pell vs Trix
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A tiny, dependency-free rich text editor you can drop into a web page.
Open source · MIT
A rich text editor web component for writing messages, comments, and articles in web apps.
The short answer
Choose pell if you need…
- Web developers who need a simple rich text box in a form or admin page
- Projects where a small file size matters more than many features
- Developers who want to customize toolbar buttons or style the editor with CSS or SCSS
- Projects that will convert the HTML output to Markdown with a converter such as Turndown
Choose Trix if you need…
- Developers adding a rich text box to a Rails or other web app
- Teams that want simple, consistent HTML output for comments or messages
- Projects that need embedded attachments inside text
- Developers who want control over editor behavior instead of browser contenteditable quirks
Side-by-side
| pell | Trix | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 12k | 20k |
| Setup difficulty | Beginner | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | JavaScript | JavaScript |
| Last code update | 2 years ago | 10 days ago |
What each one is
pell
pell is a small JavaScript library that adds a basic WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) text editor to a web page. You give it an element and it shows toolbar buttons for common formatting such as bold, italic, lists, headings, links and images, and it reports the resulting HTML through a callback. It has no dependencies and is intended for simple editing needs rather than full-featured document editing.
Trix
Trix is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) text editor that you add to a web page so users can format text with bold, lists, quotes and links. It is built from standard web components and produces simple, consistent HTML. It comes from 37signals, the company behind Basecamp, and is used there.
Best for
pell
- Web developers who need a simple rich text box in a form or admin page
- Projects where a small file size matters more than many features
- Developers who want to customize toolbar buttons or style the editor with CSS or SCSS
- Projects that will convert the HTML output to Markdown with a converter such as Turndown
Trix
- Developers adding a rich text box to a Rails or other web app
- Teams that want simple, consistent HTML output for comments or messages
- Projects that need embedded attachments inside text
- Developers who want control over editor behavior instead of browser contenteditable quirks
Strengths
pell
- Very small: the README reports about 1.38kB minified and gzipped
- No dependencies and written in plain JavaScript
- Customizable through the actions list, class names and SCSS variables
Trix
- Built on standard web APIs such as Custom Elements and Element Internals
- Treats contenteditable as an input device, giving consistent behavior across browsers
- Produces terse, consistent HTML output
Not ideal for
pell
- Teams needing advanced editing features like tables, collaboration or plugins, since the README lists only the basic actions and no such features
- Projects that must support old browsers, because the README says IE 9 support is theoretical
- Anyone who needs a maintained v2 release, since the README points to a v2 working branch and project board without stating its status
Trix
- Non-developers looking for a ready-made app; Trix is a component to integrate, not a standalone product
- Projects needing complex document features like tables or heavy page layout, which the README does not describe
- Sites that must support old browsers, since it targets evergreen desktop and mobile browsers
Trade-offs
pell
- Feature set is basic; advanced features are not listed in the README
- The latest release shown is v1.0.6 and the last push was May 2024, so upkeep is unclear
- Relies on the browser's execCommand API, which the README links to MDN for reference
Trix
- The README describes only basic editing; advanced features are not detailed in the excerpt
- Requires JavaScript integration work and some HTML knowledge to set up forms and toolbars
- Trix content must be sanitized carefully when loaded from untrusted sources
Getting started
Trix
Include from npm CDN (simplest)
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://unpkg.com/trix@2.0.8/dist/trix.css"> <script type="text/javascript" src="https://unpkg.com/trix@2.0.8/dist/trix.umd.min.js"></script>Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between pell and Trix?
pell: A tiny, dependency-free rich text editor you can drop into a web page. Trix: A rich text editor web component for writing messages, comments, and articles in web apps. pell suits web developers who need a simple rich text box in a form or admin page, while Trix suits developers adding a rich text box to a rails or other web app.
Are pell and Trix free?
pell: Free and open source. Trix: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, pell or Trix?
pell is easier to get started with (rated beginner); Trix is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is pell or Trix more popular?
Trix has more GitHub stars (20k) than pell (12k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to pell and Trix?
Other options people compare them with include Milkdown, Tiptap, Vditor, wangEditor, Summernote.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.