Best LaTeX Editors in 2023 - Freely Write Scientific, Non-Scientific, or Technical Journals

by Claudius Woods

Before delving into the LaTex editors you should use, let's first consider, what a LaTeX is ?

What is a Good LaTeX Editor

  • LaTex is for anyone into writing of scientific, non-scientific, or technical journals.
  • It is a set of packages built on top Tex .
  • Tex is an advanced typesetting system.
  • LaTeX is a document preparation system.
  • Developed by Leslie Lamport in 1984 .
  • LaTex uses plain text as opposed to the formatted text. Like those in word processing tools like MS Word, Apple Pages, LibreOffice Writer and so on.
  • In academia , it is for the writing and publication of scientific documents.
  • Fields such as mathematics, computer science, engineering, physics, economics, and psychology, use LaTex.
What is a Good LaTeX Editor
What is a Good LaTeX Editor

Now that you know what LaTex is, let's look at what a LaTex editor is .

  • A LaTex editor is software that enables you to write, edit and publish papers in LaTex.
  • With a LaTex editor, writing a paper on LaTex becomes easier.
  • Research writing poses so many challenges that the general word processing tools cannot handle in a manner it should. To this end, LaTex editors have become the favorite writing tools for the majority of the research community.
  • This is because the LaTex editors handle mathematical equations exceptionally well.
  • The writing of mathematical equations is one of the primary reasons why the LaTex software came to being, in the first place.
  • For the ease of writing mathematical equations, LaTex editor allows users to define the formatting of text . And even before starting work through mark-up instructions.

Other benefits of LaTex editors include;

  • LaTeX allows users to define styles for individual elements.
  • LaTex allows for flexibility.
  • LaTex's quality of output is far superior to the quality of output by MS Word or any other word processing tool.
  • LaTeX scripts are platform-independent.
  • LaTeX allows you to split up large documents into smaller pieces . And later combine them.
  • LaTex is free to use. It is open-sourced, along with its packages.
  • LaTex is publisher friendly.
  • LaTex generates the bibliography of manuscripts automatically.

Summary of Best LaTex editors and Their Features

LaTex Editor

Key Features

Platform(s) Supported

Type of Editor (Online or Offline)

TeXmaker

Syntax highlighting, auto-code completion, spell checking, code folding, error tracking, built-in pdf reader

Windows, Mac, Linux/Unix

Offline

TeXnicCenter

Powerful GUI editor, auto-code completion, multiple UTF-8 character encoding, smart navigator, bracket matching, spell checking, syntax highlighting, library of LaTeX snippets

Windows

Offline

LyX

BibTeX support for creating a bibliography, multiple documents format, multi-language support, best math formula editor, auto-completion, supports many graphic formats, spell checking, PDF viewer

Linux/Unix, Windows, Mac

Offline

TeXstudio

Document word count, frequency count analysis, syntax highlighting, spell checking, reference checking, multi-cursors for comfortable editing, auto-completion, built-in pdf reader, image assistance, table formatting

Windows, Mac, Linux/Unix

Offline

TeXworks

auto-synchronization, built-in pdf reader, auto-completion, auto-correction, Unicode support, code folding, insertion of graphics/tables, interaction with external editors, citation management, syntax highlighting, fast rendering capacity

Windows, Mac, Linux/Unix

Offline

Papeeria

Real-time collaboration, document history, Google Drive, GitHub and Dropbox synchronization supported, plots builder allows you build complex plots, auto-completion, instant math previewer, spell checker, discussions in the margin, loaded template gallery of journals, curriculum vitae, presentations and more

Firefox, Chrome, Safari. Also works on iOS and Android mobile devices

Online

Overleaf

Real-time collaboration, rich text view, easy error tracking, real-time previewing, compatibility, effortless sharing, multi-language spell check

Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.

Online

Authorea

Inserting of tables, mathematical formulae, images, etc.

Auto-create bibliography, in-built citation search, commenting feature, creation of index pages, sharing of documents over social media, word count

Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.

Online

Kile LaTex Editor

Huge variety of templates and wizards, interactive preview mechanism, easy insertion of standard tags, easy insertion of citations and references, support for inverse and forward search, chapter support, advanced editing commands, auto-completion

Mac, Linux/Unix, Windows

Offline

Vim-LaTeX

Visual editing, compiling, mode mapping, code folding, error tracking, custom templates and macros

Windows, Linux/Unix, Mac

Offline

Let's move right away into looking at the suitable LaTex editors you should use in this year 2023.



Best LaTeX editors in 2023

Here is the list of 10 Best LaTeX editors in 2023

1. TeXmaker

TeXmaker
TeXmaker

Textmaker is one of the top LaTex editors out there.

Features:

  • It has an integration of many tools in it which makes it stand out from among other LaTex editors.
  • It is user-friendly and easy to use by a newbie in LaTex.
  • It is available for all major platforms, which include Linux, Windows, and macOS.
  • With TextMaker, you can organize your documents into different sections.

Other Features include:

  • Syntax highlighting
  • Auto-code completion
  • Spell checking
  • Code folding
  • Error tracking during the compilation stage
  • Built-in pdf reader

Click here to visit the website

2. TeXnicCenter

TeXnicCenter
TeXnicCenter

TeXnicCenter is another great LaTex editor.

Features:

  • Develop for Windows users .
  • It is a free LaTex editor and is also open source.
  • TeXnicCenter uses Microsoft's MiKTeX typesetting distribution.
  • It makes it possible for documents created with LaTex to process on Microsoft Word .

You can check out: Top 10 Free E-Books Readers for Windows



Other Features include:

  • Powerful GUI editor which supports auto-completion
  • Auto-code completion
  • Multiple UTF-8 character encoding
  • Smart navigator which helps you easily find your LaTex documents
  • Bracket matching
  • Spell checking
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Library of LaTeX snippets which makes it easy to create complex formula and documentation

Click here to visit the website

3. LyX

Best LaTeX Editors in 2023 - Freely Write Scientific, Non-Scientific, or Technical Journals: LyX
Best LaTeX Editors in 2023 - Freely Write Scientific, Non-Scientific, or Technical Journals: LyX

Lyx is among the most popular LaTex editors in use.

Features:

  • It supports many unique and modern features.
  • It is an open-source editor that works basically on the concept of What You See Is What You Mean ( WYSIWYM).
  • It has a simple GUI based interface and works on all major platforms, which include Linux, macOS, and Windows.
  • LyX is for the editing of mathematical documents .
  • Besides its use in editing mathematical documents, LyX can also work in structuring a novel or script using its advanced markup tools.

Other Features include:

  • BibTeX support for creating a bibliography
  • Multiple documents format
  • Multi-language support
  • Best math formula editor
  • Auto-completion
  • Supports many graphic formats like graphs and tables
  • Spell checking
  • PDF viewer

Click here to visit the website

You can also check: Best E-Readers For Bibliophiles

4. TeXstudio

TeXstudio
TeXstudio

Texstudio is before called TexMakerX

Features:

  • Texstudio is an extension of TeXMaker.
  • It is an open-source and multi-platform LaTex editor used mostly by researchers in the academic community.
  • TexStudio helps writing your research paper easily and comfortably.
  • It is free to use and supports all major platforms.

Other Features include:

  • Document word count
  • Frequency count analysis
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Spell checking
  • Reference checking
  • Multi-cursors for comfortable editing
  • Auto-completion
  • Built-in pdf reader
  • Image assistance
  • Table formatting

Click here to visit the website

5. TeXworks

TeXworks
TeXworks

TeXworks differs from all other LaTex editors.

Features:

  • TeXworks is a cross-platform, open-source LaTex editor.
  • It has two side by side panels that display both an editor window and a preview window .
  • It is an upgrade to another open-source LaTex editor TeXshop.
  • TeXworks operates on the GUI-based approach of LaTex editing.
  • It supports all major platforms
  • It is one of the high-rated LaTex editors by academia.

Other Features include:

  • Auto-synchronization
  • Built-in pdf reader
  • Auto-completion
  • Auto-correction
  • Unicode support
  • Code folding
  • Insertion of graphics/tables
  • Interaction with external editors
  • Citation management
  • Syntax highlighting
  • Fast rendering capacity

Click here to visit the website

6. Papeeria

Papeeria
Papeeria

Papeeria is an online LaTex software with wonderful features and advance tools.

Features:

  • It is one of the best web-based LaTex editors.
  • It allows you to compile everything in the background with its auto-compilation feature.
  • Papeeria offers you a huge library of templates .
  • Templates include:

I. Journal articles

II. Technical paper layouts

III. Curriculum vitae

IV. Scientific magazines and lots more.

  • Papeeria supports all major web browsers which include Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
  • It is also supported on Android and iOS devices .
  • Papeeria is available for free and you can also upgrade for a fee of $5/month.
  • The free access only allows you to one active LaTex project.
  • While the paid-for allows ten active LaTex projects.

Other features are:



  • Real-time collaboration
  • Document history
  • Google Drive, GitHub, and Dropbox synchronization supported
  • Plots builder which allows you to build complex plots
  • Auto-completion
  • Instant math previewer
  • Spell checker
  • Discussions in the margin
  • Loaded template gallery of journals, curriculum vitae, presentations and more

Click here to visit the website

You can check: Best EBook Reader Apps for Android

7. Overleaf

Overleaf
Overleaf

Overleaf is a great online editing tool in the LaTex community.

Features:

  • It owns the trust of over 2,000,000 users from across the globe.
  • It offers a variety of templates. This makes it easy to create professionally formatted documents without beginning from scratch .
  • You can access Overleaf for free and can also upgrade for a fee of $15/month or $30/month.
  • The $15/month plan allows for 10 collaborations
  • The $30/month plan gives you unlimited collaborations.

Other Features include:

  • Real-time collaboration
  • Rich text view
  • Easy error tracking
  • Real-time previewing
  • Compatibility with major browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc.
  • Effortless sharing
  • Multi-language spell check

Click here to visit the website

8. Authorea

Authorea
Authorea

Authorea is a great web-based, online LaTeX editor.

Features:

  • It allows users to write in both LaTex and Markdown language.
  • It allows researchers to publish their papers to multiple open access journals. Asides formatting the paper automatically to the selected journal style.
  • It is also known as the Google Docs for Scientists .
  • Authorea allows you and your team to modify changes on a document simultaneously.
  • You can attach the documents with comments and the comments posted can be seen by only you, publicly to everyone or a group of users with access to the comment
  • It supports all major browsers and it allow the documents for exporting to PDF, Word, or LaTex formats .
  • You can access Authorea for free or upgrade to an unlimited LaTex document for a fee of $10/month.
  • The free version allows you to create up to 3 LaTeX documents.
  • While 10 LaTex documents for students or educators.

Other features include:

  • Inserting of tables, mathematical formulae, images, etc.
  • Auto-creation of bibliography
  • In-built citation search which allows you to search and add citations
  • Commenting feature
  • Creation of index pages
  • Sharing of documents over social media
  • Word count

Click here to visit the website

9. Kile LaTex Editor

Kile LaTex Editor
Kile LaTex Editor

Kile is an open-source LaTex editor developed by KDE.

Features:

  • It is a user-friendly LaTex editor with unique graphical interphase .
  • Kile allows you to customize anything and is very easy to use.
  • It also offers the basic key features of a LaTex editor such as:

I. Image insertion

II. Creation of tables

III. Quick preview.

  • It also allows you to view, compile, and convert documents in one click.
  • Kile works on all major platforms.

Other features are:

  • Huge variety of templates and wizards
  • Interactive preview mechanism
  • Easy insertion of standard tags
  • Easy insertion of citations and references
  • Support for inverse and forward search
  • Chapter support
  • Advanced editing commands
  • Auto-completion

Click here to visit the website

10. Vim-LaTeX

Vim-LaTeX
Vim-LaTeX

Vim-Latex is an extension used for documentation.

Features:

  • Vim is a very powerful open-source editor.
  • It is one of the best editors and its combination with LaTex gives a very powerful LaTex editor.
  • This editor combines the editing features of Vim with LaTex for the typesetter to view, edit and compile LaTex documents.
  • The process of installation of Vim-LaTex is on their SourceForge page.
  • Vim-LaTeX is design for programmers and is highly configurable.
  • It supports major platforms like Linux/Unix, macOS, and Windows.

Other features are:



  • Visual editing
  • Compiling
  • Mode mapping
  • Code folding
  • Error tracking
  • Custom templates and macros

Click here to visit website

The task you wish to do will determine the LaTex editor you pick. Look through each of them and compare their features. And you can decide that which you think will best serve your publishing need.

Here are some other offline LaTex editors for you to check:

You can also consider the following online LaTex editors

About Claudius Woods

Claudius began his blogging journey in the early 2000s, sharing his experiences and knowledge about Microsoft Windows on his dedicated website. His ability to simplify complex technical concepts and provide practical solutions to common Windows-related issues quickly gained attention within the tech community.

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