LaTeX vs Typst in 2026

Use Typst when you control the format and want simple syntax and fast compiles. Use LaTeX when you submit to a journal, a conference, arXiv or a university: they publish LaTeX templates and take LaTeX source, and in 2026 almost none take Typst. Typst is a genuinely good typesetting language. The deciding factor is rarely the syntax; it is who receives your document and what they accept.

The same document in both

A numbered section, bold and italic text, a displayed equation and a captioned table. Both versions below compiled as shown on 23 October 2026, the LaTeX with pdfLaTeX and the Typst with Typst 0.15.1.

\documentclass[11pt,a4paper]{article}
\begin{document}
\section{Introduction}
LaTeX writes \textbf{bold} and \emph{italic} with commands.
\[ \sum_{k=1}^{n} k = \frac{n(n+1)}{2} \]
\begin{table}[h]
  \centering
  \begin{tabular}{cc} A & B \\ 1 & 2 \end{tabular}
  \caption{A small table.}
\end{table}
\end{document}

#set page(paper: "a4")
#set text(size: 11pt)
#set heading(numbering: "1.")

= Introduction
Typst writes *bold* and _italic_ without commands.

$ sum_(k=1)^n k = (n(n+1)) / 2 $

#figure(
  table(columns: 2, [A], [B], [1], [2]),
  caption: [A small table.],
)

The difference is mostly punctuation. Typst marks up like Markdown (*bold*, _italic_, = Heading) and drops the backslashes from maths: sum_(k=1)^n instead of \sum_{k=1}^{n}, a slash for a fraction, and one $ for both inline and displayed maths, displayed when there are spaces inside it. Settings are function calls (#set) rather than a preamble of packages.

Where Typst wins

• Syntax: less boilerplate, and a real scripting language for anything you would write a macro for in LaTeX.
• Compile speed: incremental, so a change re-renders only what it affects. No LaTeX build matches it.
• Error messages: they name the line and the problem, where LaTeX often reports the symptom pages later.
• One tool: the compiler is a single open-source program (Apache 2.0), with no distribution of thousands of packages to install.

Where LaTeX still wins

• Acceptance: IEEE, Springer, ACM, Elsevier, the big conferences and university thesis offices ship LaTeX templates. arXiv takes (La)TeX source, PDF or HTML, so a Typst paper can only go in as a PDF.
• Ecosystem: thousands of CTAN packages, so almost any layout already exists. Typst Universe is growing fast, with more than 1,700 packages in its index on 23 October 2026, but it is younger.
• Templates: decades of journal, conference and thesis templates. Typst has community templates for some venues, none of them official.
• Your co-authors: your supervisor and collaborators very likely write LaTeX already.

Side by side

Converting between them

LaTeX to Typst is the supported direction: the typst.app web editor converts a LaTeX document into Typst, and Pandoc does the same from the command line. Expect to tidy custom macros and unusual packages by hand. Typst to LaTeX has no official route; Pandoc can write LaTeX from Typst, so it works for simple documents, but plan on checking the output before you send it anywhere that requires LaTeX.

Which should you pick?

• If the document goes to a journal, a conference, arXiv or a thesis office, write it in LaTeX.
• If it is yours end to end (notes, a report, a CV, slides for your own talk) and you like the syntax, Typst is a pleasure.
• If what pushed you toward Typst is a slow LaTeX build, try LaTeX somewhere that compiles fast before you switch formats.

The practical recommendation

If the main thing drawing you to Typst is speed, slow local builds or a queued compiler, you can get most of that on LaTeX without changing formats. LetX compiles a typical LaTeX document in a few seconds in the browser, with unlimited real-time collaborators and 1000+ templates including university thesis formats. You keep the format your institution requires and lose the slow part. See the full breakdown on LetX vs Typst, or, new to LaTeX entirely, start with LaTeX in 30 minutes.