Overleaf
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.
Overleaf: Online LaTeX Editor
Online LaTeX editor with real-time collaboration, templates for papers, resumes, and more, including a basic version that's free.
What is Overleaf?
Overleaf is an online collaborative LaTeX editor and publishing platform that makes the process of writing, editing and publishing scientific documents much quicker for both beginners and advanced users. Overleaf supports real-time editing and previewing of LaTeX documents, allowing multiple authors to edit a document simultaneously while seeing changes appear immediately after they are typed.
Some key features of Overleaf include:
- Real-time collaborative editing for teams
- Rich text editor and LaTeX code modes
- Hundreds of LaTeX templates for papers, resumes, presentations, thesis documents, and more
- Support for LaTeX, BibTeX, and Markdown formats
- Version control and document history
- Private and public projects
- Online preview mode to see compiled PDF output side-by-side
- Automatic LaTeX compiler with error detection
- Import from Dropbox, GitHub, Google Drive
- Mobile apps for iOS and Android
- Robust security, data encryption
- Extensive reference and citation tools integration
- Spell check
- Basic plan is free with some limitations, paid tiers remove limits
Overleaf streamlines the LaTeX workflow, allowing collaborators to focus on writing high-quality documents rather than worry about installation issues or compiling complex LaTeX code. Its intuitive editor, real-time preview, version control, and other features make Overleaf popular in academia as well as for businesses and individuals producing technical documents.
Overleaf Features
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
Pricing
- Freemium
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
Official Links
Reviews & Ratings
Login to Review3.3
★
★
★
★
★
18 reviews
Rating Breakdown
Ease of Use
★
★
★
★
★
3.6
Features
★
★
★
★
★
3.7
Value for Money
★
★
★
★
★
3.3
Customer Support
★
★
★
★
★
2.9
Overall Experience
★
★
★
★
★
3.2
Recent Reviews
R
River Allen
Apr 18, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
A Game Changer for Collaborative Academic Writing
As a graduate student, Overleaf has made writing my thesis with my advisor incredibly smooth. The real-time collaboration is seamless, and the LaTeX templates saved me hours of formatting. The free version had everything I needed, and it's so much …
C
Chris Jackson
Apr 15, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Powerful but sometimes frustrating collaborative LaTeX editor
Overleaf is a game-changer for collaborative academic writing; its real-time editing and comprehensive LaTeX templates make group projects seamless. However, the free version is quite limited with slow compile times on larger documents, and the interface can feel clunky compared …
O
Oliver Johnson
Apr 10, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Frustratingly Unreliable for Serious Work
The collaboration features are great in theory, but the editor constantly lags and has frequent sync issues, causing lost work. The free version's compile time is painfully slow, especially for larger documents, and the forced downtime during server maintenance is …
D
Dakota Wilson
Apr 09, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Frustrating for Serious Collaboration
While Overleaf's cloud-based nature is convenient for sharing, the real-time collaboration is buggy and often leaves collaborators' cursors stuck in the interface. The autosave is also overly aggressive with LaTeX documents, causing frequent conflicts and the web editor can become …
D
Dakota Taylor
Apr 07, 2026
★
★
★
★
★
Collaborative LaTeX, made easy
As a graduate student, Overleaf has been a game-changer for collaborative writing on my thesis. The real-time collaboration with my advisor is seamless, and the templates saved me hours of formatting. The free tier is generous, and while the live …
Rating Distribution
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