Guide · updated
Universal Editor vs page editor for migrated sites
A migration to AEM as a Cloud Service is also a chance to decide how authors will work for the next five years. The page editor is what AEM 6.5 authors know. The Universal Editor is Adobe's newer visual editor, and Adobe says it intends it to eventually supersede the page editor.
What the Universal Editor is
- A visual, in-context editor for "any headless or headful experience", in Adobe's words: authors edit in the preview instead of navigating to content sources.
- Adobe calls Edge Delivery Services the preferred approach, and also supports headless front ends in frameworks such as Next.js, React and Astro.
- Backends: AEM as a Cloud Service (release 2023.8.13099 or later), AEM 6.5 LTS and AEM 6.5.
Limits to plan for
- Each author needs an individual Experience Cloud account.
- Adobe documents a limit of no more than 25 AEM resources instrumented per page.
- Desktop browsers only; mobile browsers are not supported.
- If you use IP allow lists, the Universal Editor service addresses must be added.
Choosing per site
| Situation | Usually best |
|---|---|
| Classic AEM Sites with many custom components, migrated as they are | Keep the page editor for go-live; plan the Universal Editor later. |
| Sites rebuilt on Edge Delivery Services with AEM authoring | Universal Editor. |
| Headless front ends (React, Next.js) that authors want to edit visually | Universal Editor. |
| SPA Editor projects | Plan a move: Adobe deprecated the SPA Editor for new projects from AEM 6.5.25 and points to the Universal Editor and the Content Fragment Editor. |
Whichever editor you pick, test authoring with real authors before the content freeze; editor changes are the part of a migration people notice first.