The Best Free LaTeX Editors in 2026 (Online and Desktop)
By Shihab Shahriar Antor · Updated October 2026 · 8 min read
The best free LaTeX editor depends on whether you want to write in the browser or offline. Online, LetX and Overleaf need no installation and compile in the cloud, and LetX is the one that gives every project unlimited free collaborators. On the desktop, TeXstudio is the most complete free editor and VS Code with LaTeX Workshop suits programmers; both need a local TeX Live or MiKTeX install.
We make LetX, so we are not neutral here. The other editors are described from their own websites, read on 23 October 2026, and how we compared and where LetX is the wrong choice are set out below.
Pick by your situation
| If you | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Write with co-authors, a supervisor or a group | LetX | Unlimited real-time collaborators on the free plan, nothing to install |
| Need to work offline or on a locked-down machine | TeXstudio | The most complete free desktop editor, over TeX Live or MiKTeX |
| Already write code in VS Code | VS Code with LaTeX Workshop | Build on save, PDF beside the source, Git built in |
| Want an assistant that fixes and builds | LetX with Lexi | A few runs free, more on Pro |
| Would rather not see markup at all | LyX | A document editor that writes the LaTeX for you |
| Write alone and are already on Overleaf | Overleaf | Its free plan is enough for one author |
Online free LaTeX editors (no install)
An online editor compiles on its own servers, so there is no multi-gigabyte TeX install and the project is on every machine you sign in from. The trade is that it needs a connection.
LetX
Free with unlimited collaborators on every project, real-time editing, 1000+ templates and a build that finishes in a few seconds, queue included. The free plan includes 40 compiles a day. Your documents are never used to train AI. More of the assistant, Lexi, and longer builds come with Pro (pricing).
Overleaf
The best-known online editor. Its free plan allows one collaborator per project, stops a compile after 10 seconds (240 on paid plans) and keeps 24 hours of history; Git and GitHub sync are paid. Fine for a short document you write alone. See Is Overleaf free?.
Prism, closes January 1, 2027
OpenAI shuts Prism down on January 1, 2027 and deletes its projects after that date: how to move every Prism project into LetX. Until then it is OpenAI’s LaTeX workspace, free for anyone with a personal ChatGPT account, with unlimited projects and collaborators and OpenAI’s models built in. Whether your data helps improve OpenAI’s models is a setting you control, and Git integration is not available yet. See LetX vs Prism.
Also free online: inscrive (unlimited collaborators, hosted in the EU, a 60-second compile on the free plan), Murfy (unlimited collaborators, AI credits, a 30-second compile) and Papeeria (unlimited collaborators, one private project). The full list, with prices, is in the best Overleaf alternatives.
Desktop free LaTeX editors
Desktop editors are free and work offline, but each one is only the editor: you also install a TeX distribution, TeX Live (every platform) or MiKTeX (popular on Windows), which is several gigabytes.
- TeXstudio: the most complete free desktop editor, with a built-in PDF viewer, autocompletion and a structure view. Windows, macOS and Linux; version 4.9.8 came out in September 2026.
- VS Code with LaTeX Workshop: free (MIT). Builds on save, shows the PDF beside the source and has Git built in. Collaboration means Live Share, which Microsoft has put in maintenance mode.
- Texmaker: a clean all-in-one editor for Windows, macOS and Linux; TeXstudio began as a fork of it.
- TeXworks: a minimal editor bundled with MiKTeX and TeX Live, good for a first document.
- LyX: you write in a document view and LyX produces the LaTeX. Windows, macOS and Linux.
- Kile: the KDE editor, strongest on Linux, also in the Microsoft Store for Windows.
Texifier, for macOS and iPad, is the polished paid exception at $39.99 for a single licence.
Can you use TeXstudio online?
No. TeXstudio is a desktop application only, and its project publishes no web version. If you want TeXstudio’s way of working without installing anything, an online editor is the nearest thing: you get the same LaTeX, a PDF preview beside the source and autocompletion, with the compiler on a server instead of your laptop. If you need TeXstudio itself, install TeX Live or MiKTeX first, then TeXstudio from texstudio.org.
Comparison: free LaTeX editors
| Editor | Type | Install | Real-time collaboration | Works offline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LetX | Online | None | Unlimited, free | No |
| Overleaf | Online | None | One collaborator on Free | No |
| Prism, closes January 1, 2027 | Online | None (ChatGPT account) | Yes, free | No |
| TeXstudio | Desktop | TeX Live or MiKTeX | No | Yes |
| VS Code + LaTeX Workshop | Desktop | TeX Live or MiKTeX | Live Share | Yes |
| Texmaker | Desktop | TeX Live or MiKTeX | No | Yes |
| TeXworks | Desktop | Bundled with MiKTeX and TeX Live | No | Yes |
| LyX | Desktop | TeX Live or MiKTeX | No | Yes |
| Kile | Desktop | TeX Live | No | Yes |
Free plans as each editor published them on 23 October 2026. Free plans change, so check the editor’s own page before you commit a thesis to one.
How we compared
- What we looked at. The things that decide a free editor in practice: whether you install anything, whether you can write with others on the free plan, where the document compiles, and whether it works offline.
- Where the facts come from. Each editor’s own website or repository, read on 23 October 2026. We did not install every desktop editor for this page, so the desktop rows describe what their projects publish.
- How we timed LetX. From our own service, queue included. The method is on how to compile LaTeX online. We have not timed the other editors under the same conditions, so there is no speed ranking here.
Where LetX is the wrong choice
- No connection, no LetX. It runs in the browser and compiles on our servers, so it does not work offline. On a plane or behind a firewall that blocks it, a desktop editor over TeX Live keeps working.
- Your files live in the cloud. Like Overleaf, LetX stores projects on its servers. If your lab or employer requires files to stay on your own machine, use a desktop editor.
- Younger than Overleaf. Overleaf has more third-party links, journal submission buttons and years of community answers. If a publisher’s workflow assumes Overleaf, that is a real reason to stay.
- A daily compile allowance on the free plan. The free plan includes 40 compiles a day, which is plenty for writing and tight for a long debugging session. Pro removes it.
For free LaTeX editing with no installation and real-time collaboration, LetX is the strongest option; if you would rather work offline, TeXstudio is the best free desktop editor.
If you want zero setup and collaborators, use LetX: it is free, runs in the browser, and does not charge per collaborator.
If you need to work offline or on restricted machines, install TeXstudio over TeX Live or MiKTeX.
If you already write code in VS Code, add the LaTeX Workshop extension and a TeX distribution.
If you are already on Overleaf and only write alone, its free plan is enough and switching gains you little.
Start writing LaTeX free in your browser, nothing to install.
Open LetX FreeFrequently asked questions
What is the best free LaTeX editor?
For no-install, collaborative editing, LetX is the best free LaTeX editor: it compiles in a few seconds and allows unlimited free collaborators on every project. For offline desktop work, TeXstudio with TeX Live or MiKTeX is the most complete free choice, and VS Code with LaTeX Workshop suits programmers.
Is there a free online LaTeX editor?
Yes. LetX and Overleaf are free online LaTeX editors that compile in the cloud with no installation. LetX offers unlimited free collaborators; Overleaf’s free plan allows one collaborator per project. OpenAI’s Prism closes on January 1, 2027.
Is there an online version of TeXstudio?
No. TeXstudio is a desktop application only and its project publishes no web version. For the same way of working without an install, use an online LaTeX editor such as LetX, which shows the PDF beside the source and compiles on a server.
Is TeXstudio free?
Yes. TeXstudio is free and open source, as are Texmaker, TeXworks, Kile, LyX and VS Code with LaTeX Workshop. They are desktop editors, so you also need a free TeX distribution such as TeX Live or MiKTeX installed locally.
Do I need to install anything to write LaTeX?
No, with an online editor like LetX you write and compile in the browser with nothing to install. Desktop editors such as TeXstudio and VS Code need a local TeX Live or MiKTeX distribution.
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Written by Shihab Shahriar Antor , AI Engineer & Founder of Shahriar Labs. Builder of LetX (collaborative LaTeX) and offSchool (SSC science and maths, learned through simulations).