Etherpad vs TeXstudio
Etherpad
etherpad.orgTeXstudio
texstudio.orgSide by side
| Figure | Etherpad | TeXstudio |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | — |
| Android | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 0 | 1 |
| Spec score · Document Creation Software | 7.9 (#11) | 7.6 (#13) |
| Spec score · Writing Apps | 8.0 (#63) | 8.1 (#56) |
| Founded | 2009 | 2009 |
| Integrations | The HTTP API can create and delete pads, manage access, read and set pad content, and embed pads in another website. | The setup can automatically detect MikTeX, TeX Live, Ghostscript and Standardlatex, and it supports SVN. |
| Purpose | Etherpad is a real-time collaborative editor that attributes edits to authors and preserves document history. | TeXstudio is an integrated writing environment for creating LaTeX documents. |
Plans
In their own words
Etherpad
Etherpad is a real-time collaborative editor that runs on a server its users control. It attributes edits to authors and preserves revisions; its timeslider lets users review changes character by character and reverse them. Editing includes chat and rich-text tools, while plugins can add comments, images, tables, drawing, video chat, math, code highlighting and authentication. Optional AI is available through plugins, and users can choose the model and infrastructure or leave AI disabled. Etherpad is free and open source under Apache 2.0, with an open data format; the maker says it has no telemetry. An HTTP API covers pad content, authors, groups, sessions and chat, and plugin support includes OAuth, LDAP and OpenID authentication. Apps are listed for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS, alongside support for modern browsers. Installation instructions require Git and Node.js 24 or later. Deployment documentation includes reverse proxy and HTTPS termination options, as well as Kubernetes. The project dates to 2009 and is maintained by a small volunteer team, with community contact through Discord and email. The site names schools, public institutions, civic projects, newsrooms and teams needing document authorship history among its users.
TeXstudio
TeXstudio is a desktop writing environment for creating LaTeX documents on Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is free under the GPL v2, which allows users to use and modify it. Editing tools include multi-cursors, auto-completion, more than 1,000 mathematical symbols, bookmarks, link overlays, assistants, image drag and drop, and table formatting. For reviewing documents, it provides structure view, code folding, syntax highlighting, spellchecking, grammar and reference checking, and displays for LaTeX errors and warnings. Its build system supports LaTeX compilers, index, bibliography and glossary tools, Latexmk, detection of multiple runs, and custom program execution. An integrated PDF viewer offers near word-level syncing, plus live previews for formulas and code. Setup can detect MikTeX, TeX Live, Ghostscript, and Standardlatex, and the program supports SVN. Collaborative editing through teamtype is available on OSX and Linux. On Windows 11, the Visual Studio runtime is required; there is no release for macOS 10.x, though compilation from source or with Homebrew is possible.