An open-source, web-based real-time collaborative LaTeX editor that you can also self-host as Overleaf Community Edition.
18.3K+16 this week2.1KJavaScriptAGPL-3.0Updated 2 months ago
4 alternatives
4 best open-source alternatives to Overleaf (2026)
Looking for a free, open-source alternative to Overleaf? These 4 projects can replace it. Each one passed our quality screening and is explained in plain words, so you can compare stars, license and maintenance at a glance.
How to choose
Decide first whether you want a web service or a desktop app. overleaf/overleaf is Overleaf Community Edition itself: a browser-based, real-time collaborative LaTeX editor that you host on your own server. If you would rather work locally, delibae/claude-prism is an offline-first workspace with an embedded Tectonic compiler, a Python environment and Claude assistance, while Oleafly/Oleafly is a desktop editor for LaTeX, Typst and Markdown with real-time collaboration, local compiling and Git sync. Both overleaf/overleaf and Oleafly/Oleafly are AGPL-3.0 (copyleft), which matters if you plan to modify them and offer them as a service to others.
- overleafBest for teams who want to self-host a browser-based, real-time collaborative LaTeX editor.
- claude-prismBest for people who write LaTeX offline on their own machine and want a built-in compiler, Python environment and Claude assistance.
- OleaflyBest for those who want one desktop editor for LaTeX, Typst and Markdown, with real-time collaboration and Git sync.
Quick comparison
| Project | Stars | License | Last commit |
|---|---|---|---|
| overleaf/overleaf | ★ 18.3K | AGPL-3.0 | 2 months ago |
| delibae/claude-prism | ★ 1.8K | MIT | 2 months ago |
| Oleafly/Oleafly | ★ 1.1K | AGPL-3.0 | 2 hours ago |
| Videmak/VidemakResearchAI | ★ 4 | MIT | 9 days ago |
Offline-first desktop LaTeX writing workspace that pairs an embedded Tectonic compiler and Python environment with Claude AI assistance.
1.8K+10 this week178TypeScriptMITUpdated 2 months ago
Open-source desktop LaTeX, Typst and Markdown editor with real-time collaboration, local compiling, Git sync and optional AI agents, positioned as an Overleaf alternative.
1.1K+290 this week64TypeScriptAGPL-3.0Updated 2 hours ago
Self-hostable AI editor for academic writing with citation-aware autocomplete, paper search, PDF chat, AI review and Word/LaTeX export.
Productivity & Apps#academic-writing#literature-review#citation-manager#ai-writing-assistant#rich-text-editor
46TypeScriptMITUpdated 9 days ago
FAQ
- Is there a free, open-source alternative to Overleaf?
- Yes. The most popular open-source alternatives to Overleaf on Repolode are overleaf, claude-prism, Oleafly.
- Which Overleaf alternative should I choose?
- overleaf has the most GitHub stars and is released under AGPL-3.0. Compare the license and last commit of each option in the table above before choosing.
How this list is made: AI reads each project's documentation to match it with products it can replace, every project passes our quality screening, and the list is ranked by GitHub stars. Stars updated Nov 7, 2026. How Repolode works