Papeeria

Papeeria is a browser workspace for LaTeX and Markdown that combines continuous compilation with shared editing, templates, and plotting. It is best for students, researchers, and small groups writing technical documents together. Its free tier is useful for learning and public projects, while private, ongoing work is a stronger fit for the paid plan.

Overview

Papeeria runs a full TeX Live environment in the browser and compiles projects continuously in the background. That removes local distribution setup and keeps rendered output close to the text as you work. Mixing LaTeX with Markdown also suits documents that do not need to be written entirely in traditional TeX.

Sharing is more capable than a simple file link: owners can grant read or write access, use role permissions, and allow guest editing. Collaborators can edit simultaneously and receive update notifications, with no collaborator-count limit. This makes Papeeria practical for classes, research groups, and distributed authoring, although a service-dependent workflow is less suitable when offline work is essential.

Key features

Editing and compilation

Autocompletion, spellchecking, margin discussions, and an instant math previewer cover everyday technical-writing friction. Continuous compilation provides ongoing feedback, and the browser TeX Live environment supports substantial LaTeX work without local configuration.

Templates and plotting

The template gallery includes CVs, ACM journal papers, and mathematics presentations, giving common projects a useful starting structure. Built-in gnuplot and Plot.ly support lets authors insert plots, while custom gnuplot scripts provide more control than fixed chart widgets.

Sharing, sync, and history

Projects can sync with Git, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Papeeria keeps per-file edit history and whole-project snapshots, so mistakes are recoverable rather than simply overwritten. The free plan retains file history for 24 hours; Delta extends that window to 30 days and adds backup snapshots. Papeeria describes servers in two independent locations and a Carbon Copy service for access if the main service suffers a disaster.

Pricing

Epsilon is explicitly aimed at students and people learning LaTeX. Its single active private project is a real constraint for anyone maintaining several confidential manuscripts, and free compilation is limited to 60 seconds per cycle with 64 MB of total disk space for project compilation files. Unlimited public projects and collaborators make it more useful for open coursework, examples, and community documents than for a private archive.

Delta starts at $5 a month and is designed for individuals and small groups. Ten private projects, private-repository Git sync, longer history, priority compilation, and additional storage integrations justify the upgrade for regular private writing. A plan with no published price is custom pricing. Support directs urgent production or data-security issues to alert contacts and generally does not provide LaTeX typesetting advice, so users should not treat the service as a typesetting consultancy.

Platforms

Papeeria is available on web, Android, and iOS. The browser is central to its TeX Live compilation workflow, while mobile availability is useful for access and review across devices.

Who it's for

Choose Papeeria for collaborative papers, theses, presentations, and other technical documents when simultaneous editing, permissions, and automatic rendering matter. Epsilon fits learners and public projects; Delta fits individuals or small teams with multiple private projects and a need for private Git, extended history, and backup-oriented features. It is a weaker choice for users who need generous free private storage, long offline periods, or expert LaTeX support from the provider.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Full browser TeX Live environment: avoids maintaining a local LaTeX distribution.
• Unlimited collaborators: supports classes and large author groups without a seat ceiling.
• Useful technical-writing tools: margin discussions, math preview, spellchecking, and autocompletion are built into the editor.
• Strong project workflow: permissions, Git and cloud sync, file history, and project snapshots support controlled collaboration.
• Built-in plotting: gnuplot, Plot.ly, and custom scripts keep chart creation inside the workspace.

Cons

• Free private capacity is narrow: Epsilon permits only one active private project.
• Free compilation is capped: 60 seconds per cycle and 64 MB of compilation-file disk space can constrain demanding documents.
• Short free history: 24-hour file history offers limited recovery compared with Delta's 30 days.
• Support boundary: urgent operational issues are covered, but LaTeX typesetting advice generally is not.

Alternatives

JianTeX is a better fit when you want free, open-source software with desktop, online, and self-hosted options across Linux, macOS, and Windows.

VerbTeX suits users who want Android, iOS, macOS, web, and Windows access with a freemium plan, accepting explicit limits on local and cloud projects and documents.

Gummi, Kile, LyX, Oleafly, Texmaker, and Texpile are free desktop-oriented alternatives for readers who prefer local software; Texmaker requires a separate LaTeX distribution.

For broader comparisons, see LaTeX Editors, Document Collaboration Software, and Writing Apps.

Verdict

Papeeria is a strong choice for students, researchers, and small teams that want collaborative LaTeX with automatic browser compilation, permissions, and plotting in one place. Choose Delta when private project volume and recovery history matter; look elsewhere if one free private project, online dependence, or limited typesetting support conflicts with your workflow.