plate vs fresh
Two of the top projects in AI editors and workflow canvases, side by side: who leads on each score part and who each one suits, then setup, license, activity and what each review found.
plate
Rich-text editor framework for React built on Slate, with plugins and AI
fresh
Terminal text editor with VS Code-style keybindings, mouse support and LSP
Verdict
plate ranks higher, 86 to 69. Of the 3 score parts we measure for both, plate leads on 2, fresh on none and 1 is even.
- Adoptionplate leads by 12 points, 73 to 61.
- FreshnessEven at 100.
- MaintenanceWe do not score fresh on this; plate has 100.
- Agent-readyplate leads by 45 points, 45 to 0: a wide gap.
Pick plate if you are
React developers adding a customizable rich-text editor with AI features
- Three templates, from minimal editor to Notion-like app with AI and backend
- Plugin system layered on slate-react, installable from npm as platejs
Pick fresh if you are
Developers wanting a no-config terminal editor that can host coding agents
- Opens multi-gigabyte files with low memory use, per the README
- Single static musl binary for x86_64 and aarch64 with self-update
| What we compare | plate | fresh |
|---|---|---|
| Score parts, out of 100 | ||
| Adoption | 73, popular | 61, popular |
| Freshness | 100, active | 100, active |
| Maintenance | 100, healthy | Not scored for this kind |
| Agent-ready | 45, minimal | 0, none |
| Facts from GitHub and the README | ||
| Stars | 16.7k | 9.4k |
| License | custom license (read the license) | GPL-3.0 (copyleft) |
| Last commit | Nov 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Last release | Nov 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| Language | TypeScript | Rust |
| Docker | No | No |
| GPU | Not needed | Not needed |
| arm64 or Apple Silicon | Not stated | Not stated |
plate
Plate is a plugin-based rich-text editor framework for React, built on slate-react and published on npm as platejs. The README points to three starting templates: a Notion-like one with plugins, AI and a backend, a playground with plugins and AI, and a minimal one with Plate only. Documentation is at platejs.org.
Who it is for: React developers adding a customizable rich-text editor with AI features
Strengths
- Three templates, from minimal editor to Notion-like app with AI and backend
- Plugin system layered on slate-react, installable from npm as platejs
- Chinese-language docs and contributing guide are included
Weaknesses
- Notion-like template is documented on pro.platejs.org, suggesting a separate paid tier
- Detected license is NOASSERTION while the README badge says MIT
- Tied to React and Slate; no other framework is mentioned
- README has no feature list, so AI command coverage must be checked in the docs
- TypeScript
- Needs React, slate-react
fresh
Fresh is a Rust terminal text editor that uses standard keybindings, menus and a command palette instead of modal editing. It includes LSP support, multi-cursor editing, split panes, an integrated terminal and TypeScript plugins in a sandboxed QuickJS runtime. An Orchestrator feature runs one workspace per git worktree and can launch coding agents such as claude, codex, opencode and aider.
Who it is for: Developers wanting a no-config terminal editor that can host coding agents
Strengths
- Opens multi-gigabyte files with low memory use, per the README
- Single static musl binary for x86_64 and aarch64 with self-update
- Orchestrator gives each git worktree its own workspace, terminals and agent sessions
- Packaged for brew, winget, AUR, deb, rpm, Nix, npm, cargo and Flatpak
Weaknesses
- Agent support is a side feature; the core is a general text editor
- Sends anonymous telemetry and daily update checks unless disabled
- GPL-3.0-or-later license may block embedding in proprietary software
- Fresh Desktop builds are unsigned, so macOS and Windows warn on first launch
- Rust, claude, codex, opencode, aider
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