LyX vs Quarto (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, LyX and Quarto share a 2.6 GPA, both are free, so the choice depends on which features you need.
Checked Nov 12, 2026 · graded Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
They get the same grade on all five counts.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Which one is for you
Pick LyX if
- Fits if you write papers with lots of equations
- Works for people who already use LaTeX and want a friendlier editor
Look elsewhere if
- Not for you if you don't want to install a TeX system before it works
- Skip it if you want people editing live, because it has no collaboration
- Watch out: recent Macs don't ship Python, which the download page says LyX needs
- Watch out: Gatekeeper may block the first launch on a Mac
Pick Quarto if
- Fits if you write reports from Python or R data and want the charts to update themselves
- Works for researchers who want the same source as a web page, a PDF and a Word file
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want one app to type in, as it has no editor of its own
- Not for you if a terminal puts you off, since install and rendering run from the command line
- Watch out: release 1.11 needs macOS 12 or later
- Too light for phones and tablets, with installers for Windows, Mac and Linux only
How we grade them
| 2.6GPALyXGood | 2.6GPAQuartoGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | AFree and open source. Writing tools charge $5.83 to $12.50 a month. | AFree and open source, with no account. A program anyone can download and run, which is the top of this category's price scale. |
| Free plan and trial | AThe whole program is free, and the Donate page is optional. | ANothing to pay for, ever, and no usage caps on the install. |
| Features | CAn equation editor, structured documents, document classes, tables, languages and revision tracking. No web version or real-time collaboration. | CCovers the whole report job from one source, but the listing says writing happens in a separate editor you pick, so the tool itself is a smaller piece of the work. |
| Ease of use | DOn Windows and macOS you install a TeX system first, such as MiKTeX or MacTeX, and recent Macs need Python too. That's setup work. | DIt's presented as a command-line system, so setup starts in a terminal. No store rating on record. |
| Platforms and integrations | CWindows, Mac and Linux, which is computers only, with links to BibTeX, Maple, Maxima, Octave and Mathematica. | CWindows, Mac and Linux installers only. No phone or web version listed, though it hooks into Jupyter, RStudio, VS Code and Posit Connect. |
| Best for | documents with math and structure, on LaTeX | reports that mix code, text and charts |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: LyX and Quarto. How we grade
Price against what you get
LyX has no paid plan and scores 1.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Quarto has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
On this chart the two sit in the same place: the same score for the same starting price. Of the other writing tools on the chart, none scores higher than LyX for less, and none scores higher than Quarto for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Quarto also covers Markdown and presentations.
In commonFree planWindowsmacOSLinuxOpen sourceCitationsDocuments
At a glance
| LyX | Quarto | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free | Free |
| Starts at | Free | Free |
| Free plan | LyX is free software under a free and open source license. The site has a Donate page but nothing is required to use it. | Quarto is open source and free to install, with no account or subscription. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| Made by | The LyX Team | Posit |
| Price read from | lyx.org | quarto.org |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Nov 12, 2026 |
Worth knowing
LyX
- A TeX system such as MiKTeX or MacTeX must be installed before LyX works for output on Windows and macOS.
- Recent macOS releases do not ship Python, which the download page says LyX needs.
- Mac Gatekeeper may block the first launch, and the download page explains the workaround.
- The site lists no web version and no real-time collaboration.
Quarto
- Writing happens in another editor you choose, such as VS Code or RStudio, since the site presents Quarto as a command-line system.
- Release 1.11 notes say macOS 12 or later is required because of its bundled Deno runtime.
- The download page lists installers for Windows, macOS and Linux only.
Key features
LyX
- Equation editor
- Formulas are entered by point-and-click or LaTeX commands and show rendered on screen as you type.
- Structured documents
- Labels, cross-references, index and bibliography are built in, including BibTeX support, along with an outliner for moving whole chapters.
- Document classes
- Text classes cover letters, articles, books, slides and movie scripts, plus classes for AMS, APS and IEEE and some journals.
- Graphics and tables
- Many image formats are supported, with cropping, rotation and scaling, floating figures and interactive tables.
- Languages
- Right-to-left scripts and CJK are supported, and a document can mix several languages through Unicode.
- Revision tracking and spellchecking
- It offers track changes, a thesaurus and spellchecking through aspell or hunspell.
Quarto
- Executable code in documents
- Python, R, Julia and Observable code runs inside the document, so tables and figures come from the analysis.
- Many output formats
- The site lists HTML, PDF, MS Word, ePub, presentations, dashboards, websites, blogs and books from one source.
- Scientific markdown
- Pandoc markdown supports LaTeX equations, citations, cross-references, figure panels and callouts.
- Choice of editor
- You can author in Positron, VS Code, RStudio, JupyterLab or any text editor, and there is a visual markdown editor for long documents.
- Interactivity
- Jupyter Widgets, htmlwidgets for R, Observable JS and Shiny add interactive exploration to published documents.
- Publishing targets
- The site mentions publishing to Posit Connect, Confluence and other publishing systems.
Plans
LyX
Free$0
The full document processor for Windows, macOS and Linux. A TeX distribution is installed separately.
Quarto
Free$0
The Quarto command-line tool for Windows, macOS and Linux. The license page lists the MIT License for version 1.4 and later.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, LyX or Quarto?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both LyX and Quarto are free to use.
Which has a free plan, LyX or Quarto?
As of Nov 12, 2026, both LyX and Quarto have a free plan.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.