Skip to content
cask.news
← Browse all apps

TeX Live Utility vs MacTeX

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

TeX Live Utility

8.0
Developer Tools

Graphical user interface for TeX Live Manager

MacTeX

7.0
Developer Tools

Full TeX Live distribution with GUI applications

Metric TeX Live Utility MacTeX
Category Developer Tools Developer Tools
AI Score 8.0 7.0
30-day Installs 78 4.9K
90-day Installs 289 14.7K
365-day Installs 1.1K 58.1K
Version 1.55 2026.0324
Auto-updates Yes No
Deprecated No No
GitHub Stars 318 1
GitHub Forks 17 -
Open Issues 17 -
License BSD-3-Clause
Language Objective-C TeX
Last GitHub Commit 2mo ago 7y ago
First Seen Aug 9, 2023 Oct 17, 2013

Reviews

TeX Live Utility

TeX Live Utility is a graphical user interface for managing TeX Live packages on macOS. It simplifies package installation, updates, and automation, making it ideal for LaTeX users who prefer a visual interface over command-line tools.

Provides a graphical interface for managing and updating TeX Live packages.

Pros

  • + User-friendly graphical interface for TeX Live management
  • + Automates package updates and installations
  • + Actively maintained with frequent updates

Cons

  • - Niche audience, primarily for LaTeX users
  • - Some reported issues with package updates

MacTeX

MacTeX is a comprehensive TeX distribution for macOS, offering a full TeX Live environment with graphical user interface applications. It is ideal for users needing professional typesetting capabilities, particularly for LaTeX documents.

Provides a complete TeX Live distribution with GUI applications for typesetting documents.

Pros

  • + Comprehensive TeX Live distribution
  • + Includes graphical user interface applications
  • + Maintained by the TeX Users Group (TUG)
  • + Essential for LaTeX users on macOS

Cons

  • - No auto-update functionality
  • - Limited community support and GitHub activity