Comparison of TeX editors

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Contents

The following is a comparison of TeX editors.

Table of editors

Properties of TeX editors 1
NameEditing style [a] Native operating systemsLatest releaseCosts License ConfigurableIntegrated viewer
VersionDate
AUCTeX SourceLinux, macOS, Windows14.0.9 [1]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-02-25Free GPL YesYes
   Authorea Source / partial-WYSIWYG Online——Free Proprietary YesYes
CoCalc SourceOnline——Free AGPL + Commons Clause YesYes
GNOME LaTeX SourceLinux3.47.0 [2]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2024-09-14Free GPL YesNo
Gummi SourceLinux0.8.3 [3]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2022-04-29Free MIT YesYes (Live update)
Kile SourceLinux (macOS, Windows) [b] 2.1.3 [4] [5]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2012-09-23Free GPL YesYes (Quick preview)
LyX WYSIWYM Linux, macOS, Windows2.4.3 [6]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-01-16Free GPL YesYes
Notepad++ SourceWindows8.8 [7]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-04-28Free GPL YesNo, but can be integrated [c]
Crixet SourceOnline——FreeFreeYesYes
Overleaf SourceOnline——Free AGPLv3 YesYes
Scientific WorkPlace WYSIWYM Windows6.1.2 [8]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2021-07-01Non-free Proprietary YesYes
TeX Live Source FreeBSD, Linux, macOS, NetBSD, Solaris, Windows —2025-3-8Free LaTeX Project Public License YesNo (used by other editors/tools)
TeXmacs [d] WYSIWYG Linux, macOS, Windows2.1.4 [9]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2024-03-11Free GPL YesPartial (preview using system Pdf viewer)
Texmaker SourceLinux, macOS, Windows6.0.0 [10]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2024-08-16Free GPL2 YesYes
TeXnicCenter SourceWindows2.02 [11]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2013-09-29Free GPL YesNo
TeXShop SourcemacOS5.49 [12]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-01-28Free GPL YesYes
TeXstudio SourceLinux, macOS, Windows4.8.7 [13]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-04-25Free GPL2 YesYes (pdf, selection with dvi2png)
TeXworks SourceLinux, macOS, Windows0.6.10 [14]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-02-13Free GPL NoYes (pdf)
Verbosus SourceOnline, Android, iOS, Windows——Free Proprietary YesYes (pdf)
Vim SourceLinux, macOS, Windows9.1 [15] [16]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2024-01-02FreeVimYesNo
Visual Studio Code SourceLinux, macOS, Windows1.99.3 [17]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2025-04-17FreeSource code: MIT
Microsoft-built binaries: Proprietary 		YesYes (pdf) [e]
WinEdt SourceWindows11.1 [18]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2023-05-19Non-free Proprietary YesYes
WinShell SourceWindows4.0.0.6 [19]   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg 2023-05-27Free Proprietary YesNo
NameEditing styleNative operating systemsVersionDateCosts License ConfigurableIntegrated viewer
Latest release
Properties of TeX editors 2
NameInverse search [f] DDE support [g] Organises ProjectsMenu for inserting symbolsDocument comparisonSpell-checkingMultiple undo-redo
AUCTeX YesNoPartial (master file)YesYesYes [h] Yes
   Authorea  Yes—YesNoNoYesYes
CoCalc Yes—NoNoNoYesYes
GNOME LaTeX Yes—YesYesNoYesYes
Gummi Yes—YesNoNoYesYes
Kile YesNoYesYesNoYesYes
LyX Yes ?NoYesYesYesYes
Notepad++ Yes, with SumatraPDFYes, with a DDE clientYesPartial [i] YesYesYes
Overleaf YesNoYesNoYesYesYes
Scientific WorkPlace — ? ?YesNoYesNo (one level)
TeXmacs —YesPartial (shows document parts)YesPartial (for own format only)YesYes
Texmaker YesNoPartial (master file)YesNoYesYes
TeXnicCenter YesYesYesYesNoYesYes
TeXShop YesNoNoYes [j] NoYesYes
TeXstudio YesYesPartial (master file)YesYesYesYes
TeXworks YesNoNoNoNoYes [k] Yes
Verbosus NoNoYesYesNoNoYes
Vim Yes?YesYesNoYesYes
Visual Studio Code Yes ?YesYesYesYesYes
WinEdt YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
WinShell YesNoYesYesNoYesYes
NameInverse searchDDE SupportOrganises ProjectsMenu for inserting symbolsDocument comparisonSpell-checkingMultiple undo-redo
Properties of TeX editors 3
NameCollapsible sectionsFind and replace using RegExIntelligent error handlingAutocompletion of LaTeX commandsParenthesis matchingStarts up to previous state [l] Unicode supportRTL Support [m]
AUCTeX YesYesYesYesYesYes [n] YesYes
   Authorea  NoYesNoNoYesYesYes ?
CoCalc YesYesNoYesYesYesYes ?
GNOME LaTeX PlannedYesYesYesYes(just same files)YesYes
Gummi NoNoNoNoYesNoYes ?
Kile Yes [o] YesYesYesYesYesYesYes
LyX NoYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
Notepad++ YesYesNoPartial [p] YesYesYesYes
Overleaf YesYesYesYesYesYesYes ?
Scientific WorkPlace No ? ?—YesNoYes ?
TeXmacs NoYes————Yes ?
Texmaker YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
TeXnicCenter since v2.0since v2.0YesYesYesYessince v2.0 ?
TeXShop NoYesYesYesYesYesYes ?
TeXstudio YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes
TeXworks NoYes [q] NoYes [r] YesNoYesYes
Verbosus NoNoYesYesYesNoYes ?
Vim YesYes?YesYesYesYes
Visual Studio Code YesYesYesYesYesYesYesNo
WinEdt YesYes (modified)YesYesYesYesYesYes
WinShell YesYesYesYesYesNo (just same files)Yes ?
NameCollapsible sectionsFind and replace using RegExIntelligent error handlingAutocompletion of LaTeX commandsParenthesis matchingStarts up to previous state [s] Unicode supportRTL Support [t]
Screenshots and Video Tutorials of TeX editors
EditorScreenshot
LyX
Screenshot LyX15.png
Screenshot
  
Texmaker
Screenshot of Texmaker version 4.5 Texmaker version 4.5 screenshot 20180131.png
Screenshot of Texmaker version 4.5
TeXmacs
The TeXmacs editor Mathematical typesetting with TeXmacs.png
The TeXmacs editor
TeXstudio
Screenshot of TeXstudio (2.12.6) TeXstudio 2.12.6.png
Screenshot of TeXstudio (2.12.6)
Visual Studio Code
The LaTex Workshop extension for Visual Studio Code VsCode LaTex Workshop.png
The LaTex Workshop extension for Visual Studio Code
EditorScreenshot

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ "Source" means you see and edit the TeX source files. "WYSIWYM" = What You See Is What You Mean, i.e. you see and edit formatted text. WYSIWYG means that see the output file automatically updated during the edit. Note that some PDF viewers (e.g. evince) automatically reload the PDF document when it is updated on the disk. So, any "source" TeX editor can be turned into partial WYSIWYG editor by opening such a reader in an adjacent window.
  2. ↑ Support for non-Linux systems considered experimental.
  3. ↑ Notepad++ can execute Tex viewers
  4. ↑ TeXmacs is an original document preparation system, with own syntax and own algorithms, but can be used to obtain TeX files through its LaTeX export capability.
  5. ↑ Requires installation of LaTeX Workshop extension.
  6. ↑ Inverse search means that one can locate the relevant part of the source code from the viewer (e.g., double-clicking in dvi or pdf file brings up the appropriate line/paragraph in the latex code)
  7. ↑ On Windows some pdf viewers like Sumatra PDF or Adobe Reader don't use command line arguments for forward search, but the editor sends the document position to them using Dynamic Data Exchange
  8. ↑ Requires installation of extra package.
  9. ↑ A plug-in is required.
  10. ↑ LaTeX panel & Matrix panel
  11. ↑ Requires installation of extra package
  12. ↑ Starts up to previous state including the current editing point.
  13. ↑ RTL support means Right to Left language support.
  14. ↑ configurable as an option of the Emacs editor
  15. ↑ With usual \section{} notation, Kile collapses equations and figures, but not sections. Collapsing of sections is possible with non-standard notation \begin{section}{}...\end{section}{}, but it eliminates sections from Structure View. An alternative possibility is bracketing sections with comments %BEGIN and %END.
  16. ↑ This will have to be set up manually.
  17. ↑ Provides a subset of the regular expression syntax implemented in the Perl scripting language, but fully supports Unicode
  18. ↑ Template file in resource directory ( Documentation of the code completion feature )
  19. ↑ Starts up to previous state including the current editing point.
  20. ↑ RTL support means Right to Left language support.

References

  1. ↑ "[GNU ELPA] Auctex version 14.0.9". 25 February 2025. Retrieved 1 April 2025.
  2. ↑ "Tags" . Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  3. ↑ "Release 0.8.3". 29 April 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2022.
  4. ↑ "Latest news". Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  5. ↑ "Release 2.1.3". 23 September 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  6. ↑ "[lyx-announce] LyX 2.4.3 Released". 16 January 2025. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
  7. ↑ "Download Notepad++ v8.8: We are with Ukraine | Notepad++" . Retrieved 28 April 2025.
  8. ↑ "Version 6.1.2 (07/01/2021)". 1 July 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
  9. ↑ Joris van der Hoeven (2 April 2024). "TeXmacs 2.1.4" . Retrieved 2 April 2024.
  10. ↑ "A new version (6.0.0) of Texmaker". 17 August 2024. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  11. ↑ "TeXnicCenter - Small Fixes-". 29 September 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  12. ↑ "TeXShop (v 5.49) Release 1/28/2025(for Intel and Arm, High Sierra through Sequoia)". 28 January 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2025.
  13. ↑ . 25 April 2025 https://github.com/texstudio-org/texstudio/releases/tag/4.8.7 . Retrieved 26 April 2025.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  14. ↑ "Release 0.6.10". 13 February 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
  15. ↑ "Vim 9.1 is available". 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Release v9.1.0". 2 January 2024. Retrieved 3 January 2024.
  17. ↑ "Release 1.99.3". 17 April 2025.
  18. ↑ "WinEdt Downloads".
  19. ↑ "WinShell 4.0 File Version: 4.0.0.6, 2023-05-27; Contains: Scintilla 5.3.4, Hunspell 1.7.2". 27 May 2023. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
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