1. Front-end Editor
The Front-end Editor plugin allows you to make changes without having to go to the WordPress built-in editor. It’s a great tool if you have already created and published your blog and just want to make quick edits. It’s great for making edits that do not require any significant changes. However, it’s not really a standalone-type of editor. It’s more to use alongside another one. It doesn’t have any additional features to add to the WordPress built-in editor, but it is nice to have something that doesn’t require you to go to the WordPress administrative area.
2. TinyMCE Advanced
The TinyMCE Advanced plugin adds 16 buttons to the WordPress built-in editor. One of the great things about it is that it’s easy to drag-and-drag the buttons in and out of the window. Therefore, you are able to choose what buttons to have accessible to you when creating or editing a post. You are also able to add your current theme’s CSS stylesheet, so you are able to visualize how the post will look like when you are done.
3. WP Super Edit
Just like the above-mentioned plugins, the WP Super Edit plugin allows you to add plenty of additional functionality to your default text editor. Like TinyMCE Advacned, it allows you to add extra buttons (and hence more functionality) to your toolbar. What is more important is that it provides a way for you to arrange your toolbar according to the user role. Now, you can restrict your subscriber or contributor to only a limited set of toolbar while the author or users with higher level of permission to access to the full range of functionality. In addition, there are also a whole lot of useful HTML tags (like DIV, STYLE, TABLE etc) that you can use in your post. This is particularly useful for coders/developers.
WP Super Edit allows bloggers to control the editor better than the other two. Additionally, it has more features than the other two. However, it can be tedious adding buttons and arranging them in a way that makes sense. It would be easier if they start with all the buttons, and allow users to remove the ones they do not need. What other WordPress plugins do you use to enhance your text-editor?