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Overleaf

In-depth entry

by Overleaf (Digital Science) · Platform · also known as ShareLaTeX, Overleaf Community Edition, Overleaf Server Pro

Collaborative online LaTeX editor with real-time co-editing, templates and reference-manager sync, available as a hosted service and an AGPL self-hosted edition

AGPL-3.0-only licenseFreemiumPaidEnterpriseAcademicOpen sourceCloudSelf-hostedSelf-hostable
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Link verified Nov 2, 2026

Overview

Overleaf is a browser-based LaTeX editor and compiler operated by Digital Science. Users write in a code or visual editor, compile against a hosted TeX Live, and collaborate in real time with comments and track changes; the platform offers a large template gallery, a symbol palette and an AI assistant. Free accounts allow unlimited projects with one collaborator per project and a short document history, while Student, Standard and Pro plans add more collaborators, full history and restore, longer compile timeouts, track changes and integrations with Git, GitHub, Dropbox, Zotero and Mendeley. Group and organizational licences add single sign-on, user administration and, for large buyers, on-premises hosting.

The server software is published under the AGPL-3.0 as Overleaf Community Edition, installed through the Overleaf Toolkit with Docker. The community image compiles without sandboxing, so the maintainers recommend it only where all users are trusted; the commercial Server Pro edition adds sandboxed compiles, LDAP/SAML single sign-on, administration tools and tracked changes, and comes with support.

Overleaf is the default choice for co-authored LaTeX papers because collaborators need no local TeX installation and journals publish templates there. Limits are the compile-time ceilings on cheaper plans, the fact that large projects compile more slowly than locally, dependence on an internet connection, and the collaborator restrictions of the free tier. Users who want local editing can keep a Git mirror of a project and compile with their own TeX Live.

Editorial note on uncertainty. Server Pro is proprietary; license_spdx applies to the Community Edition repository. Digital Science ownership is inferred from the plans page footer.

Capabilities

  • Real-time collaborative LaTeX editing in the browser
  • Hosted TeX Live compilation with PDF preview
  • Rich text (visual) editor alongside code editor
  • Track changes, comments and document history
  • Git, GitHub, Dropbox, Zotero and Mendeley sync
  • Template gallery including journal and thesis templates
  • Self-hosted Community Edition (AGPL) and Server Pro
  • Group, institutional and on-premises licensing with SSO

Typical workflows

  1. Co-authoring a journal submission from its official template
  2. Keeping a Git clone of an Overleaf project for local builds
  3. Running a Community Edition instance for a trusted lab
  4. Syncing a Zotero library into the project bibliography

Strengths

  • No local TeX installation needed for collaborators
  • Open-source server edition for self-hosting
  • Widely used journal templates
  • Integrates with major reference managers

Limitations

  • Free plan limited to one collaborator and short history
  • Compile timeout and speed depend on plan
  • Community Edition compiles are not sandboxed
  • Requires a network connection; offline editing only via Git

Prerequisites

  • Web browser; Docker host for self-hosting

Who it is for

  • Academic co-authors
  • Students writing theses
  • Institutions providing LaTeX to many users

Alternatives & comparison

TeX Live with TeXstudio gives the same compiler locally without collaboration features; Typst's web app offers comparable real-time collaboration for a different, non-TeX markup. Overleaf's distinguishing assets are the hosted compile service, templates and the AGPL server edition.

  • TeX Live

    The comprehensive free TeX distribution for Linux, macOS and Windows, released yearly with the tlmgr package manager and all major engines, packages and fonts

    Open sourceFree
  • TeXstudio

    Open-source desktop LaTeX editor with integrated PDF viewer, autocompletion, wizards, spell checking and a structure view for Windows, macOS and Linux

    Open sourceFree
  • Typst

    Markup-based typesetting system with an Apache-2.0 compiler written in Rust and a collaborative web app, positioned as a faster, simpler alternative to LaTeX

    MixedFree
  • Zotero

    Free, open-source reference manager with browser connectors, word-processor plugins, a PDF reader, group libraries and optional paid file storage

    Open sourceFree
Compare Overleaf with its alternatives →

Sources & verification

Primary sources consulted for this record. Claims are tied to the fields each source supports; the automated link checker re-verifies every URL on a schedule.

  • License
    overleaf/overleaf LICENSE

    https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf/blob/main/LICENSE

    Supports: license_spdx, source_model

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official documentation
    Learn LaTeX - Overleaf

    https://www.overleaf.com/learn

    Supports: docs_url

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Official site
    Overleaf, Online LaTeX Editor

    https://www.overleaf.com/

    Supports: name, summary

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Pricing page
    Plans and Pricing - Overleaf

    https://www.overleaf.com/user/subscription/plans

    Supports: pricing_model, capabilities, limitations, vendor

    checked Nov 1, 2026
  • Repository
    overleaf/overleaf

    https://github.com/overleaf/overleaf

    Supports: self_hostable, limitations, description

    checked Nov 1, 2026
Confidence
High
Reviewed
Nov 1, 2026
Links
Verified · Nov 2, 2026

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