Overleaf vs TeX Live

Struggling to choose between Overleaf and TeX Live? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Overleaf is a Office & Productivity solution with tags like latex, collaboration, academic-writing, templates.

It boasts features such as Real-time collaborative editing, Rich text editor mode, LaTeX compiler, Version control, Hundreds of LaTeX templates, Online preview, Supports images, figures, and bibliographies, Integrates with GitHub, Mendeley and Plotly and pros including Easy to use even for beginners, Allows real-time collaboration, Free basic version available, Syncs with GitHub seamlessly, Large collection of templates, Fast compilation, Rich text editor for non-LaTeX users, Good for managing large documents.

On the other hand, TeX Live is a Office & Productivity product tagged with tex, latex, typesetting, document-preparation.

Its standout features include TeX - Typesetting system, LaTeX - High-quality typesetting, ConTeXt - Document production system, Metafont - Font creation system, BibTeX - Bibliography management, Full TeX Live system with 4000+ packages, and it shines with pros like Free and open source, Cross-platform availability, Regular updates, Large collection of packages, Easy installation.

Feature	Overleaf	TeX Live
Overall Score	1	N/A
Primary Category	Office & Productivity	Office & Productivity

Product Overview

Overleaf

Description: Overleaf is an online LaTeX editor that allows real-time collaboration on documents. It has templates for papers, resumes, thesis, and more. The basic version is free.

TeX Live

Description: TeX Live is a free and open-source TeX distribution for Linux, macOS, and Windows systems. It includes major TeX-related programs like TeX, LaTeX, ConTeXt, Metafont, and BibTeX. TeX Live aims to be easy to install and use for casual and advanced users alike.

Key Features Comparison

Overleaf Features

• Real-time collaborative editing
• Rich text editor mode
• LaTeX compiler
• Version control
• Hundreds of LaTeX templates
• Online preview
• Supports images, figures, and bibliographies
• Integrates with GitHub, Mendeley and Plotly

TeX Live Features

• TeX - Typesetting system
• LaTeX - High-quality typesetting
• ConTeXt - Document production system
• Metafont - Font creation system
• BibTeX - Bibliography management
• Full TeX Live system with 4000+ packages

Pros & Cons Analysis

Overleaf

Pros

• Easy to use even for beginners
• Allows real-time collaboration
• Free basic version available
• Syncs with GitHub seamlessly
• Large collection of templates
• Fast compilation
• Rich text editor for non-LaTeX users
• Good for managing large documents

Cons

• Can be slow with large documents
• Limited features in free version
• Formatting not WYSIWYG
• Steep learning curve for LaTeX
• Only supports LaTeX, not other TeX formats
• Must be online to use

TeX Live

Pros

• Free and open source
• Cross-platform availability
• Regular updates
• Large collection of packages
• Easy installation

Cons

• Large storage requirements
• Steep learning curve for advanced features
• Version compatibility issues occasionally
• Limitations of TeX/LaTeX typesetting

Pricing Comparison

Overleaf

• Freemium

TeX Live

• Open Source