Fidus Writer
Fidus Writer is a free and open source online collaborative document editor. It allows real-time collaboration for writing documents like research papers, reports, books with features including comments, tracked changes, and export options.
Fidus Writer: Free Online Collaborative Document Editor
Real-time collaboration for writing documents like research papers, reports, books with features including comments, tracked changes, and export options.
What is Fidus Writer?
Fidus Writer is a free and open source web-based collaborative document editor for academics and researchers. It is designed for collaboratively writing long documents like research papers, theses, books and reports.
Key features of Fidus Writer:
- Real-time collaboration - Multiple authors can edit the same document at the same time with changes visible to co-authors instantly.
- Comments and discussions - Annotations and comments can be added anywhere in the document to propose changes or discuss sections.
- Tracked changes - Track all changes made by authors to see the document history.
- Writer and reader views - Authors have access to editing while readers have a clean read-only view.
- Academic formats - Supports citing sources and formatting in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and over 9800 citation styles.
- Export to .pdf, .epub and .docx formats.
- Latex support - Latex equations and macros are fully supported with integrated Latex rendering.
- 100% free and open source software.
With its focus on academic writing collaborations and real-time co-editing capabilities, Fidus Writer is a great free alternative to restrictive commercial tools like Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Fidus Writer Features
Features
- Real-time collaborative editing
- Comments and discussions
- Tracked changes
- Citations and bibliographies
- Export to PDF, HTML, ePub
- Support for LaTeX equations
- Word processor like features
Pricing
- Free
- Open Source
Pros
Free and open source
Good collaboration features
User friendly interface
Supports LaTeX equations
Can export to multiple formats
Cons
Limited compared to full featured word processors
Lacks some advanced formatting options
Collaboration requires creating an account
Only available as web app
Official Links
Reviews & Ratings
Login to Review3.5
★
★
★
★
★
11 reviews
Rating Breakdown
Ease of Use
★
★
★
★
★
3.0
Features
★
★
★
★
★
4.3
Value for Money
★
★
★
★
★
4.9
Customer Support
★
★
★
★
★
2.6
Overall Experience
★
★
★
★
★
3.5
Recent Reviews
Lisa Miller
Mar 24, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Great for Collaboration, Buggy in Practice
Fidus Writer is fantastic for collaborative academic writing—the real-time comments and tracked changes work well for our research team. However, the export formatting frequently breaks, especially with complex citations, and I've lost work twice due to unexpected disconnections. It's a …
Avery Moore
Mar 23, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
A Researcher's Best Friend for Collaborative Writing
As an academic collaborating with international colleagues, Fidus Writer has transformed how we write research papers. The real-time collaborative editing with tracked changes and comments works seamlessly—no more emailing endless Word document versions. It exports flawlessly to LaTeX and Word …
Morgan Walker
Mar 23, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
A game-changer for collaborative academic writing
As a researcher, Fidus Writer has completely changed how my lab collaborates on papers. The real-time co-writing and comment system is fantastic, and the ability to track changes by author is incredibly useful. I especially love the LaTeX support and …
Quinn Johnson
Mar 23, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Ideal for Academic Collaboration, but a Bit Unpolished
Fidus Writer is a solid, no-cost solution for collaborative academic writing with real-time features. The version control and export options for academic publishing are top-notch. However, the interface is less intuitive than rivals, and we encountered a few syncing quirks …
L
Lisa Anderson
Mar 21, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
A Researcher's Dream for Collaborative Writing
As someone who regularly co-authors academic papers, Fidus Writer has become an essential tool. The real-time collaboration with tracked changes and comments works flawlessly, making the revision process with my international colleagues smooth and transparent. Being open-source and free is …
Rating Distribution
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