Overleaf vs TeXShop

Overleaf9.3Visit TTeXShop7.9Visit

Higher score Overleaf #1 in LaTeX Editors 9.3/10 Free plan · 7-day trial Free planFree trial✓ 0 of 4 features Visit Overleaf

vs

T TeXShop #8 in LaTeX Editors 7.9/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit TeXShop

• Overleaf fits best

  Established teams needing polished collaboration

• TeXShop fits best

  Mac users wanting a focused free editor

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Side by side

Feature	Overleaf 9.3/10 Visit ↗	TTeXShop 7.9/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	7.9
Ranking	#1 in LaTeX Editors	#8 in LaTeX Editors
Best for	Established teams needing polished collaboration	Mac users wanting a focused free editor
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	7 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Desktop
Platforms	Web	macOS
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features Overleaf 0/4 · TeXShop 0/4
Real-time collaboration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Offline editing	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Visual editor	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Git integration	Not checked yet	Not checked yet
Specs
Editor type	Not checked yet	Desktop
Supported platforms	Not checked yet	macOS
Our review
Pros	Visual and code editors with automatic PDF compilation Real-time editing, comments, chat, track changes, and history Git, GitHub, Dropbox, Zotero, Mendeley, and ReadCube integrations	Local typesetting with PDF preview, printing, and SyncTeX synchronization Syntax coloring, completion, configurable engines, and BibTeX support Free, open-source desktop editor for Intel and Apple silicon Macs
Cons	Free projects allow only one collaborator Free history covers only the last 24 hours Hosted web editing requires an internet connection	Requires a separate TeX distribution for typesetting Available only on macOS Designed for local work rather than collaboration
Our verdict	Overleaf is a browser-based LaTeX editor for researchers, students, authors, publishers, and technical teams. Its Visual Editor and Code Editor support different working styles, while automatic PDF compilation and preview keeps the… Read the review →	TeXShop is a native macOS front end for writing and compiling TeX and LaTeX documents. It is aimed at researchers, students, educators, and technical authors who want a focused desktop editor for local document production. The application… Read the review →

Strengths and trade-offs

• Overleaf — where it wins

  • Visual and code editors with automatic PDF compilation
  • Real-time editing, comments, chat, track changes, and history
  • Git, GitHub, Dropbox, Zotero, Mendeley, and ReadCube integrations

  Where it doesn't

  • Free projects allow only one collaborator
  • Free history covers only the last 24 hours
  • Hosted web editing requires an internet connection

• TeXShop — where it wins

  • Local typesetting with PDF preview, printing, and SyncTeX synchronization
  • Syntax coloring, completion, configurable engines, and BibTeX support
  • Free, open-source desktop editor for Intel and Apple silicon Macs

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a separate TeX distribution for typesetting
  • Available only on macOS
  • Designed for local work rather than collaboration

• Overleaf9.3/10 · Free plan · 7-day trial

  A capable collaborative LaTeX workspace for teams that need editing, review, and citations together.

  Visit OverleafFull verdict →
• TTeXShop7.9/10 · Free plan

  A focused, free Mac editor for local TeX and LaTeX writing and typesetting.

  Visit TeXShopFull verdict →