Overleaf vs TeXShop (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TeXShop grades higher than Overleaf: 2.6 against 2.4 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Overleaf grades higher on features and platforms. TeXShop grades higher on value for money and the free plan. They get the same grade on ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Overleaf
Collaborative online LaTeX editor for papers and theses
Which one is for you
Pick Overleaf if
- Fits if you're writing a paper or thesis in LaTeX and want it all in the browser
- Works for co-authors who need to edit the same document at the same time
Look elsewhere if
- Pricey if you're not a student, at $199 a year for Standard or $25 paid monthly, and Pro is $399
- Tight if you're staying free with more than one co-author, as it's 1 collaborator per project and 24 hours of history
- Watch out: track changes, full history, reference sync and the Git, GitHub and Dropbox links all need a paid plan
- Watch out: the 7-day trial charges your card when it ends unless you cancel first
- Skip it if you don't write LaTeX or want a phone or desktop app, as it's a web app for LaTeX only
Pick TeXShop if
- Fits if you write LaTeX papers on a Mac
- Works for people who already have TeX Live installed
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you use Windows or Linux: it runs on macOS only
- Not for you if you want the TeX tools included, because a distribution such as TeX Live is a separate install
- Too light for co-authors: no real-time collaboration
- Watch out: older macOS versions need an older TeXShop release
How we grade them
| 2.4GPAOverleafFair | 2.6GPATeXShopGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | DStandard is $199 a year, $16.75 a month, or $25 paid monthly. That's past the $15 where this category's dearest tenth begins and double its $8.33 middle, and track changes, full history and Git sync all sit behind it. Students pay $98 a year; Pro is $399. | AFree to download and run, against a category median of $9.75 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | BUnlimited projects for free, which one person writing alone can genuinely live on. The caps are mostly about company: 1 collaborator per project, the previous 24 hours of history only, 5 AI uses a day and a basic compile timeout. | AFree outright: no paid tier, limit or trial. |
| Features | BIt covers the whole job: LaTeX as code or in a Visual Editor that hides it, people editing and commenting at once, publisher-approved templates, Zotero, Mendeley and ReadCube references, Git sync, and AI help with errors, tables and equations. Plenty of that is paid-plan only. | CDoes TeX and LaTeX editing fully, with documentation and extras. A smaller job than a full writing tool, and it needs a TeX distribution installed separately. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record, and LaTeX is a learning curve whoever hosts it. The Visual Editor and the template library soften it, but you still choose a template, learn the syntax and wire up Zotero or Git yourself. | CNo store rating on record. You install TeX first and learn LaTeX. |
| Platforms and integrations | BA web app with a proper list of things to connect: GitHub, Git, Dropbox, Zotero, Mendeley and ReadCube, though those links need a paid plan. Organizations can have it hosted on their own premises. No phone or desktop apps are listed. | DmacOS only, for Intel and Arm from High Sierra through Tahoe. No other system, web or phone version. |
| Best for | writing LaTeX papers with co-authors | a free LaTeX editor on a Mac |
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: Overleaf and TeXShop. How we grade
Price against what you get
Overleaf starts at $16.75 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. TeXShop has no paid plan and scores 1.7.
Overleaf scores higher, and starts $16.75 a month higher: the question is whether the extra is worth that to you. Of the other writing tools on the chart, 17 score higher than Overleaf for less, and none scores higher than TeXShop 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
- Overleaf is self-hostable, according to its own site.
- TeXShop is open source, according to its own site.
- Overleaf also covers templates, citations and long-form writing.
- TeXShop also covers documents.
At a glance
| Overleaf | TeXShop | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free |
| Starts at | $16.75 per month, billed yearly at $199 (Standard); students from $8.25 | Free |
| Free plan | Unlimited projects, 1 collaborator per project, a basic compile timeout, 5 AI uses a day and document history for the previous 24 hours only. | None |
| Free trial | 7-day free trial of a paid plan. The card is charged when the trial ends unless you cancel first. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Made by | Overleaf (part of Digital Science) | Richard Koch |
| Price read from | overleaf.com | pages.uoregon.edu |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Nov 13, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Overleaf
- The Free plan allows 1 collaborator per project and keeps only the previous 24 hours of history.
- Track changes, full history, reference-manager sync and the Git, GitHub and Dropbox integrations need a paid plan.
- Free accounts get a basic compile timeout; paid plans get 24 times as long for large or complex documents.
- Monthly billing costs more: Standard is $25 a month, against $199 for a year.
TeXShop
- It runs on macOS only.
- It needs a TeX distribution such as TeX Live installed separately.
- There is no built-in real-time collaboration.
Key features
Overleaf
- Code Editor and Visual Editor
- Write LaTeX in the Code Editor or switch to the Visual Editor to edit without writing code. A toolbar adds figures and tables and formats text.
- Real-time collaboration
- Several people can edit and comment on a shared project at the same time, invited by link or email. The Free plan allows 1 collaborator per project.
- Track changes and history
- Paid plans show collaborators' edits as tracked changes and keep the full project history to compare, label and restore. Free accounts see the previous 24 hours.
- Templates
- A library of free templates and example projects, from publisher-approved research article templates to CVs and business proposals.
- Reference and Git integrations
- Paid plans connect Zotero, Mendeley and ReadCube for references, add advanced reference search, and sync projects with Git, GitHub and Dropbox.
- AI tools
- An AI Assistant, LaTeX error help, table and equation generators and Writefull language feedback, capped at 5 uses a day on Free and Student and 10 on Standard.
TeXShop
- TeX and LaTeX editing
- A Mac editor for TeX documents that works with the TeX Live distribution maintained by TUG and MacTeX.
- Recent macOS support
- Version 5.57, released 10/03/2025, runs on Intel and Arm Macs from High Sierra through Tahoe.
- Older versions
- Versions 4.79 and 4.44 are kept for older macOS releases, and 2.47 for 10.4 to 10.6.
- Documentation and extras
- The site carries documentation, translations, history and an extras section.
Plans
Overleaf
Free$0
Unlimited projects with 1 collaborator per project, a basic compile timeout and 5 AI uses a day.
Student$8.25
per month, billed yearly ($98); $13 billed monthly
For students enrolled at a degree-granting institution: 10 collaborators per project, the AI Assistant and a 24x compile timeout.
Standard$16.75
per month, billed yearly ($199); $25 billed monthly
10 collaborators per project, 10 AI uses a day, the AI Assistant and a 24x compile timeout, with premium features such as track changes and full history.
Pro$33.25
per month, billed yearly ($399); $45 billed monthly
Unlimited collaborators per project and full access to every AI tool, subject to fair usage.
OrganizationsCustom
For 20 or more users: volume discounts of up to 35%, SSO, managed accounts, and optional on-premises or FedRAMP-authorized hosting.
TeXShop
TeXShop$0
Free under the GPLv2 license.
Ways to pay less
Overleaf
- Annual discount
3+ months free with yearly billing
The billing toggle advertises 3 or more months free on yearly billing: Standard is $199 a year against $25 a month, and Pro is $399 against $45 a month.
- Education
Student plan at $98 a year
Students at educational institutions, including graduate students, can buy the Student plan for $98 a year or $13 a month.
- Education
40% academic discount on group plans
Groups at degree-granting institutions can apply a 40% academic discount to Standard and Pro group licenses. It is meant for students or faculty using Overleaf mainly for teaching.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit discounts from 20 licenses
Qualified nonprofits can get a discount on purchases of 20 licenses or more by contacting Overleaf's sales team.
- Other savings
Group and volume discounts
Group licenses on Standard and Pro save an extra 10%, and organizations with 20 or more users can save up to 35% on volume purchases.
TeXShop
No public discounts listed.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Overleaf or TeXShop?
As of Nov 13, 2026, TeXShop is cheaper to start with: it is free, against $16.75 a month for Overleaf. Overleaf starts at $16.75 per month, billed yearly at $199 (Standard); students from $8.25, and TeXShop is free.
Which has a free plan, Overleaf or TeXShop?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Overleaf and TeXShop have a free plan.
Which platforms do Overleaf and TeXShop run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Overleaf lists a web app and only TeXShop lists a macOS app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
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.