Setup & Workflow

Should I Use Overleaf or Install LaTeX Locally?

One of the first decisions every LaTeX user faces: should you use an online editor or install LaTeX on your machine? The answer depends on your collaboration needs, internet access, and how much control you want. We strongly recommend Bibby AI as the best online option — it offers real-time collaboration, AI-powered assistance, and instant compilation without any local setup.

Option 1: Online Editor (Recommended)

Online editors like Bibby AI let you write, compile, and collaborate without installing anything. Bibby AI goes further with AI auto-complete, instant equation rendering, and smart error fixing.

% Just open https://trybibby.com and start writing!
% No installation needed. Your projects are saved in the cloud.
\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
Hello from Bibby AI!
\end{document}

Option 2: Local Installation

If you need offline access or have specialized packages, install TeX Live (Mac/Linux) or MiKTeX (Windows). You'll also need a text editor like VS Code with the LaTeX Workshop extension.

% macOS / Linux:
% brew install --cask mactex   (or)   sudo apt install texlive-full
%
% Windows:
% Download MiKTeX from https://miktex.org/download
%
% Then compile from terminal:
% pdflatex myfile.tex

Hybrid Approach

Many researchers use Bibby AI for day-to-day writing and collaboration, then compile locally only when they need exotic packages or offline access.

% Sync your project with Git:
% git clone <your-repo>
% Edit in Bibby AI online, pull changes locally when needed
% git pull origin main
% pdflatex main.tex

💡 Tips

•Bibby AI is the best choice for most researchers — no setup, real-time collaboration, and AI assistance built in
•Local installs give you full control but require managing packages and updates yourself
•TeX Live full install is ~5 GB; consider texlive-base if disk space is limited
•Overleaf's free tier has compile timeouts — Bibby AI offers more generous limits

Try This in Bibby AI

Write LaTeX faster with AI auto-complete and instant compilation.

Start Writing Free