Plate
Rich-text editor with AI and shadcn/ui
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What is Plate?
Plate is a comprehensive open-source toolkit designed to simplify the development of rich-text editors in React. Built on Slate and React, it follows the principles of Openness, Composition, and Headless architecture. Plate provides a robust core engine with a React-focused plugin system, SSR support, and a framework-agnostic API that promotes modularity and extensibility.
Key features include integrated AI capabilities powered by the AI SDK (content generation, text editing, improve, fix grammar, change tone), collaborative editing with comments and suggestions, rich content editing with headings, lists, quotes, bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, code formatting, autoformatting for Markdown-like shortcuts, @mention users, emoji picker, slash commands, table of contents, drag handles, images and media embedding with drag & drop, callouts, toggles, multi-column layout, dates, and inline equations. Plate also supports HTML and Markdown import/export, Yjs collaboration, and comes with customizable Plate UI components built on shadcn/ui and Radix UI.
Plate is ideal for React developers building Notion-like editors, collaborative writing platforms, AI-powered content editors, documentation systems, CMS rich-text editors, and any application requiring sophisticated text editing capabilities. It's particularly suited for teams wanting open code they can modify directly, AI-ready components with consistent APIs, and MCP (Model Context Protocol) compatibility for AI-assisted component management.
Plate pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
Plate itself is free and open-source with many features including AI, comments, suggestions, emoji picker, table of contents, drag handles, and collaboration via Yjs. Plate Plus offers lifetime access to 100+ premium components and a full-stack AI editor template. Personal license: €299 one-time payment for per-developer license with lifetime access, unlimited solo projects, and free updates. Teams license: €799 one-time payment for up to 5 users with team-wide access, unlimited projects with unlimited team members, and free updates.
Plate pros
- Free and open-source with many features out-of-the-box
- Built-in AI support without paid extensions
- Comments and suggestions included for free
- Emoji picker available in free tier
- Table of contents plugin is free
- Drag handle functionality included for free
- Collaboration via Yjs supported in OSS
- Headless architecture for maximum flexibility
- SSR support for Next.js applications
- Built on shadcn/ui and Radix UI for beautiful defaults
- Open code you can modify directly (no vendor lock-in)
- Composable plugin system for custom editor behavior
- Markdown and HTML import/export built-in
- Slash commands and autoformatting for productivity
- MCP-ready for AI-assisted component management
Plate cons
- Steep learning curve for developers new to Slate
- React-specific (not framework-agnostic despite API)
- Complex architecture may overwhelm beginners
- Requires significant customization for production
- Documentation can be scattered across multiple pages
- Plate Plus paid tier required for premium components
- Bundle size can be large with many plugins
- Community smaller than established editors like Quill
Frequently asked questions about Plate
What is Plate.js?
Plate is a comprehensive toolkit designed to simplify the development of rich-text editors in React. It's built on Slate and React with principles of Openness, Composition, and Headless architecture, providing a robust plugin system, extensible plugins, and customizable Plate UI components.
Is Plate.js free?
Yes, Plate is free and open-source. It offers many features out-of-the-box as free, open-source plugins including AI, comments, suggestions, emoji picker, table of contents, drag handles, and collaboration via Yjs. Plate Plus is a paid tier with premium components and templates.
How does Plate's AI feature work?
Plate integrates with the AI SDK. Press ⌘+J or Space in an empty line to generate content (continue writing, summarize, explain) or edit existing text (improve, fix grammar, change tone). The AI is included in the free tier, unlike competitors like Tiptap where it's a paid extension.
What UI libraries does Plate use?
Plate UI is built on shadcn/ui and Radix UI. It provides customizable components with beautiful, pre-configured defaults. Inspired by shadcn/ui, you own the code you integrate, giving you complete control to modify every aspect of component code directly.
Does Plate support collaboration?
Yes, Plate supports collaborative editing via Yjs. You can review and refine content seamlessly, use comments on text segments, have annotations, and discuss changes. Collaboration with Yjs is included in the free tier, while Tiptap requires Hocuspocus (OSS/Paid).
Can I import/export Markdown and HTML?
Yes, Plate supports converting Plate content to HTML and vice-versa, as well as converting to Markdown and vice-versa. This includes HTML Export, HTML Import, Markdown Export, and Markdown Import functionality.
What is Plate Plus?
Plate Plus is the premium tier offering lifetime access to 100+ beautifully crafted components and a full-stack AI editor template. It includes premium features like advanced UI elements for Notion-like editors, premium media features (Zoom, Upload), and premium block menu options.
Does Plate work with Next.js?
Yes, Plate has SSR support and works well with Next.js. The core engine is React-focused with SSR support, making it suitable for Next.js applications. There's even a playground showcasing Plate's capabilities built with modern React.
What are slash commands in Plate?
Slash commands (activated by typing /) provide quick access to editor elements. Plate offers basic Notion-like slash commands, combobox commands, and premium options. The slash command menu includes combobox menu, context menu, sub menu, and menu options built on Radix and Ariakit.
How does Plate compare to Tiptap?
Plate offers many features for free that Tiptap charges for: AI (free vs paid extension), Comments (free vs paid extension), Suggestions (free vs paid Comments Pro), Emoji Picker (free vs paid extension), Table of Contents (free vs paid extension), Drag Handle (free vs paid extension), and Collaboration via Yjs (free vs Hocuspocus OSS/Paid).