Why Choose a SaaS Rich Text Editor from CKEditor?

CKEditor can be delivered on-premises or via SaaS in the cloud. While both have their merits, SaaS wins out in a few key dimensions.

CKEditor’s SaaS version refers to any plan hosted in our cloud and delivered via our content delivery network (CDN). For users trying to get up and running fast and minimize maintenance, SaaS delivers. All you have to do is set up the editor, register an account, put in your credit card details, and get your license keys, then you’re all set to start using the CKEditor in your applications.

SaaS appeals to those who want simple and fast deployment. But simple and fast doesn’t mean it lacks power. This post will walk you through the main features, benefits, and pros and cons of using SaaS.

#CKEditor SaaS: A deep dive

CKEditor’s SaaS version lets you get up and running fast, no need for extra infrastructure. CKEditor uses an enterprise-grade cloud and offers a ton of features and configurations to match almost any application needs. Below are some of the key points to understand with CKEditor SaaS.

#Getting started and code delivery

Our online Builder lets you select the type of editor you want to use, the key features to add, and the layout and toolbar, then generates code for you to add to your applications.

While on-prem typically gets installed via a Docker image, our cloud services get delivered via CKEditor’s content delivery network (CDN). The cloud gives you the full environment for collaboration, comments, mentions, document conversions, and more.

Setup is straightforward. You can do it in minutes just by using the builder, registering, entering your credit card, then adding the license key from the portal to connect the client side to the backend in the cloud.

Plus, you can start with a 14-day free trial.

#Upgrades and maintenance

CKEditor frequently adds new features and updates while still giving you control. New versions are released regularly without automatic pushes, allowing you manual control over when to release using migration guides.

You can find all of this in our extensive documentation, including information on upgrading through versions and migrating between CDN and NPM. We also recommend undergoing regular daily maintenance, which is fairly simple: Just keep your plugins updated, pay attention to security advisories, and regularly back up your data.

#What cloud services entail

Once the editor is live, you’ll use our cloud services to power advanced capabilities, such as collaboration tools, document exports, asset management, and regional hosting (in either the US or the EU). In other words, our cloud isn’t just hosting: It’s a full cloud platform that provides real-time collaboration backend via dedicated plugins and REST APIs.

• Backend for editing and collaboration: Provide your users with real-time editing, comments, and track changes using light, modular SDKs and transparent backend logic.

• Server-side API: Support content migration, shared content, collaboration, and publishing from backend workflows.

• Import and export: Document conversion can be a chore to develop. With CKEditor, you can convert content between .docx and .pdf without having to develop complex logic.

• Asset management: Leverage our premium CKBox asset management add-on to handle images and file assets with optimized storage. Or focus on optimizing and serving images at scale with Image Optimizer powered by Uploadcare.

• US and EU hosting: To meet data regionalization or latency requirements, we offer a choice of storage in the EU (Frankfurt region) and the US (Northern Virginia).

This is all wrapped into the same SaaS solution you signed up for. That means there’s no additional infrastructure to set up.

#Features

Our SaaS offering doesn’t skimp on any capabilities. Here are the highlights:

• Advanced formatting that you would expect from any strong RTE

• Media embedding within documents or web pages

• Track changes and revision histories

• Premium add-ons including CKBox’s cloud-based file management, import from Word, export to Word or PDF, and real-time collaboration features

Using CKEditor saves you significant time over building these on your own. Plus, our plugin architecture allows you to pick and choose which features to include.

Additionally, SaaS offerings typically get features a few weeks prior to self-hosted customers, which leads to faster time to market and greater user satisfaction. Our upcoming improved AI-assisted writing capabilities will be available several months earlier on SaaS, however a few weeks is more the norm.

#Security and compliance

CKEditor follows strict security best practices, including (but not limited to):

• A secure software development lifecycle (SSDLC) to prevent vulnerabilities

• Secure coding practices in line with SOC 2 Type 2

• Regular penetration testing with the ability to request access for our report results

• Data center and site location physical security and access reviews

• Coding and system vulnerability scans and regular audits

• Data encryption both in transit and at rest

• Regular monitoring and incident response plans for our cloud hosting

• Hosting in an AWS virtual private cloud, providing network isolation

Additionally, SaaS supports your compliance efforts. Beyond our security-related compliance certifications like SOC 2 Type 2, CKEditor also strives to meet and continue to exceed critical guidelines on accessibility metrics.

As mentioned, we offer a choice of hosting in either the US (Northern Virginia) and EU (Frankfurt region). This supports both compliance requirements such as GDPR or the California CCPA in the US and latency requirements for storing data near customers.

#Enterprise-grade reliability and uptime

CKEditor uses Amazon Web Services (AWS) for cloud hosting, allowing us to provide up to a 99.99% uptime guarantee. This includes automatic failover across multiple servers in different availability zones for increased continuity and regular backups to further protect against downtime and data loss.

#Pricing

CKEditor’s SaaS hosting prices are based on the number of editor loads per month, with several tiered plans. Each plan also includes monthly limits on document conversions, including exporting to Word, exporting to PDF, or importing from Word.

Overage charges do apply in each plan. However, our customer portal allows you to view usage metrics to give you plenty of time to decide if you want to upgrade your plan prior to any small overage charges.

Custom plans are also available where you can set up a mutually agreed upon metric, including based on the number of annual users, concurrent users, or clients.

For more detailed information, please visit our pricing page.

#When to choose SaaS over on-prem?

With all that said, why would someone choose the SaaS version of CKEditor?

#Start as you are and grow

Our cloud is enterprise-grade, with a 99.99% uptime guarantee and security best practices that follow SOC 2 Type 2. It’s strong enough for Fortune 500 companies. Yet, if your company or team is smaller than a sprawling multinational behemoth, SaaS offers these enterprise-level benefits to far smaller organizations. No need to build your own infrastructure to handle it.

Simply decide on your plan, then check in the customer portal for usage statistics to know when you need to upgrade.

#Avoid taxing your teams

Development resources in many companies, from one-person dev teams to enterprises, often get stretched thin. While our self-hosted version is still quite easy to set up and maintain, your teams will have it even simpler:

• Have multiple environments at once, automatically ready to go (development, testing, staging, and production)

• Avoid worrying about scalability, as our cloud was built using enterprise-grade AWS instances with strong uptime

• Skip having to worry about security - our team does most of the heavy lifting for you

• Use CKEditor in one application across unlimited domains and subdomains

Ultimately, this can shift your team onto core engineering tasks and extending the editor for your organization.

#Faster time to usage

Because the editor is simple to set up and maintain, you can get advanced features and security fixes to users rapidly. This can help with user satisfaction internally or customer satisfaction and retention for external applications.

#Stress-free security and compliance

SaaS offloads more of the security and compliance regulations to the CKEditor team. While both SaaS and on-prem benefit from the same secure development and coding practices, on-prem requires more heavy lifting as your own built infrastructure must now be in compliance with key regulations.

#When is on-prem a better fit?

While SaaS offers a number of pros, the cons can sometimes make on-premises deployments a better fit. It ultimately depends on your setup. It’s better to choose on-prem if you need:

• More customization: If you want more control over your infrastructure, self-hosting the editor gives you greater control. This could occur if you want to fine-tune performance of the servers or backend environment.

• Internal policies: Some organizations may require all software hosting occur on company infrastructure. In this case, self-hosting is your only option. However, it’s important to note that CKEditor offers the ability to self-host a private cloud or run hybrid cloud setups as well.

• Compliance: Some compliance regulations may require you to run entirely self-hosted. For instance, many national security- or defense-related standards require airgapping your systems. If you even have some customers in this situation, on-prem fits better.

• Additional data residency requirements: If you need to host data outside of the US or EU, then you’ll have to use on-prem. This can happen if you have to localize data, but it can also be beneficial if you have a blue-chip client with specific residency needs.

• Offline usage: Organizations that need to airgap their environment must use the on-prem version. This can occur with either highly sensitive information (such as defense data or IP protection) or in low-connectivity environments like factory floors.

However, if you don’t have these blockers, SaaS can often be an incredible option for your organization.

You can learn more about CKEditor’s on-prem offering by reading Why Choose an On-premises Rich Text Editor from CKEditor?

#FAQs

Q: Am I charged per domain, subdomain, or application?

A: With the main SaaS pricing options, each license is for one application. However, you have unlimited domains and subdomains at no additional charge.

Q: Is support available?

A: Yes, there are multiple avenues for support. First, we offer extensive documentation to guide you through every aspect of the rich text editor. Second, depending on the plan you choose, we offer multiple support options.

Q: How do I know what SaaS plan to use?

A: If you’re looking for a SaaS plan, you can estimate the number of editor loads per month and set your choice accordingly. Then, use our customer portal to track the number of editor loads and view trends, giving you insight into when you may want a higher plan. Additionally, you may choose a higher plan based on specific features only available in higher tiers. If you regularly go over or have custom needs, then one of our custom plans would fit best. You can learn more by visiting our pricing page.

Q: I’m on the fence. Should I go with SaaS or on-prem?

A: If you’re not sure, you can always start with SaaS and then move to on-prem later. Your organization may grow over time or you may expand to new customers that require data to be kept in-house. Regardless, you can always migrate. If you’re unsure, start with SaaS, try it out, then move to on-prem when you’re ready.

Q: Can I run a private cloud or hybrid cloud setup?

A: Yes, you can. However, custom setups must go through our custom pricing plans.

#Is SaaS right for you?

SaaS fits best for organizations that want to get up and running fast with minimal upgrades and maintenance. If you don’t have super-specific infrastructure or compliance needs, SaaS provides plenty of conveniences while still being feature-rich and enterprise-grade.

See for yourself. Start a free trial to get building immediately: No additional infrastructure required.