Comparison

BuilderJS vs Craft.js: a finished builder, not a toolkit

These solve different problems. Craft.js is a free, MIT-licensed React framework (v0.2.12, still pre-1.0 as of June 2026) that gives you drag-and-drop primitives and JSON serialization — but no ready-made editor. You build the UI, controls, blocks, panels, and every export path yourself, in React. BuilderJS is a finished builder: 42 element types, 59 controls, and 31 overlays already wired up, mounting into any DOM node regardless of framework (React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Next.js, Laravel, plain HTML). It also ships a dual-output pipeline that builds Outlook-safe email HTML, which Craft.js does not address at all. Pick Craft.js if you have React engineers and want full control over every pixel of the editing experience, and you're comfortable owning the roadmap. Pick BuilderJS if you want an editor that works on day one, builds both web pages and email markup, and you'd rather extend than assemble. Craft.js is the toolkit; BuilderJS is the tool.

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BuilderJS vs Craft.js, side by side

Dimension	BuilderJS	Craft.js
Pricing model	One-time CodeCanyon license: Regular $52 / Extended $99. No SaaS, no monthly fee, no per-seat, no usage metering.	Free, MIT-licensed open source. No license cost; your cost is the engineering time to build the editor on top of it (as of June 2026).
License & source access	Commercial license; you receive and own the full source, self-host, and modify freely within the CodeCanyon terms.	MIT license — permissive, modify and redistribute freely with attribution. Full source on GitHub (prevwong/craft.js) (as of June 2026).
Hosting & data residency	Self-hosted in your own app; no phone-home. Your editor, your servers, your data.	Self-hosted in your own React app; no phone-home. Your editor, your servers, your data.
Email output (Outlook/Gmail-safe)	Built-in EmailExportPipeline builds the email markup: flexbox-to-table, SVG-to-PNG, @media mobile-stack, MSO conditionals, CSS inliner. 30+ templates Litmus-tested across 22 clients. You bring your own ESP to send it.	Not addressed. Craft.js produces React/JSON state; any email-safe HTML export is something you would design and build yourself.
Page/landing building	Yes — builds both web/landing page and email markup from one editor; dual HTML output. You bring your own hosting to publish the pages.	Yes, this is its core purpose — but you must build the editor UI, blocks, and HTML rendering yourself; it ships no ready-made editor.
Framework integration	Framework-agnostic DOM-mount bundle (dist/builder.js + builder.css). Mounts in React (useEffect), Vue (onMounted), Angular (ngAfterViewInit), Svelte (onMount), Next.js (dynamic import ssr:false), Laravel, plain HTML. Client-side only.	React-only by design ("It's just React"). Integrates natively into React apps; not usable in Vue, Svelte, Angular, or non-React stacks.
Extensibility (custom blocks)	Extend without forking: custom Elements/Widgets/Controls via Builder.registerElement; themes; i18n 20+ locales with RTL.	Highly extensible — you define every block as a React component with useNode/useEditor. Extensibility is the point, but everything is build-it-yourself.
Backend (save/upload/auth)	Reference PHP backends (MySQL/SQLite/S3 save + upload + auth) you copy and own; port to Node/Go/Python. JSON-first getData()/load() lossless round-trip.	JSON serialization built in (query.serialize / json prop), but no backend, upload, or auth — you build all persistence and file handling yourself.
Support & updates	Author support time-boxed (~6-12 months) plus documentation and templates; you own the source for ongoing maintenance.	Community support via GitHub issues; MIT projects carry no guaranteed support. Maintenance pace varies; still pre-1.0 (v0.2.12, as of June 2026).

Craft.js (@craftjs/core) is free and open source under the MIT license — no fee, no tiers — latest version 0.2.12, still pre-1.0 (as of June 2026; see github.com/prevwong/craft.js). BuilderJS is a one-time CodeCanyon purchase: Regular $52 / Extended $99, with full source you self-host — no SaaS, no monthly fee, no per-seat charge. "Free" and "paid" aren't comparable here: Craft.js is engineering hours you invest to build the editor; BuilderJS is the editor delivered finished. Budget Craft.js by developer time, not license cost.

Choose BuilderJS if…

Choose BuilderJS when you want an editor that works on day one, need it to build Outlook-safe email markup alongside landing pages, build on a non-React stack (Vue, Svelte, Angular, Laravel, plain HTML), or prefer extending a finished tool over assembling primitives — and want reference backends you copy and own.

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Choose Craft.js if…

Choose Craft.js when you have React engineers, want total control over every detail of the editing UX, and are happy to build the editor, blocks, panels, and persistence yourself. As a free, deeply customizable React framework, it's ideal when nothing off-the-shelf fits and you own the roadmap and maintenance.

Frequently asked questions

Is Craft.js free, and is BuilderJS cheaper?

Craft.js is free and open source under the MIT license (as of June 2026). BuilderJS is a one-time paid license ($52 / $99). They aren't really comparable on price: Craft.js gives you primitives and you invest engineering hours to build the actual editor; BuilderJS delivers the finished editor. Compare total cost — including the developer time Craft.js requires — not the sticker price.
Does Craft.js give me a ready-to-use page editor?

No. Craft.js is explicit that it does not come with a ready-made editor or UI — it provides the building blocks (drag-and-drop, node tree, JSON serialization) for you to construct your own editor in React. BuilderJS ships a finished editor with 42 element types, 59 controls, and 31 overlays already wired up, ready to mount and use.
Can I use Craft.js outside of React?

No. Craft.js is React-only by design — its tagline is "It's just React," and its API (useNode, useEditor) is built on React hooks. BuilderJS is framework-agnostic: it's a DOM-mount bundle that mounts in React, Vue, Svelte, Angular, Next.js, Laravel, or plain HTML.
Which one produces email-safe HTML?

BuilderJS does. It builds the email template markup through a dedicated export pipeline that converts flexbox to tables, SVG to PNG, adds @media mobile-stacking and MSO conditionals, and inlines CSS for Outlook and Gmail; you then bring your own ESP to send it. Craft.js does not address email output — you would design and build any email-safe export yourself.
Do both let me self-host and own my data?

Yes. Both run entirely in your own application with no phone-home. Craft.js is MIT-licensed source you embed in your React app; BuilderJS ships full source you self-host, plus reference backends (MySQL/SQLite/S3 save, upload, auth) you copy and own. With Craft.js you build persistence yourself; with BuilderJS you start from the included reference backends.

Sources

Competitor facts are dated (as of June 2026) and linked — always verify current figures on each vendor's own site.