What is Overleaf used for?

Overleaf is an open-source, web-based collaborative LaTeX editor that can be self-hosted or used through the hosted service at overleaf.com. It is a good fit for co-authoring academic papers in LaTeX and running a LaTeX server for a lab or university.

Is Overleaf open source?

Yes. Overleaf is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at overleaf/overleaf and is written mainly in JavaScript.

Yes. Overleaf is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.

Can I self-host Overleaf?

Yes. Overleaf can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.

What is Overleaf an alternative to?

Overleaf is an open-source alternative to Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Other open-source alternatives to Microsoft Word include Etherpad, La Suite Docs and ONLYOFFICE Docs.

Is Overleaf actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to Overleaf was on 17 September 2026, and the latest release is v0.1.3, published on 26 February 2015. The project has 18k stars on GitHub.

Overleaf: open-source alternative to Microsoft Word

About Overleaf

Overleaf is an online editor for writing LaTeX documents together in real time. Several people can work on the same project in a browser, which removes the need to install a TeX distribution on every machine. The Community Edition is open source and licensed under AGPL-3.0.

The vendor runs a hosted version at overleaf.com, and the Community Edition can also be run locally using the Overleaf Toolkit and its Docker images. The project cautions that Community Edition is meant for environments where all users are trusted, because without Sandboxed Compiles users get broad access to the container's resources during LaTeX compiles.

For organizations that want help installing and maintaining it, Overleaf offers a commercially supported version called Server Pro. It adds security features such as SSO with LDAP or SAML, administration options and collaboration features including tracked changes. Release updates are announced through a mailing list and the wiki release notes.

Key features

Real-time collaborative LaTeX editing
Browser-based editor with no local TeX install
Docker-based self-hosting with the Overleaf Toolkit
Server Pro adds SSO and tracked changes
Hosted version at overleaf.com
Release notes and upgrade guides on the wiki

Good fit for

→Co-authoring academic papers in LaTeX
→Running a LaTeX server for a lab or university

Built with: JavaScript
Tags: latex; collaborative-editing; academic-writing; docker; self-hosted; document-editor; real-time

Overleaf: questions and answers

What is Overleaf used for?: Overleaf is an open-source, web-based collaborative LaTeX editor that can be self-hosted or used through the hosted service at overleaf.com. It is a good fit for co-authoring academic papers in LaTeX and running a LaTeX server for a lab or university.
Is Overleaf open source?: Yes. Overleaf is open source under the AGPL-3.0 licence. Its source code is on GitHub at overleaf/overleaf and is written mainly in JavaScript.
Is Overleaf free?: Yes. Overleaf is open source, so the software itself is free to use. A managed cloud version is also available.
Can I self-host Overleaf?: Yes. Overleaf can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure.
What is Overleaf an alternative to?: Overleaf is an open-source alternative to Microsoft Word and Google Docs. Other open-source alternatives to Microsoft Word include Etherpad, La Suite Docs and ONLYOFFICE Docs.
Is Overleaf actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to Overleaf was on 17 September 2026, and the latest release is v0.1.3, published on 26 February 2015. The project has 18k stars on GitHub.