Overleaf Pricing in 2026: Every Plan, Cost, and a Free Option
By Shihab Shahriar Antor · Updated November 2026 · 7 min read
Overleaf has a free plan and three paid ones. On Overleaf’s plans page on 2 November 2026 (US dollars), Student is $13 a month or $98 a year, Standard $25 a month or $199 a year, and Pro $45 a month or $399 a year. Free allows one collaborator per project and a 10-second compile; Student and Standard allow 10 collaborators, Pro unlimited, all with 240-second compiles.
Overleaf pricing at a glance (2026)
Overleaf sells three paid plans on top of its free one. These are the prices on its plans page on 2 November 2026, in US dollars. Overleaf may show other prices in other countries, so confirm there before buying.
| Plan | Monthly | Yearly | Collaborators per project | Compile timeout |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 | 10 seconds |
| Student | $13 | $98 | 10 | 240 seconds |
| Standard | $25 | $199 | 10 | 240 seconds |
| Pro | $45 | $399 | Unlimited | 240 seconds |
The collaborator limit belongs to the project owner’s plan and applies per project: on Standard you can have up to 10 people collaborating with you on any given project. The people you invite do not need a paid plan to edit it. Student is for people enrolled at a degree-granting institution.
Group plans, per seat
| Group plan | Per seat per year |
|---|---|
| Standard, at a degree-granting institution | $119 |
| Pro, at a degree-granting institution | $239 |
| Standard, any other group | $179 |
| Pro, any other group | $359 |
Group plans are sold for 2 to 50 people on the plans page; larger organisations buy through Overleaf’s sales team, with single sign-on and volume pricing.
What you are actually paying for
- More collaborators per project: 1 on Free, 10 on Student and Standard, unlimited on Pro.
- Longer compiles: 10 seconds on Free and 240 on every paid plan, which matters for a full thesis or heavy TikZ and pgfplots.
- Full version history and track changes.
- Integrations: Git and GitHub, Dropbox, and reference managers such as Zotero and Mendeley are paid-only.
Is paying for Overleaf worth it?
It depends on the project more than the person, because the collaborator limit is the owner’s. A lab of six can co-edit one paper on a single Standard subscription ($199 a year), since only the owner needs the plan. The bill grows when a group has many projects owned by different people, or a paper with more than 10 co-authors, which needs its owner on Pro ($399 a year).
What the same needs cost on LetX
| Who | On Overleaf (list price, yearly) | On LetX |
|---|---|---|
| A student writing a long thesis alone | Student, $98 | Free, or Academic Pro, $90, for longer builds |
| A researcher writing alone every day | Standard, $199 | Free, or Pro at $180 for unlimited compiles and full history |
| A lab of six on one paper | The owner on Standard, $199 | Free: collaborators are unlimited on every plan |
| A paper with 12 co-authors | The owner on Pro, $399 (Standard stops at 10) | Free |
| Two people in a lab who each need paid features | Two education group seats, $238 | Two Team seats, $400, or two Pro plans, $360 |
LetX prices: Pro $18 a month or $180 a year; Academic Pro $9 or $90 for verified students, faculty and staff; Team $20 per seat a month or $200 a year. See LetX pricing.
When Overleaf is the better buy
- Your university already pays for it, through Overleaf Commons.
- You need single sign-on, ISO 27001 or the other procurement documents Overleaf has and LetX does not yet.
- You rely on track changes, or on Mendeley or Dropbox sync.
- Everyone in your group needs paid features: an education Standard seat ($119 a year) costs less than a LetX Team seat ($200).
A free alternative for teams
LetX gives student teams and labs the two things people most often upgrade Overleaf for, more collaborators and faster compiles, for free. Every project supports unlimited real-time collaborators, compiles run in a few seconds on full TeX Live, and your work is never used to train AI. Import an existing Overleaf project as a .zip and keep writing.
| Overleaf | LetX | |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborators | 1 on Free, 10 on Student and Standard, unlimited on Pro | Unlimited on every plan, including Free |
| Compiles | 10 seconds on Free, 240 on paid plans | A few seconds, with longer builds on paid plans |
| Templates | Gallery | 1000+ incl. 87 university theses |
| Trains AI on your work | See Overleaf policy | Never |
Overleaf’s collaborator limit belongs to the project owner, so a group pays for the owners of its projects, not for everyone who edits.
If you write alone and need Overleaf’s paid features, Student ($98) or Standard ($199) a year is what most individuals need.
If you mainly want more people in your projects, use LetX: collaborators are unlimited and free on every plan.
If you are on a student budget and need only compiling and templates, the free plan of either editor will do.
Unlimited collaborators, free, on every plan.
Open LetX FreeFrequently asked questions
How much does Overleaf cost?
On Overleaf’s plans page on 2 November 2026: Student $13 a month or $98 a year, Standard $25 a month or $199 a year, Pro $45 a month or $399 a year, in US dollars, on top of a free plan. Group seats are $119 (Standard) or $239 (Pro) a year at degree-granting institutions, $179 or $359 otherwise.
Is Overleaf a subscription or a one-time purchase?
Overleaf paid plans are subscriptions, billed monthly or yearly, and yearly costs less per month. The free plan has no cost but allows one collaborator per project and a 10-second compile.
Is Overleaf worth paying for?
For one person who needs longer compiles, Git sync or track changes, often yes. For a group, it depends on who owns the projects: the collaborator limit is the owner’s, so a lab co-editing one paper needs one subscription, while a paper with more than 10 co-authors needs its owner on Pro.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Overleaf?
Yes. LetX is free with unlimited collaborators on every plan and compiles in a few seconds, and you can import an Overleaf project as a .zip. Where everyone needs paid features, an Overleaf education Standard seat can cost less than a LetX Team seat, so compare by what your group needs.
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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).