MacTeX vs Texpad

Struggling to choose between MacTeX and Texpad? 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, Texpad is a Office & Productivity product tagged with latex, text-editor, equations, bibliography.

Its standout features include Syntax highlighting, Auto-completion of LaTeX commands, Real-time preview of equations and diagrams, BibTeX integration, Git support, iCloud sync between Mac and iOS, and it shines with pros like Clean and intuitive UI, Powerful LaTeX editing features, Seamless experience across macOS and iOS, Actively developed and maintained.

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

Texpad

Texpad

Texpad is a LaTeX text editor for macOS and iOS. It has an elegant user interface optimized for typing LaTeX documents, with features like auto-completion, syntax highlighting, equations rendering, and bibliography management.

Categories:
Office & Productivity Document Editors
latex text-editor equations bibliography

Texpad Features

  1. Syntax highlighting
  2. Auto-completion of LaTeX commands
  3. Real-time preview of equations and diagrams
  4. BibTeX integration
  5. Git support
  6. iCloud sync between Mac and iOS

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase

Pros

Clean and intuitive UI

Powerful LaTeX editing features

Seamless experience across macOS and iOS

Actively developed and maintained

Cons

Costs money unlike some competitors

Less customization options than Emacs+AucTeX

iOS version has fewer features than desktop