Overleaf vs WriteFreely
Overleaf
overleaf.comWriteFreely
writefreely.orgSide by side
| Figure | Overleaf | WriteFreely |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $8.20/mo | $6/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| API | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 9 | 2 |
| Spec score · Writing Apps | 9.5 (#2) | 8.3 (#47) |
| Audience | Overleaf says it was developed by researchers to make scientific and technical writing simpler and more collaborative, and serves research institutions and businesses. | WriteFreely is presented for individuals publishing blogs and operators hosting writing communities. |
| Purpose | Overleaf is an online platform for collaborating in LaTeX, compiling documents, and refining them. | WriteFreely is free, open source software for publishing a personal blog or a writing community on the web. |
| Support | The Organizations plan includes personalized support, personalized onboarding, and a dedicated account manager. | Help is primarily community-provided through the forum; paid one-time and ongoing support is available for self-hosters. |
Plans
Overleaf
- FreeFree
- Student$8.25 a month
- Standard$16.75 a month
- Pro$33.25 a month
- FreeFree
- Student$8.20 a month
- Standard$16.60 a month
- Pro$33.25 a month
- OrganizationsPriced on request
WriteFreely
- WriteFreely (self-hosted software)Free
- Write.as personal blog hosting (managed WriteFreely hosting)$6 a month
In their own words
Overleaf
Overleaf is an online platform for writing, compiling, and revising LaTeX documents with collaborators. Writers can choose a Visual Editor or a Code Editor, while shared documents support simultaneous editing and comments, plus in-document chat. Free templates and example projects cover journal articles, theses, and CVs. Listed connections and add-ons include Git and GitHub synchronization, Dropbox, ReadCube, Zotero, Mendeley, knitr for R code, and Grammarly. Google Drive content can be imported into projects, but Overleaf does not sync directly with Drive. The free plan costs nothing and allows unlimited projects with one collaborator per project. Student and Standard permit 10 collaborators per project, and Pro permits unlimited collaborators; no prices are listed for those tiers. An Organizations plan is described for 20+ users. A seven-day trial gives access to the selected plan, with the card charged afterward unless canceled. Overleaf was founded in 2011 and is headquartered in London, United Kingdom. Listed platforms are extension, self-hosted, and web.
WriteFreely
WriteFreely has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.