liberally licensed and free for any project, and real-time collaboration and comments are in that free core, which is more than most vendors include. The line falls at the XL packages: AI, multi-column layouts and export to PDF, DOCX and ODT are free for open source projects under GPL-3.0, and closed-source use needs the Business plan at $195 per month. For a commercial product that wants AI and Word export, that is the figure to compare against our $129 once.
Should I pick BlockNote for a Notion-style editor?
If that interaction model is the point of your product and you are on React, yes - it is built for exactly that, and we do not match its block UX. Choose us when the document is the point: Word round-trips, pagination, footnotes, track changes and revision history, on a stack that may not be React.
Competitor details reflect public pricing pages and documentation at the time of writing and may change; see source notes. Product names are trademarks of their respective owners.