WinShell is described as 'Free integrated development environment (IDE) for easy working with LaTeX or TeX. It includes a text editor, different tool bars and user configuration options. It is NOT a LaTeX system. An additional LaTeX package for Windows is needed' and is an app in the development category. There are more than 10 alternatives to WinShell for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Web-based, Linux, Mac and Android apps. The best WinShell alternative is Overleaf, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like WinShell are Texmaker, TeXlyre, TeXworks and TeXnicCenter.