What I looked for
To compile this list I prioritized: collaboration features, ease of use, citation and bibliography support (BibTeX/BibLaTeX), extensibility, and active maintenance in 2025. These tools cover different workflows. Cloud, desktop, and reference management. So pick what fits your work style.
1. Overleaf: Best for collaboration
Why it’s great: Overleaf remains the go-to cloud LaTeX editor with real-time collaboration, version history, templates for journals and theses, and a built-in PDF preview. It’s perfect for students and research teams who want a frictionless setup without installing TeX locally.
Highlights: collaborative editing, Git integration, many publisher templates, and easy sharing.
2. TeXstudio: Best local IDE for power users
Why it’s great: TeXstudio is a powerful open-source desktop IDE with excellent autocompletion, document structure view, integrated viewer, and support for custom build commands. If you prefer a local environment with full control, it’s a top choice.
Highlights: multi-cursor editing, snippets, forward/backward search, and configurable build tools (latexmk, pdflatex, xelatex, etc.).
3. Zotero + Better BibTeX: Best bibliography workflow
Why it’s great: Zotero is a popular reference manager; the Better BibTeX plugin adds powerful BibTeX/BibLaTeX export options (stable citation keys, automatic .bib updates, and export customization). This combo is ideal for anyone managing dozens or hundreds of references across projects.
Highlights: browser capture, group libraries, automatic .bib export, and robust integration with citation workflows.
4. TablesGenerator.com: Best for LaTeX tables
Why it’s great: TablesGenerator.com simplifies creating LaTeX tables visually. Instead of hand-coding longtabular environments, you can edit data in a spreadsheet-like interface and instantly get clean LaTeX table code.
Highlights: import from CSV, copy and paste from Excel, and export LaTeX tables ready for Overleaf or TeXstudio.
5. getbibtex.com: Best for instant URL → BibTeX conversion
Why it’s great: For single citations and quick workflows, getbibtex.com, an URL to BibTeX generator saves a lot of time. Paste any webpage URL and get a ready-to-use@misc or @online entry that you can drop into your.bib file. It’s perfect for ad-hoc citations and teaching new users how to create entries without hunting for metadata.
Highlights: instant generation, support for common web metadata, and a simple UI for copy-pasting into LaTeX projects.
6. Mathpix: Best for converting images to LaTeX
Why it’s great: Mathpix uses OCR and AI to convert handwritten or printed math equations into LaTeX code. Just take a screenshot or upload an image, and Mathpix will output clean, editable LaTeX, a huge time saver for researchers and students working with formulas.
Highlights: image-to-LaTeX conversion, equation editor, Markdown and MS Word export, and mobile app support.
How to pick the right tool for you
- If you collaborate frequently: choose Overleaf.
- If you like a powerful local editor: use TeXstudio (or TeXmaker).
- If you manage many references: use Zotero + Better BibTeX.
- If you work with tables: use TablesGenerator.com.
- If you deal with math formulas: use Mathpix. BibLaTeX + Biber.
- If you just want fast BibTeX entries from websites: use getbibtex.com.
Sample workflow (fast citation + paper writing)
1. Capture sources in Zotero while browsing.
2. Export an automatic .bib file with Better BibTeX.
3. Edit your paper in Overleaf (or TeXstudio) and include the exported.bib.
4. Create your tables visually using TablesGenerator.com.
5. Convert handwritten equations using Mathpix.
6. For a quick single citation, paste the article URL into getbibtex.com and copy the generated entry.