3 LaTeX Equation Editors, Compared Honestly

You need one equation. Not a paper, not a thesis — one integral with the limits set properly, to drop into a slide or a forum post. Compiling a whole LaTeX document to check whether \int_{0}^{\infty} renders the way you meant is a lot of ceremony for one line.

Live-preview equation editors solve exactly this. You type LaTeX, you see maths, and you leave with either the source or an image. The differences between them come down to what renders the preview, what you can export, and whether your equations touch a server on the way.

How to judge an equation editor

What renders the preview? KaTeX is fast and covers most maths; MathJax is slower and more complete. For everyday equations the difference rarely shows.

What can you export? LaTeX source is the minimum. PNG for documents that will not accept LaTeX, SVG for anything that will be scaled, MathML for accessibility.

Is there a symbol palette? Nobody remembers \varnothing or the matrix environment syntax. Clicking beats searching.

Does the maths stay local? Usually low stakes — occasionally not, if the equation is unpublished research.

The comparison

Facts checked August 2026; tools change their plans. Table covers only the 3 alternatives — our tool gets its own section below.

Zalt LaTeX Equation Editor

The most privacy-respecting and the most thoughtful about output. It renders with KaTeX, updating a debounced preview as you type, and includes a grouped symbol palette for fractions, roots, Greek letters and matrices. Rendering happens entirely locally — the site states the LaTeX source and output never leave your device and are never logged.

Its three export options are the differentiator: raw LaTeX, KaTeX HTML markup, or clean MathML for accessibility and interoperability. MathML is the one nobody else here offers, and it is the right answer if the equation is going into a web page that screen readers need to handle. Free with no account, no signup and no usage limits.

MeTool LaTeX Formula Editor

The most practical for getting maths into other software. LaTeX renders instantly as you type with syntax errors highlighted at their precise position — a genuinely useful touch when a missing brace is somewhere in a long expression — and a clickable symbol panel covers Greek letters, operators and matrix templates.

Export is where it earns its place: PNG at 2× resolution for Word, or SVG for PowerPoint and design tools. Work autosaves locally in the browser, no account is required despite a sign-in option existing, and rendering runs entirely in your browser with nothing uploaded.

CodeCogs Equation Editor

The long-standing one, and still the broadest on image formats: SVG, GIF, PNG, PDF and EMF at various sizes and colours. EMF and PDF are unusual inclusions that matter for specific publishing workflows, and its equation-image URLs have been embedded across the web for years.

The page carries both a log-in link and a Buy option alongside references to a free service, so the exact boundary between free and paid is not clearly stated on the page itself. Worth checking before building anything that depends on it.

LaTeX Equation Editor

Ours composes LaTeX with a live preview and a reference of the commands for fractions, matrices, sums and Greek letters. The command reference sitting alongside the editor rather than behind a palette is the deliberate choice — a palette inserts syntax you did not learn, while a reference means the second time you write a matrix you might not need to look.

What it does not do: export PNG, SVG or MathML. If the equation needs to become an image for a slide, MeTool does that in one click and we do not; if it needs MathML, Zalt does. For composing and checking an equation before pasting the source into a document that already handles LaTeX, ours covers it. Most of these previews are built on KaTeX, which is worth knowing when a rarely used command renders in one tool and not another.

Which one to pick

• MathML for an accessible web page — Zalt.
• An image for Word or PowerPoint — MeTool’s PNG and SVG.
• PDF or EMF output — CodeCogs.
• Writing the LaTeX itself, with the commands to hand — the tool below.

How to do it with LaTeX Equation Editor

1. Open the LaTeX Equation Editor and start typing the expression.
2. Use the command reference for structures you write rarely — matrices and cases environments especially.
3. Watch the preview as you go; an unbalanced brace shows up immediately rather than at compile time.
4. Copy the source into your document, or take a screenshot if the destination cannot handle LaTeX.

The walkthrough is in how to write LaTeX equations with a preview. Other education tools are in the tools directory.

You might also need

If the equation is going into a Markdown deck, the Markdown to Slides tool handles the surrounding document.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a free LaTeX equation editor that works offline?

Zalt, MeTool and ours all render in your browser rather than on a server, so once the page has loaded the maths never leaves your device. That is not the same as an installed offline app, but it does mean nothing is uploaded.

What is the difference between KaTeX and MathJax?

KaTeX renders faster and synchronously, covering the large majority of common maths. MathJax is slower but supports more of LaTeX’s full range. For everyday equations you will not notice; for an obscure package command, MathJax is likelier to handle it.

Should I export an image or keep the LaTeX?

Keep the LaTeX wherever the destination understands it — it stays editable, scales perfectly and is accessible. Export an image only for destinations that cannot render maths, and prefer SVG over PNG so it survives being scaled.

Final thought

Keep the source, not the picture. An equation saved as a PNG is an equation nobody can correct later, and the typo you did not notice is now a permanent feature of the slide.

Try the free LaTeX Equation Editor