BlockNote vs Novel
BlockNote
blocknotejs.orgNovel
novel.shSide by side
| Figure | BlockNote | Novel |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $195/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 0 |
| Spec score · Rich Text Editor Software | 8.3 (#8) | 7.2 (#27) |
| Product | BlockNote is an open-source, modular rich-text editor for developers building modern web applications. | Novel is an open-source, Notion-style WYSIWYG editor with AI-powered autocompletions. |
| Support | Priority Support includes a 48-hour first-response time and direct access through GitHub, email, and a dedicated Slack channel. | The repository suggests opening an issue to report a bug and contributing through pull requests. |
Plans
In their own words
BlockNote
BlockNote is an open-source rich-text editor for developers adding document editing to web applications. It is suited to knowledge bases, note-taking apps, document editors, and internal tools, with a ready-made animated interface and block-based documents to start from. Developers can add custom block types, change menus, or build a UI from scratch. The editor is built on ProseMirror and TipTap; real-time collaboration uses Yjs, with providers including Liveblocks, PartyKit, Y-Sweet, Hocuspocus, y-websocket, and y-webrtc. Documentation lists y-indexeddb for offline storage. BlockNote imports and exports its JSON format and HTML, while conversions to standard HTML and Markdown are marked lossy. XL packages add AI integration, multi-column layouts, and exports to PDF, DOCX, ODT, and email. They are free for open-source projects under GPL-3.0; closed-source use requires a commercial license. The Community plan is free, and Business is $195 a month, billed yearly. It runs self-hosted or on the web.