Writers leave Overleaf when co-authoring starts to cost more than the writing itself, when they want documents on their own disk, or when a supplier inside a larger group is not what they had in mind. Some go to another browser editor, some to a desktop editor that needs a local TeX installation, and a few switch typesetting language altogether.
Short answer: Looking for a replacement for Overleaf? Papeeria, Typst and TeXstudio come first in our latex editors ranking. Smaller vendors fill the top three places where the category offers them, and the household names start at place 4. Start with Papeeria if you want another browser editor with a ZIP route back to local files. The 10 entries that follow are all ranked in Best LaTeX Editors in 2026; each one explains what sets it apart from Overleaf.
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Pricing: Free plan with one collaborator per project; seven-day trial on paid tiers; organisation plans quoted
Established in: United Kingdom
Built for: Research groups co-authoring papers who want zero setup
Not for: Authors who want an offline editor with no subscription
01
Why buyers look past Overleaf
01
Sharing a project is a paid feature
The free plan allows one collaborator per project. Standard raises that to 10 and Pro removes the cap. Free also keeps history for the previous 24 hours only and leaves out track changes. A supervisor, a co-author and a reviewer on the same thesis therefore push a group towards a subscription.
02
The subscription is priced like software for a team
Standard is EUR 21 a month or EUR 179 a year, Pro is EUR 41 or EUR 369, and Student is EUR 11 or EUR 87 for people with current enrolment. The trial lasts seven days and the card is charged afterwards unless you cancel first. For someone who only needs a compiler and a PDF, that is a recurring cost for something local editors do for nothing.
03
The operator belongs to a group
Overleaf is run by Digital Science UK Limited, registered in England and Wales, and the legal page names a Delaware affiliate for some US, Canadian and South African billing. The code itself is on GitHub under AGPL-3.0, and organisations can ask for on-premises hosting. Buyers who want an independent small vendor have to look elsewhere.
you run a KDE desktop and are comfortable with a beta
#6
03
What each one does differently
1
Papeeria
Not stated by the vendor · See profile
Papeeria edits LaTeX and Markdown in the browser, with real-time collaboration, auto-compilation and templates. A ZIP download hands you the project for a local TeX installation, which makes leaving it easy. The homepage advertises sign-up without a card but lists no plan prices, and it does not say who owns the company or where it sits.
Switch from Overleaf if you want another browser editor with a ZIP route back to local files.
Typst GmbH in Berlin runs a web app with sharing and collaboration on the free plan, limited to 200 MB and 100 files per project. Pro costs 7.99 dollars a month and raises that to 2 GB and 1,000 files. The catch is the language: Typst is its own markup, so your .tex files convert rather than run.
Switch from Overleaf if you are ready to learn a new markup language and prefer a German-hosted web editor.
TeXstudio is a desktop program under GPL v2 for Windows, macOS and Linux. It finds MiKTeX, TeX Live and Ghostscript on its own, has a git panel and an integrated PDF viewer that syncs down to the word. Live co-editing goes through teamtype, which the page lists for OSX and Linux only.
Switch from Overleaf if you want a full desktop editor with git built in and no subscription.
Pascal Brachet has maintained Texmaker as the single author since 2003, under the GPL, for Windows, macOS and Linux. Quick build compiles in one click, Master mode ties together a thesis split over many files, and the page counts 370 maths symbols. It lists no sharing feature, so co-authors exchange files.
Switch from Overleaf if you write alone or send files by email and want a long-running independent project.
LaTeX Workshop is a Visual Studio Code extension under the MIT licence, not a separate program. It builds on save, shows the PDF inside VS Code or a browser, and syncs in both directions with SyncTeX. Citations and labels complete as you type. You need VS Code 1.114.0 or later and your own TeX install.
Switch from Overleaf if you already code in VS Code and want LaTeX in the same window.
CoCalc is a shared project workspace where LaTeX sits next to SageMath and coding agents. Hosted tiers are USD 8, 24 and 200 a month, with cheaper annual rates, and a self-hosted Star edition costs nothing. SageMath, Inc. operates it under California law, with no country of incorporation stated.
Switch from Overleaf if you teach or research with maths software and want one workspace for it all.
LyX lets you write by structure and leaves the TeX output to the program. It brings an equation editor, reference and index creation, and layouts for articles, theses, books and letters. Binaries exist for Windows 7 and later, macOS and Linux. The page names neither a licence nor an organisation, and it has no shared workspace.
Switch from Overleaf if you want LaTeX quality without typing commands.
Texifier is the renamed Texpad, with apps for macOS and iOS and Windows marked as coming soon. It typesets live, shows a PDF viewer with dark mode and lists LaTeX errors in a sidebar. A free macOS demo exists beside a buy option, but the page shows no prices. The copyright line names Valletta Ventures (UK) Ltd.
Switch from Overleaf if you work on a Mac or iPad and want a native app.
TeXworks is a small Qt front-end whose PDF viewer is built on Poppler, with SyncTeX, continuous scrolling and a citation dialog. TeX Live and MiKTeX include it on Windows, and Linux gets AppImage, Flatpak and distribution packages. Release 0.6.11 dates from February 2026. Expect no git panel and no collaboration.
Switch from Overleaf if you want the plainest possible editor that ships with your TeX distribution.
KDE develops Kile, which compiles, converts and views in one click and previews a selected passage. Templates, wizards and project grouping with citation insertion are included. The release list pairs a 3.0 beta 4 for KDE Frameworks 6 with a 2.1.3 stable for KDE4, and the page states neither licence nor price.
Switch from Overleaf if you run a KDE desktop and are comfortable with a beta.
You co-author in the browser and want a different vendor
Papeeria: It offers real-time collaboration and auto-compilation, and a ZIP download takes the project to a local TeX setup.
02
You are open to a modern typesetting language
Typst: The free plan includes sharing, limited to 200 MB and 100 files per project, and the company is based in Berlin.
03
You want a free desktop editor with git
TeXstudio: It is GPL v2 software for Windows, macOS and Linux with a git panel and a PDF viewer that syncs by word.
04
You already write code in Visual Studio Code
LaTeX Workshop: The extension is MIT licensed, builds on save and previews the PDF inside the editor.
05
Your group also works with SageMath and similar tools
CoCalc: Hosted tiers run from USD 8 a month, and a self-hosted Star edition is stated as free.
04
When Overleaf is still the right choice
Overleaf remains the sensible choice when several people edit one manuscript and nobody wants to install a TeX distribution. Editing together, comments, templates for journals and a browser that compiles for you are the product. If you pay for Standard or Pro, you get 10 or unlimited collaborators, and an institution may already cover the bill. Check that before moving.
05
What moving off Overleaf involves
01
Your projects leave as source files
Download each project as files and compile once on the new setup. Packages, fonts and a different TeX engine can change page breaks, so compare the PDF with the old one before you send anything to a journal.
02
Co-authors need a new routine
On a desktop editor the shared state lives in git or in files you pass around. Agree who owns the master copy, and keep track changes and comments in a form every author can read.
03
Typst is a rewrite, not an export
Converting to Typst changes the language, so journal classes and custom macros need rebuilding. Try one short document before moving a thesis.
06
Questions about replacing Overleaf
6 answers
Is Overleaf free to use?
There is a free plan with unlimited projects, one collaborator per project, five basic AI uses a day and a history that covers the previous 24 hours.
Paid plans add collaborators and track changes. The plans page lists Standard, Pro and Student, plus an Organizations plan that needs a quote.
How much does Overleaf cost in euros?
The plans page we read shows Standard at EUR 21 monthly or EUR 179 yearly, Pro at EUR 41 or EUR 369 and Student at EUR 11 or EUR 87.
It does not say whether the prices are per user. A seven-day trial applies to those three plans.
Can I run Overleaf myself?
The repository on GitHub carries the AGPL-3.0 licence, and the homepage mentions cloud or on-premises solutions for teams and organisations. The Organizations plan lists on-premises options. We have not tested the self-hosted route.
Which alternative lets several people edit at once?
Papeeria advertises real-time collaboration in the browser, Typst's free plan includes sharing and collaboration, and CoCalc shows live collaborator edits. TeXstudio refers to teamtype for joint editing, listed for OSX and Linux.
Do I need to install anything for these alternatives?
The desktop editors need a TeX distribution such as TeX Live or MiKTeX, and TeXstudio and TeXworks detect or bundle them. Typst, Papeeria and CoCalc run in the browser, and Typst compiles its own language without TeX.
Which Overleaf alternatives are open source?
TeXstudio is GPL v2, Texmaker is GPL, LaTeX Workshop is MIT and Typst's compiler is Apache 2.0 on GitHub. LyX and TeXworks describe themselves as open or free software without naming the licence on the pages we read.
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Sources
Checked 7 November 2026
Overleaf plans: Free, Standard EUR 21 and 179, Pro EUR 41 and 369, Student EUR 11 and 87, collaborator limits, 24-hour history, seven-day trial, Organizations.
Overleaf legal: Digital Science UK Limited, registered in England and Wales, US affiliate for some billing.
Overleaf home: Cloud or on-premises solutions, track changes, templates.
Founder of The Knowledge Engineers and of 2 Steps Ahead, an AI search visibility agency. Editorially responsible for every page on this site; research and drafting are AI-assisted.
Checked and edited by Sebastiaan Smits, last on 7 November 2026. The editorial process explains the method.
