Overleaf alternatives
Overleaf runs in the browser, with a 10 second compile limit and one collaborator per project on the free plan. The editors below run on your own computer with a TeX distribution installed, so nothing is uploaded and a compile takes as long as it takes. All five are free and run on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
We built Texpile to be a direct offline replacement for Overleaf. We are the makers of Texpile, so we may be biased towards our own editor.
| Editor | Visual editing | Live preview | Collaboration | Typst | License | Needs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texpile | Yes, on the .tex file itself | As you type, with your own lualatex | Yes, end to end encrypted, no account | Yes | AGPL-3.0 | A TeX distribution |
| TeXstudio | No | Formulas inline; PDF viewer with SyncTeX | Since 4.9, with teamtype, on macOS and Linux | No | GPL-2.0 | A TeX distribution |
| Texmaker | No | PDF viewer with continuous view and SyncTeX | No | No | GPL | A TeX distribution |
| LyX | Structure-based (WYSIWYM), in its own .lyx format | Math and figures inline; PDF on export | No | No | GPL-2.0 | A TeX distribution |
| VS Code with LaTeX Workshop | No | PDF viewer refreshed on build, with SyncTeX | With the Live Share extension | With the Tinymist extension | MIT | VS Code and a TeX distribution |
The editors
Texpile
Texpile edits the same .tex file visually or in source and saves it back with nothing changed but your edits. The live preview re-typesets the page as you type with your own lualatex. A shared session lets other people edit the folder with you in real time, end to end encrypted, and a guest needs no TeX installed because the host compiles. It also edits Typst and Markdown. It is the youngest editor on this list, and it needs a TeX distribution installed before it can compile.
TeXstudio
TeXstudio is a source editor with syntax highlighting, completion, multiple cursors, an integrated PDF viewer with word-level syncing, and an inline preview of formulas and code segments. Since version 4.9 it offers collaborative editing through teamtype, on macOS and Linux.
Texmaker
Texmaker is a single-window LaTeX editor with a built-in PDF viewer, SyncTeX, code completion, spell check as you type, a structure view, and a panel of mathematical symbols. It has no visual mode and no collaboration.
LyX
LyX takes a different route. You write against the structure of the document, with an integrated equation editor, and LyX generates the LaTeX. Documents are kept in its own .lyx format, so an existing .tex file has to be imported, and the LaTeX it exports is generated by LyX.
VS Code with LaTeX Workshop
For anyone already writing in VS Code, LaTeX Workshop adds building on save, a PDF viewer with SyncTeX, completion for citations, references, commands, and environments, and parsed build errors. Collaboration comes from the Live Share extension and Typst from the Tinymist extension, each a separate install.
What Overleaf keeps
Overleaf needs nothing installed, has a template gallery, and offers track changes on paid plans. Every editor above needs a TeX distribution on your computer first, and that install is the main cost of leaving.
Which one
- A visual editor over real .tex files, with collaboration: Texpile.
- A source editor with a built-in PDF viewer: TeXstudio, or Texmaker for a simpler one.
- Already writing in VS Code: LaTeX Workshop.
- Writing against the structure of a document, with the LaTeX generated for you: LyX.
Head to head: Texpile vs TeXstudio, Texpile vs LyX, Texpile vs Overleaf, and Texpile vs LaTeX Workshop.
Checked September 2026 against each project's own site. Corrections are welcome as an issue on GitHub.