9 Best WYSIWYG HTML Editors

A WYSIWYG editor, standing for "what you see is what you get," allows web developers to preview outcomes in real time before going live. These tools support multi-view and languages, offer templates for swift site design, and embrace HTML5 and CSS3 enhancements.

Having spent over 98 hours evaluating various editors, we provide a nuanced understanding of their functionality and utility. Our reviews are grounded in firsthand usage, aiming to offer transparent, detailed insights including features, pricing, and both pros and cons to guide your informed choice.

Best WYSIWYG Editors

1) Froala WYSIWYG HTML Editor

2) Dreamweaver

3) Wix

4) RocketCake

5) B12

6) Apache NetBeans

7) Notepad++

8) Google Web Designer

9) Sublime Text

1) Froala WYSIWYG HTML Editor

Froala stands out as a top-tier Javascript WYSIWYG HTML editor, renowned for its sleek user interface and exceptional ease of integration. Developers appreciate its robust suite of unit tests and the clean, maintainable codebase, ensuring flexibility and compliance with modern standards, including GDPR. The editor enhances productivity through inline editing and comprehensive keyboard shortcuts, streamlining workflow efficiently.

Features:

• Cross-Browser and Cross-Platform Compatibility: Operates flawlessly across all major browsers including Chrome, Safari, and Internet Explorer, and adapts seamlessly to devices from desktops to smartphones.
• Sleek Design: Features a retina-ready, modern interface with intuitive controls, SVG icons, customizable toolbars and styles, and dynamic pop-ups.
• Extensive Plugin Support: Includes a wide array of plugins such as Align, Char Counter, Code Beautifier, and Embedly, enhancing its functionality.
• Robust Integrations: Effortlessly integrates with various frameworks and languages including Filestack, Django, Flask, Java, PHP, and Ruby.
• Diverse Templates: Offers over 170 ready-to-use templates for various needs, such as footers, forms, and testimonials.
• Programming Flexibility: Supports multiple programming environments, including Django, Flask, Java, PHP, and Ruby.
• Advanced Editing Tools: Equipped with features like real-time collaboration, live preview, drag-and-drop editing, multilingual support, syntax highlighting, and a dual-view option for streamlined editing.

Pros:

• Enhanced Productivity: Facilitates content saving and offers advanced content formatting options.
• Clean HTML Output: Employs sophisticated algorithms to ensure clean, compliant HTML output from the rich text editor.
• Accessibility and User Experience: Designed to be accessible and user-friendly, improving overall user interaction.

Cons:

• Limited Free Version: The free plan is self-hosted and lacks an activation key, which might restrict some functionalities.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Available with lifetime access, self-hosted.
• Paid Plans: Start at $719 annually.
• Trial Offer: 30-day free trial available to test full features.

2) Dreamweaver

Dreamweaver stands out as an eminent web development application, empowering users to design, edit, and deploy websites efficiently. This versatile tool offers compatibility with various server types and enhances productivity through integration with applications like Fireworks and Flash. It provides an array of templates suitable for diverse online projects and adheres to modern compliance standards, including GDPR. Its extensive plugin support, particularly for coding enhancements, further solidifies its utility in professional web design.

Features:

• Adaptive Coding: Dreamweaver simplifies the creation, coding, and management of robust websites with tools that offer code hints, allowing for the learning and editing of web standards like CSS and HTML. Customize your workspace to fit your preferences seamlessly.
• Ready-to-Use Templates: Jumpstart your site design with customizable starter templates that support the development of e-commerce sites, blogs, about pages, portfolios, and newsletters.
• Enhanced Functionality: Recent updates to Dreamweaver include advanced features such as customizable keyboard shortcuts, improved file management, and innovative linking and navigation options. Additional capabilities include jQuery widgets, visual application development, and enhanced workspace configurations.
• Support for Multiple Languages: Fully supports essential web programming languages, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Comprehensive Toolset: Offers a user-friendly interface, multi-monitor setup for increased productivity, real-time collaborative editing, live preview options, a drag-and-drop editor, multilingual support, syntax highlighting, and a dual view feature for simultaneous coding and design visualization.

Pros:

• Advanced HTML Editing: Features an integrated HTML validator for checking code accuracy.
• Responsive Design Capability: Enables the creation of websites that adapt seamlessly to various screen sizes.

Cons:

• Steep Learning Curve: The comprehensive features of Dreamweaver may present a significant learning challenge for beginners.

Pricing:

• Monthly Subscription: Starts at $22.99.
• Trial Offer: A 7-day free trial is available to test its features.

3) Wix

Wix stands out as a remarkably intuitive, drag-and-drop website builder designed to accommodate users ranging from novices to seasoned developers. This platform provides over 500 sleek, customizable templates that serve a multitude of specific business needs, from e-commerce to personal blogging. Beyond its user-friendly design interface, Wix supports advanced features like multilingual capabilities and a wide array of plugins such as Simple Maps and PitchPrint, catering to a rich diversity of web projects. It also ensures high standards of security compliance including PCI DSS and HIPAA, making it a reliable choice for sensitive data handling.

Features:

• Extensive Customization: Wix provides a vast array of design capabilities, including a rich selection of visual content libraries. Customize everything from fonts to color schemes, enabling the creation of unique personal blogs, portfolios, or e-commerce sites.
• Advanced Site Functionality: Leverage Velo by Wix to incorporate sophisticated functionalities into your site using JavaScript and APIs for tailored user interactions.
• Robust Integrations: Effortlessly connect with major services like Salesforce, Google Sheets, Twitter, and Mailchimp to enhance site efficiency and data management.
• Comprehensive Design Tools: Wix offers complete creative freedom with features such as mobile optimization, an extensive range of web fonts, scroll effects, sophisticated design features, real-time collaboration, live preview, and a user-friendly drag-and-drop interface with a dual view option.

Pros:

• Superior Editor: Renowned for its intuitive WYSIWYG interface, Wix also integrates seamlessly with Google Analytics for efficient traffic tracking.
• Business Management: Includes capabilities for invoice creation and management, streamlining financial transactions directly through the platform.

Cons:

• Performance: There is room for improvement in website loading times, which can affect user experience and site performance metrics.

Pricing:

• Free Tier: Wix offers a robust lifetime free plan.
• Paid Plans: Starting from $17 per month, which unlocks additional features and resources.
• Free Trial: Available for 14 days, allowing users to test premium features without initial commitment.

4) RocketCake

RocketCake stands out as a highly intuitive WYSIWYG editor for crafting modern, responsive websites seamlessly compatible with any web server. This tool offers both free and professional versions, featuring an integrated FTP client for one-click publishing and a variety of pre-designed templates to expedite design workflows.

Features:

• Dynamic WYSIWYG Interface: Directly manipulate your site’s appearance with the ability to toggle views and edit across devices such as tablets, PCs, or mobiles.
• Comprehensive HTML Support: Incorporates essential HTML elements including navigation menus, image galleries, slideshows, and resizable containers, along with advanced features like buttons, gradients, HTML5 video, and audio.
• Optimized Code Generation: Produces clean HTML code with the flexibility to integrate custom scripting, serving as a robust foundation for complex website projects and server-side script templates.
• Customizable Breakpoint Editor: Design your site’s responsive layout with ease using the adjustable breakpoint editor that caters to precise design specifications.

Pros:

• Enhanced Code Customization: The professional edition supports the incorporation of personalized CSS, HTML, PHP, and JavaScript, enhancing the functionality and interactive capabilities of websites.
• Offline Capability: Exceptionally user-friendly for offline development, ensuring productivity without constant internet dependency.

Cons:

• Limited Demo Scope: The trial version could offer more extensive features to better represent the tool’s full capabilities.

Pricing:

• Accessibility: Available in a free lifetime edition suitable for basic use.
• Professional Edition: Priced at €49, this version is ideal for professional developers looking for advanced functionalities and customization options.

5) B12

B12 stands out as a premier WYSIWYG HTML editor, offering an intuitive split-screen preview that enables users to visualize changes in real-time. This tool excels in facilitating seamless integration with platforms like Calconic, Drift, and Ecwid, and provides versatile templates suitable for websites, emails, and forms. Additionally, B12 ensures adherence to critical compliance standards, including GDPR and PCI, enhancing its utility for professionals seeking robust, reliable web development tools.

Features:

• AI Website Builder: Harness B12's cutting-edge AI to create fully functional websites in minutes without any coding. Enjoy complimentary hosting, a personalized domain, limitless storage, and a mobile-friendly editing interface.
• DIY Website Editor: Build your site up to 15 times faster using a hands-on editor that allows customization through a rich library of color schemes, themes, and fonts.
• Supported Programming Languages: B12 is compatible with HTML, JavaScript, CSS, and jQuery, catering to both novices and experienced developers.
• Plugins: Enhance your site with an array of plugins, including a CSS generator, meta tag editor, file comparison tool, text case changer, and an online text translator.
• Additional Tools: The platform features tag highlighting, template downloading capabilities, a revamped start screen, live previews, a drag-and-drop interface, multilingual support, syntax highlighting, and a dual-view option.

Pros:

• Facilitates real-time, split-screen previews of web pages.
• Includes a built-in HTML validation tool to ensure code quality.

Cons:

• The free version includes advertisements and lacks a custom domain option.

Pricing:

• Free Plan: Available indefinitely with basic features.
• Paid Plans: Start at $42 per month, providing enhanced capabilities and support.
• Free Trial: Introductory offer at $1 per month for the first three months to explore premium features.

6) Apache NetBeans

NetBeans, an esteemed Apache project, is a versatile Integrated Development Environment (IDE) renowned for its robust support across Java, PHP, C++, and more. This tool excels in real-time code analysis and transformation, effortlessly upgrading applications with the latest Java enhancements. It features seamless integration with tools like Mantis and extensive template offerings for streamlined project setups. With its compliance with standards such as GDPR and a rich array of plugins—from SpringBoot to Twig—NetBeans stands out as a comprehensive solution for developers seeking precision and efficiency.

Features:

• WYSIWYG Editor: NetBeans offers a sophisticated WYSIWYG HTML editor designed to enhance rapid UI development and ensure bug-free coding through comprehensive application frameworks.
• Smart Editing: This IDE is recognized for its lightweight yet powerful editing capabilities, featuring advanced semantic and syntactic code highlighting and efficient refactoring tools.
• Supported Languages: Extensively accommodating, it supports a variety of programming languages including Java, JavaScript, PHP, HTML5, and CSS.
• Additional Tools: NetBeans excels with features like XML editing, multilingual support, syntax highlighting, cross-platform operation, and a dual view option.
• Compatibility: It runs smoothly on Mac, Windows, Linux, and any operating system that can support Java.

Pros:

• Project Management: Simplifies project oversight significantly, allowing for streamlined and effective management processes.
• Code Completion: Enhances coding efficiency with its superior code completion capabilities, aiding developers in writing more accurate code faster.

Cons:

• Extension Installation: Users may occasionally encounter difficulties when installing extensions, which can interrupt workflow.

Pricing:

• Cost: Available at no charge, NetBeans can be freely downloaded, providing a comprehensive development toolset without the financial burden.

Link: https://netbeans.apache.org

7) Notepad++

Notepad++ distinguishes itself as an efficient and versatile code editor that primarily targets developers working within Windows environments. Crafted using the streamlined Win32 API, it guarantees rapid execution and minimal resource consumption. Licensed under GPL, this editor supports numerous programming languages and excels in handling large files effortlessly. Notepad++ enhances productivity through features like syntax highlighting, macro recording, and auto-completion for coding constructs, making it a favored tool among professionals for its robustness and extensive plugin architecture.

Features:

• Syntax Customization: Notepad++ enables personalized syntax highlighting and code folding, accommodating extensive language support, including HTML, PHP, JavaScript, and CSS.
• Source Code Accessibility: The source code of Notepad++ is hosted on GitHub, complete with guidelines for contributions such as pull requests, along with additional resources like release keys and binary translations.
• Broad Language Support: This tool is proficient in handling a diverse array of programming languages, from JSP and LISP to Matlab and MMIX.
• Extensive Plugin System: Notepad++ expands its functionality with a plethora of plugins, such as ActiveX, AnalysePlugin, and Auto Detect, which enhance coding efficiency and text manipulation.
• Advanced Editing Tools: Features include a live preview, drag-and-drop capabilities, XML editing, and support for multiple languages in a single interface.

Pros:

• Multi-View Functionality: Allows simultaneous editing and viewing of multiple documents.
• Customizable Interface: Users can tailor the graphical user interface to fit their preferences, optimizing their workflow.

Cons:

• Integration Challenges: Occasionally, pull requests may be rejected, which can impede community contributions and integration efforts.

Pricing:

• Cost-Efficient Solution: Notepad++ is available as a free download, offering a powerful editing tool without financial commitment.

Link: https://notepad-plus-plus.org/

8) Google Web Designer

Google Web Designer empowers professionals to construct immersive HTML5-based designs. Its interface facilitates intricate animations and dynamic interactions, seamlessly integrating HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Users benefit from diverse templates and adjustable HTML editing modes, catering to both novices and experts.

Features:

• Design and Web Development: Offers comprehensive HTML, CSS, and JavaScript editing capabilities. Equipped with a full design suite suitable for both developers and designers to create visually appealing HTML5 content. Includes useful plugins such as Code View.
• Workflow: Features a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor that enhances workflow efficiency. Supports a broad array of display and video ad formats, responsive ads, and comprehensive content creation tools.
• Integrations: Provides seamless integration with Display and Video 360, Google Ads, Campaign Manager 360, and Google Drive, facilitating streamlined workflows.
• Additional Features: Boasts advanced animation tools, a rich components library, high flexibility, and offers interactive and multilingual support.

Pros:

• Metric Reporting: Allows components to report metrics independently without the need for coding.
• Advanced CSS3 Support: Stands out as a top free editor with CSS3 capabilities for creating and manipulating 3D content.

Cons:

• Limited Scope: Not suitable for constructing complex websites.

Pricing:

• Cost: Available at no charge; free to download.

Link: https://webdesigner.withgoogle.com

9) Sublime Text

Sublime Text is a multifaceted HTML code editor capable of managing code, markup, and prose on OS X, Windows, and Linux systems. This advanced tool provides pre-set templates for quick development and customization options such as themes and file configurations. It adheres rigorously to standards like GDPR and handles UTF8 BOMs effectively in .gitignore files. Sublime Text improves user interaction by showing Git status through badges on folders and files, and modifications in files are distinctly indicated in the gutter.

Features:

• GPU Rendering: Utilizes the GPU on operating systems such as Linux, Windows, and Mac to deliver a smooth interface experience, even at 8k resolution.
• Updated Python API: Now running on Python 3.8, the API enhances functionality by supporting advanced plugins, including the Language Server Protocol (LSP).
• Extensive Integrations: Seamlessly works with tools like Git, Prettier, PythonTidy, Sonarlint, and Vim, making it a versatile WYSIWYG HTML editor.
• Advanced Editing Tools: Offers high-performance syntax definitions, tab multi-select, a modernized user interface, and features such as real-time collaboration, live preview, drag-and-drop editing, multilingual support, and comprehensive syntax highlighting.

Pros:

• Efficient Command Palette: Allows for quick text input integration, streamlining workflows.
• Context-Aware Auto-Complete: Intelligent auto-complete system that adapts to the coding context, enhancing coding efficiency.

Cons:

• Complex Feature Accessibility: Most advanced features are not immediately apparent, requiring users to explore the tool to fully utilize its capabilities.

Pricing:

• Standard License: Available at a one-time fee of $99.
• Free Trial: Offers a Lifetime Free Basic Plan, providing access to essential features indefinitely.

Link: https://www.sublimetext.com