Head-to-head · Collaborative Research Writing Tools Software
Aldine vs Lilia
Aldine leads on 0 checks, Lilia on 0, and 5 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 5 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.
Our verdict
- Highest scoreAldine · 7.7/10
- Free planboth
Aldine scores higher on our rubric for collaborative research writing tools software: 7.7 against 7.4 out of 10; our editors rank them #4 and #7.
Aldine is the better fit for git-centric research teams and self-hosters. Lilia is the better fit for visual LaTeX teams needing many export formats.
- Aldine fits best
Git-centric research teams and self-hosters
- Lilia fits best
Visual LaTeX teams needing many export formats
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Side by side
| Feature | Aldine 7.7/10 Visit ↗ | Lilia 7.4/10 Visit ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Editor score | 7.7 | 7.4 |
| Ranking | #4 in Collaborative Research Writing Tools Software | #7 in Collaborative Research Writing Tools Software |
| Best for | Git-centric research teams and self-hosters | Visual LaTeX teams needing many export formats |
| Pricing model | Free | Free plan + paid |
| Starting price | Free plan | — |
| Free plan | ✓ | ✓ |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Deployment | Self-hosted | Cloud |
| Platforms | Web | Web |
| Built for | Solo, Small business, Mid-market | Solo, Small business, Mid-market |
| Features Aldine 4/4 · Lilia 4/4 | ||
| LaTeX editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Real-time coauthoring | ✓ | ✓ |
| Revision history | ✓ | ✓ |
| Document comments | ✓ | ✓ |
| Specs | ||
| Citation workflow | Built_in | Built_in |
| Export formats | PDF, LaTeX, DOCX, EPUB, Typst, Markdown | |
| Our review | ||
| Pros |
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| Cons |
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| Our verdict | Aldine is an open-source LaTeX editor for researchers and co-authors writing papers, theses, and other technical documents. It pairs real-time multi-cursor editing and live presence with Git-based project branches and history, review… Read the review → |
Lilia is a browser-based editor for papers, theses, and technical documents. It combines a visual block editor with editable LaTeX source, including visual and raw-TeX mathematical formula editing. Individual authors and research groups… Read the review → |
Strengths and trade-offs
Aldine — where it wins
- Live multi-cursor editing with presence and anchored review comments
- Git branches, merges, and history for research documents
- Zotero sync, citation lookup, and sandboxed LaTeX compilation
Where it doesn't
- Requires self-hosting rather than a hosted deployment
- Focused on LaTeX documents, not general-purpose writing
- PDF is the listed export format
Lilia — where it wins
- Visual and editable raw-TeX editing in one browser workspace
- Real-time presence, comments, and version history support coauthoring
- Exports include PDF, LaTeX, DOCX, EPUB, Typst, and Markdown
Where it doesn't
- Free plan exports only to PDF and LaTeX
- Available through the web and cloud deployment only
- Priority rendering, support, and administration require paid tiers
- Aldine7.7/10 · Free plan
A Git-native LaTeX workspace for research teams that want to self-host.
Visit AldineFull verdict → - Lilia7.4/10 · Free plan
Visual and raw-TeX collaboration with citation tools and broad document exports.
Visit LiliaFull verdict →
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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
Last updated · How we research and update