Gummi vs Kile

Gummi is a free desktop LaTeX editor for writing documents on Linux, BSD, macOS/NetBSD, and Windows. Its preview pane reflects document changes almost immediately, while syntax highlighting distinguishes LaTeX commands from other text. Users can choose alternative editor colour schemes or add custom styles in `~/.config/gummi/styles`. Command snippets can be assigned shortcut keys or command text, and some examples are preconfigured. Wizards insert LaTeX for images, tables, matrices, or bibliography files; documents can also be saved as templates. Project support groups documents and keeps compilation settings and file locations in a plain-text file. PDF export is among the documented file operations. The install guide lists packages for several Linux distributions, OpenBSD, macOS/NetBSD, and Windows. Developers can compile Gummi from source, though the guide calls that the latest untested development code. The home page says development is active again and points readers to GitHub for current code and releases. Spell checking is off by default and requires selecting a language and having gtkspell installed.

Kile is a free desktop editor for TeX and LaTeX on Linux and Windows, combining a graphical interface with interactive previews. It can compile, convert, and view documents with one click, while automatic completion for (La)TeX commands and advanced editing commands support authoring. Templates and wizards provide starting points for articles, books, letters, reports, and presentations. A structure view lists sections and lets you jump between them. Forward and inverse search connect source-editor positions with matching locations in DVI or PDF viewers. Kile groups related files into projects and supports citations and references. QuickPreview compiles a selected part of a document for faster checking of edits. The editor is based on Kate. KDE lists GPL-2.0+ licensing, Linux installation through Discover or a distribution package manager, and a Flathub link. Help is available through the Kile Handbook and a forum. Release 3.0b4 is dated 2024-03-17. The Kile plan costs nothing.