LaTeX AlternativesMarkup Languages & Typesetting Systems like LaTeX

LaTeX is described as 'High-quality typesetting system; it includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation' and is a very popular Markup Language in the development category. There are more than 10 alternatives to LaTeX for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Mac, Windows, Web-based and Self-Hosted apps. The best LaTeX alternative is Quarkdown, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like LaTeX are Markdown, Typst, MacTeX and R Markdown.

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Alternatives list

  1. Quarkdown icon
     24 likes
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    Quarkdown is a modern Markdown-based typesetting system, designed around the key concept of versatility, by seamlessly compiling a project into a print-ready book or an interactive presentation. All through an incredibly powerful Turing-complete extension of Markdown, ensuring...

    12 Quarkdown alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
    • Markdown
    • Kotlin
     
    • Quarkdown is the most popular Self-Hosted alternative to LaTeX.

    • Quarkdown is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to LaTeX.

    • Quarkdown is Free and Open SourceLaTeX is also Free and Open Source
  2. Markdown icon
     172 likes
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    Markdown is a text-to-HTML conversion tool for web writers. Markdown allows you to write using an easy-to-read, easy-to-write plain text format, then convert it to structurally valid XHTML (or HTML).

    13 Markdown alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
    • Markdown is the most popular Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to LaTeX.

    • Markdown is Free and Open SourceLaTeX is also Free and Open Source
  3. Typst icon
     19 likes
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    Typst is a new markup-based typesetting system for the sciences. It has got instant previews, easy-to-learn markup and supercharged templates. Its collaborative web app makes working in a research group or student team a breeze.

    4 Typst alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Freemium (Subscription)
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
     
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    1
    7
    Comments about Typst as an Alternative to LaTeX
    Mathemagician
    Positive
    0

    Way easier syntax and still acceptable results

    LaTeX Icon
    Typst icon
    • Almost everyone thinks Typst is a great LaTeX alternative.

    • Typst is the most popular Web-based alternative to LaTeX.

    • Typst is Freemium and Open SourceLaTeX is Free and Open Source
    • Typst is LightweightLaTeX is not according to our users
  4. MacTeX icon
     6 likes
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    MacTeX is a redistribution of TeX Live, a typesetting environment. While TeX Live is designed to be cross-platform (running on Unix, Mac OS X, and Windows), MacTeX includes Mac-specific utilities and front-ends.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
     
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    2
    Comments about MacTeX as an Alternative to LaTeX
    anselmus
    Negative
    0

    MacTeX is an alternative to TeX Live not to the LaTeX ecosystem.

    Guest
    Positive
    1

    MacTeX is a TeX distribution that includes LaTeX.

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    LaTeX Icon
    MacTeX icon
    • MacTeX is Free and Open SourceLaTeX is also Free and Open Source
  5. R Markdown icon
     5 likes
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    The rmarkdown package helps you create dynamic analysis documents that combine code, rendered output (such as figures), and prose. You bring your data, code, and ideas, and R Markdown renders your content into a polished document that can be used to:

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  6. SILE icon
     2 likes
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    SILE is a typesetting system inspired by TeX and InDesign, but seeks to be more flexible, extensible and programmable than them.

    7 SILE alternatives

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  7. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    “a system for typesetting documents based on TEX and METAPOST. You can use this system for converting documents coded in TEX format as well as documents coded in XML into high quality PDF” (http://www.pragma-ade.nl/)

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about ConTeXt (Typesetting System) as an Alternative to LaTeX
    superluminar
    Positive
    1

    Uses same underlying typesetting engine (Tex) but enables layout customization in more consistent commands.

    LaTeX Icon
    • ConTeXt (Typesetting System) is Free and Open SourceLaTeX is also Free and Open Source
  8. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Tectonic is a modernized, complete, self-contained TeX / LaTeX engine, powered by XeTeX and TeX Live .

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Self-Hosted
     
  9. Groff icon
     7 likes
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    The groff (GNU troff) software is a typesetting package which reads plain text mixed with formatting commands and produces formatted output.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
     
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    1
    Comments about Groff as an Alternative to LaTeX
    RemovedUser
    Positive
    0

    LaTeX and Groff are both typesetting systems

    Review by a new / low-activity user.
    LaTeX Icon
    Groff icon
    • Groff is Free and Open SourceLaTeX is also Free and Open Source
  10. LaTeX.to icon
     Like
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    LaTeX to image converter.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Proprietary

    Platforms

    • Online
     
  11. CommonMark icon
     2 likes
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    For short it's the Markdown syntax standard. It replaces the old original Markdown.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
  12. DocBook icon
     4 likes
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    DocBook is a schema (available in several languages including RELAX NG, SGML and XML DTDs, and W3C XML Schema) maintained by the DocBook Technical Committee of OASIS. It is particularly well suited to books and papers about computer hardware and software (though it is by no...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
     
12 of 17 LaTeX alternatives