Enter TeX vs Kile
Enter TeX
gitlab.gnome.orgKile
kile.sourceforge.ioSide by side
| Figure | Enter TeX | Kile |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · LaTeX Editors | 7.7 (#16) | 8.0 (#11) |
| Projects | The Projects feature was re-implemented in 2026. | Users can group related documents into a project and insert citations and references in projects. |
| Purpose | Enter TeX is a TeX/LaTeX text editor, previously named LaTeXila and GNOME LaTeX. | Kile is a user-friendly TeX/LaTeX editor. |
| Support | The project points interested people to GitLab for actionable tasks and GNOME Discourse for discussion. | Users can ask technical questions through the kile-devel mailing list and report problems through KDE's bug tracking system. |
| Templates | Users can create personal templates, which are stored in the user's local data directory. | Templates and wizards help users start a new document. |
Plans
In their own words
Enter TeX
Enter TeX has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.
Kile
Kile is a free, open-source desktop editor for TeX and LaTeX on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It can compile, convert, and view a document with one click, and provides completion for (La)TeX commands alongside advanced editing commands. Templates and wizards help start documents. Projects group related files and support inserting citations and references. Forward and inverse search connect the editor with a DVI viewer, while QuickPreview shows a selected document section. The maker describes Kile’s build system as flexible and smart for compiling LaTeX documents. The download page provides source code and lists 64-bit Windows binaries for version 3.0 beta 3; it also displays a SHA-256 hash for the 3.0 beta 4 source archive. For Linux, the maker recommends installing a matching distribution package through the package manager when available. Technical questions can be sent to the kile-devel mailing list, and problems can be reported through KDE’s bug tracking system.