Overleaf: When to Use It and When Not To
Overleaf is the right choice for:
- Collaboration — share a link, co-author sees your changes in real time
- Getting started with LaTeX — no local setup, compiles in the browser instantly
- Conference and journal submissions — many journals have direct Overleaf submission buttons
Overleaf is the wrong choice for:
- Working offline or with slow internet
- Large projects with many files and custom fonts
- Projects where you want version control via Git (the free plan is limited)
- When you need GitHub Copilot or other AI tools in the editor
The alternative is setting up LaTeX Workshop in VS Code — which is more powerful but takes an hour to configure.
The Free Plan Limits
Overleaf free tier gives you:
- Unlimited private projects
- Compilation up to 1 minute
- Basic history (no track-changes collaboration)
- One collaborator per project
For solo writing or projects where you share a PDF rather than the source, the free plan is sufficient.
LaTeX to Word Conversion
One of the most-asked questions I get: “My supervisor uses Word, I use LaTeX — how do I share?” The answer is Pandoc. The video linked above shows how to run a single terminal command that converts your entire .tex document (with bibliography and cross-references) into a properly formatted .docx.
Templates on Overleaf
Overleaf hosts thousands of journal and thesis templates. Before writing a single line of LaTeX, search the Overleaf template gallery for your target journal — most major publishers (IEEE, Elsevier, Springer, ACM) have official templates maintained on Overleaf.