# TeXShop review (2026): is it any good?

> Free Mac editor and previewer for TeX and LaTeX documents

Checked Nov 13, 2026 · graded Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA.

TeXShop is a free Mac application for typesetting TeX and LaTeX documents. It was first released in July 2000 and is distributed under the GPL. The current version, 5.57, runs on both Intel and Apple silicon Macs.

- **Category:** Writing Tools
- **Made by:** Richard Koch (since 2000)
- **Website:** https://pages.uoregon.edu/koch/texshop/
- **Runs on:** macOS
- **Who should skip it:** Skip it if you use Windows or Linux: it runs on macOS only.
- **Facts last checked:** Nov 13, 2026

## Pricing

As of Nov 13, 2026, TeXShop is free to use.

- **Pricing model:** Free
- **Free plan:** None.
- **Free trial:** None listed.

| Plan | Price | What you get |
| --- | --- | --- |
| TeXShop | $0 | Free under the GPLv2 license. |

Read from https://pages.uoregon.edu/koch/texshop/ on Nov 13, 2026. Prices change, so confirm with TeXShop before buying.

## Key features

- **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.

## Good for

- Mac users who typeset papers or theses with a local TeX install
- Anyone who wants a free, GPL-licensed editor

## Worth knowing

- It runs on macOS only.
- It needs a TeX distribution such as TeX Live installed separately.
- There is no built-in real-time collaboration.

## ToolGPA grades

**GPA: 2.6 out of 4**, graded Nov 13, 2026. TeXShop is a free LaTeX editor for macOS. It does not include TeX itself, so you install a TeX distribution next to it, it has no real-time collaboration, and it runs on nothing but a Mac.

- **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.** Does 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: C.** No store rating on record. You install TeX first and learn LaTeX.
- **Platforms and integrations: D.** macOS only, for Intel and Arm from High Sierra through Tahoe. No other system, web or phone version.

These are ToolGPA's own grades. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from TeXShop'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

- TeXShop'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 platforms and integrations (D, above 0).
- TeXShop 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.** TeXShop is free, so making your own would save you nothing.

- You could make: Documents: an app builder makes this well.
- You could not: A real app for macOS. 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, Works offline

## Alternatives

- [TeXworks](https://toolgpa.com/tools/texworks): Simple cross-platform front end for writing TeX and LaTeX. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/texshop-vs-texworks)
- [Kile](https://toolgpa.com/tools/kile): KDE's LaTeX editor with one-click compile and preview. [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/overleaf-vs-texshop)
- [Typst](https://toolgpa.com/tools/typst): Markup-based typesetting system with a collaborative web app. [Compare](https://toolgpa.com/compare/texshop-vs-typst)

## Sources

The prices, plans, platforms and features above were read from these pages on Nov 13, 2026:

- https://pages.uoregon.edu/koch/texshop/

Page: https://toolgpa.com/tools/texshop
Listed by ToolGPA (toolgpa.com).