Typst is a writing system for making formatted documents such as papers, reports and books, using plain text commands instead of a visual editor. It is aimed at people who write technical documents and want something easier to learn than LaTeX.
Has 3 of 7 · Works with LaTeX ✗
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
TeXstudio is a free desktop program for writing documents with LaTeX, a markup system often used for scientific papers. It is aimed at people who write technical or academic documents and want an easier editing environment.
Has 2 of 7 · Live co-editing ✗ +1
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Overleaf Community Edition is free software for writing documents in LaTeX, a formatting system often used for scientific papers, in a web browser with others in real time. It is meant for people who run their own server, such as a lab or workplace, where all users are trusted.
Has 3 of 7
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
Windows · Mac · LinuxGPL-2.0-or-laterReplaces partly
LyX is a document editor that looks like a word processor but produces professionally typeset documents using the LaTeX typesetting engine. It is for people who write papers, theses, and books and want them to look polished without manual formatting work.
Has 4 of 7 · Live co-editing ✗ +1
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Nobody has changed its code in over a year. It may still work well, but help is less likely.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Overleaf. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- Typst: Typst is a writing system for making formatted documents such as papers, reports and books, using plain text commands instead of a visual editor. It is aimed at people who write technical documents and want something easier to learn than LaTeX. [Advanced setup; Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces fully; Apache-2.0; https://github.com/typst/typst]
- TeXstudio: TeXstudio is a free desktop program for writing documents with LaTeX, a markup system often used for scientific papers. It is aimed at people who write technical or academic documents and want an easier editing environment. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces partly; GPL-3.0; https://github.com/texstudio-org/texstudio]
- Overleaf Community Edition: Overleaf Community Edition is free software for writing documents in LaTeX, a formatting system often used for scientific papers, in a web browser with others in real time. It is meant for people who run their own server, such as a lab or workplace, where all users are trusted. [Advanced setup; runs on a server you set up; replaces partly; AGPL-3.0; https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf]
- LyX: LyX is a document editor that looks like a word processor but produces professionally typeset documents using the LaTeX typesetting engine. It is for people who write papers, theses, and books and want them to look polished without manual formatting work. [Easy setup; Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces partly; GPL-2.0-or-later; no changes in over a year; https://github.com/cburschka/lyx]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/academic-writing.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/academic-writing.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea:
