Overleaf vs TeXworks

Overleaf9.3Visit TTeXworks8.4Visit

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 TeXworks #6 in LaTeX Editors 8.4/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 0 of 4 features Visit TeXworks

• Overleaf fits best

  Established teams needing polished collaboration

• TeXworks fits best

  Simple free cross-platform TeX editing

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Side by side

Feature	Overleaf 9.3/10 Visit ↗	TTeXworks 8.4/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score	9.3	8.4
Ranking	#1 in LaTeX Editors	#6 in LaTeX Editors
Best for	Established teams needing polished collaboration	Simple free cross-platform TeX editing
Pricing model	Free plan + paid	Free
Starting price	—	Free plan
Free plan	✓	✓
Free trial	7 days	—
Deployment	Cloud, Self-hosted	Desktop
Platforms	Web	Windows, macOS, Linux
Support	Email, Docs	Email, Community, Docs
Built for	Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise	Solo, Small business
Features Overleaf 0/4 · TeXworks 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	Windows, macOS, GNU/Linux
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	Free and open source under the GNU GPL Works across Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux Integrated PDF viewing with SyncTeX source synchronization
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 Desktop-only editor with no AI features Focused on TeX authoring rather than broader collaboration workflows
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 →	TeXworks is a free, open-source desktop environment for authoring TeX documents, including LaTeX and ConTeXt. It is aimed at casual and technical users who want a focused editor for writing source files, controlling typesetting, and… 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

• TeXworks — where it wins

  • Free and open source under the GNU GPL
  • Works across Windows, macOS, and GNU/Linux
  • Integrated PDF viewing with SyncTeX source synchronization

  Where it doesn't

  • Requires a separate TeX distribution for typesetting
  • Desktop-only editor with no AI features
  • Focused on TeX authoring rather than broader collaboration workflows

• 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 →
• TTeXworks8.4/10 · Free plan

  A focused, free TeX editor for desktop users who want an uncomplicated workflow.

  Visit TeXworksFull verdict →