Aldine / Overleaf alternatives
Overleaf alternatives you can self-host, compared
Six ways to write LaTeX with other people on infrastructure you control, with what each one does well. Aldine is one of the six, and this page is written by the Aldine project.
Checked on 12 October 2026. Each cell about another project links to that project's own documentation; where we could not confirm something there, the cell says so.
Who this page is for
You want collaborative LaTeX, and you want the files on your own server or your own machines: because of data policy, because a free plan's limits do not fit, or because you want git underneath. If you do not want to run anything, a hosted editor is the right tool; see the note on hosted editors below.
The options at a glance
| Licence | Deployment | Real-time editing | Git | Review | Sign-in | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overleaf Community Edition | AGPL-3.0 (source) | Overleaf Toolkit on Docker; app container plus MongoDB and Redis (source) | Yes (source) | No git integration (source) | No commenting or track changes (source) | No single sign-on (source) |
| Overleaf Server Pro | Separately licensed; quote from Overleaf sales, with support from Overleaf (source) | Same Toolkit (source) | Yes (source) | Git integration since 4.0.1 (source). Overleaf's git documentation states "The Overleaf Git system does not support branching" (source) | Commenting and real-time track changes (source) | SAML 2 and LDAP (source) |
| Aldine | AGPL-3.0 | 2 Docker containers, flat files; Postgres optional | Yes (Yjs CRDT) | Every project is a git repository; branches and merge in the UI; push and pull to GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Forgejo | Review comments with suggested edits; no keystroke-level track changes | OpenID Connect, Google, GitHub, ORCID, or email and password |
| TeXlyre | AGPL-3.0 (source) | Local-first web app; data in the browser, LaTeX compiled in the browser; Node.js 20+ to run your own copy (source) | Yes, Yjs over peer-to-peer WebRTC (source) | Repository backups to GitHub, GitLab, Gitea and Codeberg with your own token (source) | Inline comments and tracked changes (source) | Its README describes no accounts; projects are shared by URL (source) |
| CoCalc | Source published under the Microsoft Reference Source License (source) | Self-run products from the vendor, among them one described as a free, shared site in one Docker container (source) | Yes, per CoCalc's description of itself as a real-time collaborative environment for LaTeX (source) | git in a terminal next to the editor (source) | Side chat and document history; in-document comments are listed as a future plan (source) | Not checked |
| git with VS Code and LaTeX Workshop | LaTeX Workshop is MIT (source) | Nothing to host beyond a git remote; each author builds locally | No; collaboration is asynchronous through git | Yes, it is git | Pull or merge request reviews on your git host | Your git host's |
All external sources as of October 2026. The Aldine row is from the Aldine README.
Overleaf Community Edition
The open-source build of Overleaf that you run yourself, installed with the Overleaf Toolkit. It includes the editor and full project history. (Server Pro vs. Community Edition, as of October 2026) What it does well: it is Overleaf's own editor, with full project history. What to know: Overleaf states that it "is intended for use in environments where all users are trusted", since compiles are not sandboxed, and commenting, track changes, git integration and single sign-on are not part of it. (Overleaf repository README and Server Pro vs. Community Edition, as of October 2026) Details in self-hosting Overleaf: what Community Edition includes.
Overleaf Server Pro
The on-premises Overleaf that its repository calls "an officially supported version". (Overleaf repository README, as of October 2026) It adds what Community Edition leaves out: commenting and real-time track changes, git integration, single sign-on through SAML 2 and LDAP, sandboxed compiles, a private template system, and support from Overleaf. (Server Pro vs. Community Edition, as of October 2026) What it does well: everything in that list comes in one product, with support from Overleaf. What to know: it is licensed separately, with a quote from Overleaf's sales team (Server Pro vs. Community Edition, as of October 2026), and Overleaf's git documentation states "The Overleaf Git system does not support branching". (Overleaf docs: Git integration, as of October 2026)
Aldine
A self-hosted collaborative LaTeX editor in two containers, AGPL-3.0. Every project is a real git repository with branches you merge from the UI and push to GitHub, GitLab, Gitea or Forgejo. It has review comments with suggested edits, Zotero sync for a library or group library, whole or one collection, sign-in with OpenID Connect, ORCID, Google or GitHub, a sandboxed compiler, and an optional MCP server for Claude. Nothing is behind a paid tier. What it lacks: it is a v0.x project, it has no keystroke-level track changes, it runs on one app node, and there is no hosted service, so someone has to operate it. The self-hosting guide lists the limits in full.
Start with self-hosting Aldine with Docker Compose, or read the overview on the home page.
TeXlyre
TeXlyre describes itself as "a local-first real-time LaTeX and Typst collaboration platform with offline editing capabilities". Documents are stored in the browser, LaTeX is compiled in the browser with WebAssembly engines, and collaborators connect peer to peer through signaling servers that you can run yourself. (TeXlyre README, as of October 2026) What it does well: there is no compile server to operate, it works offline, and it handles Typst as well as LaTeX. What to know: the README states that "All your data stays in your browser", so a central copy on a server, with accounts and access control, is not what it is built around.
CoCalc
CoCalc is a platform for Jupyter notebooks, SageMath, terminals and LaTeX, with a collaborative LaTeX editor that has a side-by-side preview, forward and inverse search, and a history view. (CoCalc docs: LaTeX editor, as of October 2026) What it does well: if your work mixes computation and writing, the notebooks, terminal and paper live in one project. What to know: it is a much larger system than a LaTeX editor; its source is published under the Microsoft Reference Source License, which is source-available and not an open-source licence (CoCalc repository, as of October 2026), and self-run deployments go through the vendor's own products (CoCalc products, as of October 2026). The earlier repository's README states that the code may be read but not compiled and run under that licence (archived repository, as of October 2026), so running it yourself goes through the vendor's products.
git with VS Code and LaTeX Workshop
No server at all beyond a git remote. LaTeX Workshop builds on save, previews the PDF and supports SyncTeX in both directions. (LaTeX Workshop README, as of October 2026) What it does well: all of git, including branches and pull request reviews, in your own editor, with local compiles and no server to maintain. What to know: no live co-editing, and every author has to be comfortable with git and a local LaTeX setup.
If you do not want to run a server
Then none of the above is the right answer, and a hosted editor is. overleaf.com is the hosted Overleaf, with a free plan and paid plans (Overleaf plans, as of October 2026), and other hosted LaTeX editors exist. We do not rank them here: this page is about self-hosting, and Aldine has no hosted service today.
How to choose
- Trusted users, the familiar editor, no need for review, git or SSO: Overleaf Community Edition.
- Track changes, SAML or LDAP, and vendor support: Overleaf Server Pro.
- Git branches and remotes, review comments, OIDC sign-in and a small footprint, and you accept a young project: Aldine.
- No server, offline work, peer-to-peer: TeXlyre.
- Computation and papers in one place: CoCalc.
- Everyone uses git: git with VS Code.
No account, no install. The demo is a shared sandbox and resets every night.