Brief: Once you get over the learning curve, there is nothing like LaTex. Here are the best LaTex editors for Linux and other systems.
What is LaTeX?
LaTeX is a document preparation system. Unlike plain text editor, you can’t just write a plain text using LaTeX editors. Here, you will have to utilize LaTeX commands in order to manage the content of the document.
LaTex Editors are generally used to publish scientific research documents or books for academic purposes. Most importantly, LaText editors come handy while dealing with a document containing complex Mathematical notations. Surely, LaTeX editors are fun to use. But, not that useful unless you have specific needs for a document.
Why should you use LaTex?
Well, just like I previously mentioned, LaTeX editors are meant for specific purposes. You do not need to be a geek head in order to figure out the way to use LaTeX editors but it is not a productive solution for users who deal with basic text editors.
If you are looking to craft a document but you are not interested in spending time formatting the text, then LaTeX editors should be the one you should go for. With LaTeX editors, you just have to specify the type of document, and the text font and sizes will be taken care of accordingly. No wonder it is considered one of the best open source tools for writers.
Do note that it isn’t something automated, you will have to first learn LaTeX commands to let the editor handle the text formatting with precision.
10 Of The Best LaTeX Editors For Linux
Just for information, the list is not in any specific order. Editor at number three is not better than the editor at number seven.
1. Lyx
Lyx is an open source LaTeX Editor. In other words, it is one of the best document processors available on the web.LyX helps you focus on the structure of the write-up, just as every LaTeX editor should and lets you forget about the word formatting. LyX would manage whatsoever depending on the type of document specified. You get to control a lot of stuff while you have it installed. The margins, headers/footers, spacing/indents, tables, and so on.
If you are into crafting scientific documents, research thesis, or similar, you will be delighted to experience Lyx’s formula editor which should be a charm to use. LyX also includes a set of tutorials to get started without much of a hassle.
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2. Texmaker
Texmaker is considered to be one of the best LaTeX editors for GNOME desktop environment. It presents a great user interface which results in a good user experience. It is also crowned to be one among the most useful LaTeX editor there is.If you perform PDF conversions often, you will find TeXmaker to be relatively faster than other LaTeX editors. You can take a look at a preview of what the final document would look like while you write. Also, one could observe the symbols being easy to reach when needed.
Texmaker also offers an extensive support for hotkeys configuration. Why not give it a try?
3. TeXstudio
If you want a LaTeX editor which offers you a decent level of customizability along with an easy-to-use interface, then TeXstudio would be the perfect one to have installed. The UI is surely very simple but not clumsy. TeXstudio lets you highlight syntax, comes with an integrated viewer, lets you check the references and also bundles some other assistant tools.
It also supports some cool features like auto-completion, link overlay, bookmarks, multi-cursors, and so on – which makes writing a LaTeX document easier than ever before.
TeXstudio is actively maintained, which makes it a compelling choice for both novice users and advanced writers.
4. Gummi
Gummi is a very simple LaTeX editor based on the GTK+ toolkit. Well, you may not find a lot of fancy options here but if you are just starting out – Gummi will be our recommendation.It supports exporting the documents to PDF format, lets you highlight syntax, and helps you with some basic error checking functionalities. Though Gummi isn’t actively maintained via GitHub it works just fine.
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5. TeXpen
TeXpen is yet another simplified tool to go with. You get the auto-completion functionality with this LaTeX editor. However, you may not find the user interface impressive. If you do not mind the UI, but want a super easy LaTeX editor, TeXpen could fulfill that wish for you.Also, TeXpen lets you correct/improve the English grammar and expressions used in the document.
6. ShareLaTeX
ShareLaTeX is an online LaTeX editor. If you want someone (or a group of people) to collaborate on documents you are working on, this is what you need.
It offers a free plan along with several paid packages. Even the students of Harvard University & Oxford University utilize this for their projects. With the free plan, you get the ability to add one collaborator.
The paid packages let you sync the documents on GitHub and Dropbox along with the ability to record the full document history. You can choose to have multiple collaborators as per your plan. For students, there’s a separate pricing plan available.
7. Overleaf
Overleaf is yet another online LaTeX editor. Similar to ShareLaTeX, it offers separate pricing plans for professionals and students. It also includes a free plan where you can sync with GitHub, check your revision history, and add multiple collaborators.
There’s a limit on the number of files you can create per project – so it could bother if you are a professional working with LaTeX documents most of the time.
8. Authorea
Authorea is a wonderful online LaTeX editor. However, it is not the best out there – when considering the pricing plans. For free, it offers just 100 MB of data upload limit and 1 private document at a time. The paid plans offer you more perks but it may not be the cheapest from the lot.The only reason you should choose Authorea is the user interface. If you love to work with a tool offering an impressive user interface, there’s no looking back.
9. Papeeria
Papeeria is the cheapest LaTeX editor you can find on the Internet – considering it is as reliable as the others. You do not get private projects if you want to utilize it for free. But, if you prefer public projects it lets you work on an unlimited number of projects with numerous collaborators. It features a pretty simple plot builder and includes Git sync for no additional cost.If you opt for the paid plan, it will empower you with the ability to work on 10 private projects.
10. Kile
Last entry in our list of best LaTeX editor is Kile. Some people swear by Kile. Primarily because of the features it provides.
Kile is more than just an editor. It is an IDE tool like Eclipse that provides a complete environment to work on documents and projects. Apart from quick compilation and preview, you get features like auto-completion of commands, insert citations, organize document in chapters etc. You really have to use Kile to realize its true potential.
Kile is available for Linux and Windows.
Wrapping Up
So, there go our recommendations for the LaTeX editors you should utilize on Ubuntu/Linux.
There are chances that we might have missed some interesting LaTeX editors available for Linux. If you happen to know about any, let us know down in the comments below.