JianTeX vs WinShell
JianTeX
jiantex.comWinShell
winshell.orgSide by side
| Figure | JianTeX | WinShell |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · LaTeX Editors | 8.7 (#3) | 6.9 (#28) |
| Purpose | JianTeX is a cross-platform tool for academic writing, with desktop and browser-based versions. | WinShell is a free multilingual integrated development environment for LaTeX and TeX, and requires a separate LaTeX package. |
Plans
In their own words
JianTeX
JianTeX is an academic writing tool with desktop, browser-based, and self-hosted options for Linux, macOS, and Windows. The desktop editor supports LaTeX and Typst, with syntax highlighting, code completion, and live preview; it also works offline and stores projects as local files. SyncTeX links the PDF preview and editor for navigation in both directions. The site lists 35+ templates, including NeurIPS, ICML, IEEE, Chinese theses, and résumés. In the online version, collaborators can work in real time and see one another’s cursors and selections. Automatic snapshots create a timeline from which users can restore earlier versions. Projects can be imported from Overleaf through a Git link or ZIP, and repositories can be cloned from Git URLs. Listed engines include Tectonic, Typst, LuaLaTeX, XeLaTeX, and pdflatex. Desktop use requires no registration; online sign-in supports GitHub and Google. Teams can self-host, keeping collaboration content within their intranet. The English homepage describes MIT-licensed code and offers version 0.1 alpha; it says code signing and notarization are rolling out per platform. The Free and open source plan is free.