Skip to main content
2 of 3
WriteLaTeX->Overleaf, some updates

Overleaf.com (previously WriteLaTeX) is a service that lets you edit & compile latex in the browser, with real-time edit merging.
It's comparable to ShareLaTeX.com. Notable differences (some unchecked since 2013):

  • ShareLaTeX is mostly open source. Easy to self-host on Sandstorm.

  • Overleaf doesn't require signup => Less friction when convincing collaborators to try it, just send them the URL and they can edit.

  • Overleaf's embedded preview uses images (fast but blurry), ShareLaTeX uses PDF.js. Both allow PDF download, of course.

  • ShareLaTeX has better history — shows diffs.

  • ShareLaTeX.com on paid plans has 2-way Dropbox sync allowing some offline/local editing (though only for one user; I tried it and wasn't impressed). WriteLaTeX only has 1-way backup to dropbox.

  • ShareLaTeX.com on paid plans has [sync with Github](https://www.sharelatex.com/blog/2015/02/10/sharelatex-github-sync.html; Overleaf supports direct Git access.

  • ShareLaTeX has embedded chat.

  • Overleaf seems to work better on Android & iOS. UPDATE: unclear, Android typing in Overleaf is also problematic as of 2016. I think the only way I ever got it to work acceptably on Android was with external keyboard?

  • Overleaf has forward/reverse search (SyncTeX), ShareLaTeX doesn't.