Contents
 | This article needs to be updated.(August 2022) |
The following is a comparison of TeX editors.
| This article needs to be updated.(August 2022) |
The following is a comparison of TeX editors.
| Name | Editing style [Note 1] | Native operating systems | Latest stable version | Costs | License | Configurable | Integrated viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUCTeX | Source | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2023-04-23) 13.2 | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| Authorea | Source / partial-WYSIWYG | Online | — | Free | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| CoCalc | Source | Online | — | Free | AGPL + Commons Clause | Yes | Yes |
| GNOME LaTeX | Source | Linux | (2023-06-25) 3.46.0 | Free | GPL | Yes | No |
| Gummi | Source | Linux | (2022-04-29) 0.8.3 | Free | MIT | Yes | Yes (Live update) |
| Kile | Source | Linux (macOS, Windows) [Note 2] | (2012-09-23) 2.1.3 | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes (Quick preview) |
| LyX | WYSIWYM | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2023-01-07) 2.3.7 | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| Notepad++ | Source | Windows | (2024-02-20) 8.6.4 | Free | GPL | Yes | No, but can be integrated [Note 3] |
| Overleaf | Source | Online | — | Free | Unclear | Yes | Yes |
| Scientific WorkPlace | WYSIWYM | Windows | (2016-02-23) 6.0.12 | Non-free | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| TeXmacs [Note 4] | WYSIWYG | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2024-03-11) 2.1.4 | Free | GPL | Yes | Partial (preview using system Pdf viewer) |
| Texmaker | Source | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2023-04-29) 5.1.4 | Free | GPL2 | Yes | Yes |
| TeXnicCenter | Source | Windows | (2013-09-29) 2.02 Stable | Free | GPL | Yes | No |
| TeXShop | Source | macOS | (2023-07-21) 5.15 | Free | GPL | Yes | Yes |
| TeXstudio | Source | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2024-06-07) 4.8.1 | Free | GPL2 | Yes | Yes (pdf, selection with dvi2png) |
| TeXworks | Source | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2024-02-12) 0.6.9 | Free | GPL | No | Yes (pdf) |
| Verbosus | Source | Online, Android, iOS | (2016-05-06) 4.1.3 | Free | Proprietary | Yes | Yes (pdf) |
| Vim | Source | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2024-01-02) 9.1.0 | Free | Vim | Yes | No |
| Visual Studio Code | Source | Linux, macOS, Windows | (2024-06-19) 1.90.2 | Free | Source code: MIT Microsoft-built binaries: Proprietary | Yes | Yes (pdf) [Note 5] |
| WinEdt | Source | Windows | (2023-05-16) 11.1 | Non-free | Proprietary | Yes | Yes |
| WinShell | Source | Windows | (2013-02-10) 3.3.2.6 | Free | Proprietary | Yes | No |
| Name | Editing Style | Native Operating Systems | Latest stable version | Costs | License | Configurable | Integrated viewer |
| Name | Inverse search [Note 6] | DDE support [Note 7] | Organises Projects | Menu for inserting symbols | Document comparison | Spell-checking | Multiple undo-redo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUCTeX | Yes | No | Partial (master file) | Yes | Yes | Yes [Note 8] | Yes |
| Authorea | Yes | — | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| CoCalc | Yes | — | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| GNOME LaTeX | Yes | — | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Gummi | Yes | — | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Kile | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| LyX | Yes | ? | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notepad++ | Yes, with SumatraPDF | Yes, with a DDE client | Yes | Partial [Note 9] | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Overleaf | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scientific WorkPlace | — | ? | ? | Yes | No | Yes | No (one level) |
| TeXmacs | — | Yes | Partial (shows document parts) | Yes | Partial (for own format only) | Yes | Yes |
| Texmaker | Yes | No | Partial (master file) | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TeXnicCenter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| TeXShop | Yes | No | No | Yes [Note 10] | No | Yes | Yes |
| TeXstudio | Yes | Yes | Partial (master file) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TeXworks | Yes | No | No | No | No | Yes [Note 11] | Yes |
| Verbosus | No | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Vim | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Visual Studio Code | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WinEdt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WinShell | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Name | Inverse search | DDE Support | Organises Projects | Menu for inserting symbols | Document comparison | Spell-checking | Multiple undo-redo |
| Name | Collapsible sections | Find and replace using RegEx | Intelligent error handling | Autocompletion of LaTeX commands | Parenthesis matching | Starts up to previous state [Note 12] | Unicode support | RTL Support [Note 13] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUCTeX | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes [Note 14] | Yes | Yes |
| Authorea | No | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| CoCalc | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| GNOME LaTeX | Planned | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | (just same files) | Yes | Yes |
| Gummi | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | ? |
| Kile | Yes [Note 15] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| LyX | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Notepad++ | Yes | Yes | No | Partial [Note 16] | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Overleaf | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| Scientific WorkPlace | No | ? | ? | — | Yes | No | Yes | ? |
| TeXmacs | No | Yes | — | — | — | — | Yes | ? |
| Texmaker | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TeXnicCenter | since v2.0 | since v2.0 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | since v2.0 | ? |
| TeXShop | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | ? |
| TeXstudio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| TeXworks | No | Yes [Note 17] | No | Yes [Note 18] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Verbosus | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | ? |
| Vim | Yes | Yes | ? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Visual Studio Code | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| WinEdt | Yes | Yes (modified) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WinShell | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No (just same files) | Yes | ? |
| Name | Collapsible sections | Find and replace using RegEx | Intelligent error handling | Autocompletion of LaTeX commands | Parenthesis matching | Starts up to previous state [Note 19] | Unicode support | RTL Support [Note 20] |
| Editor | Screenshot |
|---|---|
| LyX |  |
| Texmaker |  |
| TeXmacs |  |
| TeXstudio |  |
| Visual Studio Code |  |
| Editor | Screenshot |
LaTeX is a software system for typesetting documents. LaTeX markup describes the content and layout of the document, as opposed to the formatted text found in WYSIWYG word processors like Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer and Microsoft Word. The writer uses markup tagging conventions to define the general structure of a document, to stylise text throughout a document, and to add citations and cross-references. A TeX distribution such as TeX Live or MiKTeX is used to produce an output file suitable for printing or digital distribution.
A markuplanguage is a text-encoding system which specifies the structure and formatting of a document and potentially the relationships among its parts. Markup can control the display of a document or enrich its content to facilitate automated processing.
TeX, stylized within the system as TeX, is a typesetting program which was designed and written by computer scientist and Stanford University professor Donald Knuth and first released in 1978. The term now refers to the system of extensions – which includes software programs called TeX engines, sets of TeX macros, and packages which provide extra typesetting functionality – built around the original TeX language. TeX is a popular means of typesetting complex mathematical formulae; it has been noted as one of the most sophisticated digital typographical systems.
A text editor is a type of computer program that edits plain text. An example of such program is "notepad" software. Text editors are provided with operating systems and software development packages, and can be used to change files such as configuration files, documentation files and programming language source code.
Desktop publishing (DTP) is the creation of documents using dedicated software on a personal ("desktop") computer. It was first used almost exclusively for print publications, but now it also assists in the creation of various forms of online content. Desktop publishing software can generate page layouts and produce text and image content comparable to the simpler forms of traditional typography and printing. This technology allows individuals, businesses, and other organizations to self-publish a wide variety of content, from menus to magazines to books, without the expense of commercial printing.
An HTML editor is a program used for editing HTML, the markup of a web page. Although the HTML markup in a web page can be controlled with any text editor, specialized HTML editors can offer convenience, added functionality, and organisation. For example, many HTML editors handle not only HTML, but also related technologies such as CSS, XML and JavaScript or ECMAScript. In some cases they also manage communication with remote web servers via FTP and WebDAV, and version control systems such as Subversion or Git. Many word processing, graphic design and page layout programs that are not dedicated to web design, such as Microsoft Word or Quark XPress, also have the ability to function as HTML editors.
LyX is an open source, graphical user interface document processor based on the LaTeX typesetting system. Unlike most word processors, which follow the WYSIWYG paradigm, LyX has a WYSIWYM approach, where what shows up on the screen roughly depicts the semantic structure of the page and is only an approximation of the document produced by TeX.
GNU TeXmacs is a scientific word processor and typesetting component of the GNU Project. It originated as a variant of GNU Emacs with TeX functionalities, though it shares no code with those programs, while using TeX fonts. It is written and maintained by Joris van der Hoeven and a group of developers. The program produces structured documents with a WYSIWYG user interface. New document styles can be created by the user. The editor provides high-quality typesetting algorithms and TeX and other fonts for publishing professional looking documents.
LilyPond is a computer program and file format for music engraving. One of LilyPond's major goals is to produce scores that are engraved with traditional layout rules, reflecting the era when scores were engraved by hand.
In computing, What You See Is What You Mean is a paradigm for editing a structured document. It is an adjunct to the better-known WYSIWYG paradigm, which displays the result of a formatted document as it will appear on screen or in print—without showing the descriptive code underneath.
Syntax highlighting is a feature of text editors that is used for programming, scripting, or markup languages, such as HTML. The feature displays text, especially source code, in different colours and fonts according to the category of terms. This feature facilitates writing in a structured language such as a programming language or a markup language as both structures and syntax errors are visually distinct. This feature is also employed in many programming related contexts, either in the form of colorful books or online websites to make understanding code snippets easier for readers. Highlighting does not affect the meaning of the text itself; it is intended only for human readers.
Code or text folding, or less commonly holophrasting, is a feature of some graphical user interfaces that allows the user to selectively hide ("fold") or display ("unfold") parts of a document. This allows the user to manage large amounts of text while viewing only those subsections that are currently of interest. It is typically used with documents which have a natural tree structure consisting of nested elements. Other names for these features include expand and collapse, code hiding, and outlining. In Microsoft Word, the feature is called "collapsible outlining".
An XML editor is a markup language editor with added functionality to facilitate the editing of XML. This can be done using a plain text editor, with all the code visible, but XML editors have added facilities like tag completion and menus and buttons for tasks that are common in XML editing, based on data supplied with document type definition (DTD) or the XML tree.
Kile is a TeX/LaTeX editor to edit TeX/LaTeX source code. It runs on Unix-like systems including Mac OS X and Linux, as well as Microsoft Windows via the KDE on Windows initiative, with the Qt and KDE libraries installed.
This article provides basic comparisons for notable text editors. More feature details for text editors are available from the Category of text editor features and from the individual products' articles. This article may not be up-to-date or necessarily all-inclusive.
Markdown is a lightweight markup language for creating formatted text using a plain-text editor. John Gruber created Markdown in 2004 as an easy-to-read markup language. Markdown is widely used for blogging and instant messaging, and also used elsewhere in online forums, collaborative software, documentation pages, and readme files.
WinEdt is a shareware Unicode (UTF-8) editor and shell for Microsoft Windows. It is primarily used for the creation of TeX documents, but can also be used to edit HTML or any other type of text file. It can be configured to run as a front-end for a variety of TeX systems, including MiKTeX, fpTeX and TeX Live. WinEdt's highlighting schemes can be customized for different modes and its spell checking functionality supports multi-lingual setups, with dictionaries (word-lists) for many languages available for downloading from WinEdt's Community Site. It supports DVI and PDF workflow.
The Oxygen XML Editor is a multi-platform XML editor, XSLT/XQuery debugger and profiler with Unicode support. It is a Java application so it can run in Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. It also has a version that can run as an Eclipse plugin.
