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TeXworks vs MacTeX

Side-by-side comparison for macOS

TeXworks

6.5
Developer Tools

LaTeX editor

MacTeX

7.0
Developer Tools

Full TeX Live distribution with GUI applications

Metric TeXworks MacTeX
Category Developer Tools Developer Tools
AI Score 6.5 7.0
30-day Installs 18 4.9K
90-day Installs 66 14.7K
365-day Installs 345 58.1K
Version 0.6.10,202502131353,7380941 2026.0324
Auto-updates No No
Deprecated Yes No
GitHub Stars 771 1
GitHub Forks 169 -
Open Issues 225 -
License GPL-2.0
Language C++ TeX
Last GitHub Commit 2mo ago 7y ago
First Seen Nov 13, 2016 Oct 17, 2013

Reviews

TeXworks

TeXworks is a simple and user-friendly LaTeX editor designed for creating and managing TeX documents. It offers a straightforward interface and integrates well with TeX Live, making it ideal for writers and researchers working with LaTeX.

TeXworks provides a LaTeX editor with features for compiling, viewing, and managing TeX documents.

Pros

  • + Open-source and cross-platform
  • + Integrates well with TeX Live
  • + Simple and intuitive interface

Cons

  • - Performance issues with large files
  • - Rendering and startup problems

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