# Kile review (2026): is it any good? > KDE's LaTeX editor with one-click compile and preview Checked Nov 13, 2026 ยท graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA. Kile is a TeX and LaTeX editor from the KDE project. It adds auto-completion, document templates, a structure view, project handling and forward and inverse search. It is listed for Linux, Windows and other systems. - **Category:** Writing Tools - **Made by:** KDE - **Website:** https://kile.sourceforge.io - **Runs on:** Linux, Windows - **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you want a stable release: 3.0 is still beta on the download page. - **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026 ## Pricing As of Nov 13, 2026, Kile is free to use. - **Pricing model:** Free - **Free plan:** None. - **Free trial:** None listed. | Plan | Price | What you get | | --- | --- | --- | | Kile | $0 | Free to download; source code and Windows builds are offered. | Read from https://kile.sourceforge.io/download.php on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with Kile before buying. ## Key features - **One-click build:** Compile, convert and view a document in a single action using a configurable build system. - **Completion and templates:** Auto-completion of LaTeX commands, with templates and wizards for new documents. - **Structure view and projects:** A list of chapters and sections lets you jump around; projects group related files and ease citations. - **Forward and inverse search:** Jump from the viewer to the matching source line and back. - **QuickPreview:** Preview a selected part of a document without building the whole thing. ## Good for - KDE and Linux users who write LaTeX locally - People who want wizards and templates in a LaTeX editor ## Worth knowing - The newest release, 3.0, is still labeled beta on the download page. - The site says it is available for Mac and BSD, but the download page lists only source and Windows builds. - It needs a TeX distribution installed separately. ## ToolGPA grades **GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. Kile is a free LaTeX editor with one-click builds, completion and a structure view. The newest release, 3.0, is still labelled beta, the download page lists source and Windows builds only, and a TeX distribution is a separate install. - **Value for money: A.** Free to download and run, against a category median of $9.75 a month. - **Free plan and trial: A.** Free outright: no paid tier, limit or trial. - **Features: C.** One-click build, completion, templates, projects, forward and inverse search and QuickPreview. It does the LaTeX editing job fully, which is a smaller job than a full writing tool. - **Ease of use: D.** No store rating on record. On Linux you may compile from source, and a TeX distribution has to be installed separately. - **Platforms and integrations: C.** A computer program only, on Linux and Windows per the download page. The site also mentions Mac and BSD, which the download page does not list. These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Kile's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews. ## Where it stands among writing tools - Kile's GPA of 2.6 is higher than 76 of the 136 other writing tools we grade, and level with 18. - It stands best on free plan and trial (A, above 108 of 136) and worst on ease of use (D, above 0). - Kile has no paid plan. - On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 1.7 out of 4. Nothing scores higher for less, though at least one tool matches that score at a lower price. The category's chart of price against score: https://toolgpa.com/charts/writing ## Keep it, or make your own? **Keep it.** Kile is free, so making your own would save you nothing. - You could make: Documents and templates: an app builder makes these well. - You could not: A real app for Windows and Linux. Something home-made would be a web page. A judgement by ToolGPA from this listing, by rules that are the same for every tool. Nothing was built to test it. **Tags:** Open source, Documents, Templates, Works offline ## Alternatives - [TeXworks](https://toolgpa.com/tools/texworks): Simple cross-platform front end for writing TeX and LaTeX. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kile-vs-texworks) - [TeXShop](https://toolgpa.com/tools/texshop): Free Mac editor and previewer for TeX and LaTeX documents. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kile-vs-texshop) - [Overleaf](https://toolgpa.com/tools/overleaf): Collaborative online LaTeX editor for papers and theses. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kile-vs-overleaf) - [Typst](https://toolgpa.com/tools/typst): Markup-based typesetting system with a collaborative web app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/kile-vs-typst) ## Sources The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026: - https://kile.sourceforge.io/ - https://kile.sourceforge.io/download.php Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/kile Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).