MacTeX vs Texmaker

Struggling to choose between MacTeX and Texmaker? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

MacTeX is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like tex, latex, typesetting, document-preparation.

It boasts features such as Complete TeX Live distribution, TeXShop editor, TeXworks editor, BibDesk reference manager, LaTeXiT equation editor, TeX Live Utility for managing the TeX distribution and pros including Easy installation and management of TeX on macOS, Includes major TeX editors and tools, Active development and support community.

On the other hand, Texmaker is a Office & Productivity product tagged with latex, editor, pdf, academic-writing.

Its standout features include Built-in PDF viewer, Syntax highlighting, Reference checking, Wizard for tables and figures, Clean interface, User-friendly for beginners, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Cross-platform availability, Integrates many LaTeX tools, Good for beginners.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

MacTeX

MacTeX

MacTeX is a free, open source TeX/LaTeX distribution for macOS based on TeX Live. It includes TeX engines, macro packages, fonts, documentation, and GUI applications like TeXShop.

Categories:
Office & Productivity Document Preparation
tex latex typesetting document-preparation

MacTeX Features

  1. Complete TeX Live distribution
  2. TeXShop editor
  3. TeXworks editor
  4. BibDesk reference manager
  5. LaTeXiT equation editor
  6. TeX Live Utility for managing the TeX distribution

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Easy installation and management of TeX on macOS

Includes major TeX editors and tools

Active development and support community

Cons

Large storage footprint

Annual updates can sometimes cause compatibility issues

Less customizable than manual TeX Live installation

Texmaker

Texmaker

Texmaker is a free, open-source LaTeX editor for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It integrates many tools needed to develop documents with LaTeX, including built-in PDF viewer, syntax highlighting, reference checking, and wizard for documenting tables and figures. It has a clean interface and is user-friendly for beginners.

Categories:
Office & Productivity Document Editors
latex editor pdf academic-writing

Texmaker Features

  1. Built-in PDF viewer
  2. Syntax highlighting
  3. Reference checking
  4. Wizard for tables and figures
  5. Clean interface
  6. User-friendly for beginners

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Cross-platform availability

Integrates many LaTeX tools

Good for beginners

Cons

Less features than paid LaTeX editors

Steeper learning curve than WYSIWYG editors

Requires knowledge of LaTeX markup language