Is Overleaf Free? The 2026 Limits (and a Free Alternative)
By Shihab Shahriar Antor · Updated July 2026 · 6 min read
Yes — Overleaf is free to use, but the free plan is limited: each project allows only one collaborator, compiles time out much sooner than on paid plans, and Git, Dropbox, and reference-manager integrations are paid-only. For unlimited free collaborators and 1–2 second compiles, LetX is a free alternative that imports your existing Overleaf projects.
Is Overleaf free? The short answer
Overleaf has a genuinely free tier — you can write, compile, and download unlimited projects without paying. The catch is collaboration and compute: the free plan limits each project to a single collaborator and gives every project a shorter compile-time budget than the paid tiers, so long documents (a thesis, a paper with heavy TikZ) can hit a timeout.
What the Overleaf free plan includes (2026)
| Free plan | What you get |
|---|---|
| Projects | Unlimited |
| Collaborators per project | One (1) only |
| Compile time | Limited — long docs can time out |
| Editor + templates | Full LaTeX editor, template gallery |
| Git / GitHub / Dropbox sync | Paid only |
| Zotero / Mendeley integration | Paid only |
| Full version history | Paid only (limited on free) |
Overleaf’s exact free-plan terms can change — check the current details on the Overleaf plans page. The two limits that matter most for students are the one-collaborator-per-project cap and the shorter free-tier compile timeout.
The limits that actually bite
- Group work stalls. A three-person project report needs more than one collaborator — on the free plan you cannot all edit the same Overleaf project in real time.
- Compile timeouts on long documents. A full thesis or an image-heavy paper can exceed the free compile-time budget, forcing you to split files or upgrade.
- No Git, Dropbox, or reference-manager sync. Zotero, Mendeley, and GitHub integration sit behind a paid plan.
A free alternative: LetX
LetX is a free, browser-based LaTeX editor built for exactly the cases where Overleaf’s free plan stops: real-time collaboration and speed. It gives you unlimited collaborators on every project, compiles in 1–2 seconds on cloud workers running full TeX Live, and never uses your documents to train AI. You can move over in a minute by importing your Overleaf project as a .zip.
| Overleaf (Free) | LetX (Free) | |
|---|---|---|
| Collaborators per project | One (1) | Unlimited |
| Compile speed | Limited / can time out | 1–2 seconds |
| Templates | Gallery | 80+ incl. university theses |
| Trains AI on your work | See Overleaf policy | Never (ai-train=no) |
| Import Overleaf project | — | Yes — drag & drop .zip |
| Price | Free | Free |
Get unlimited free collaborators and 1–2s compiles — no install.
Open LetX FreeFrequently asked questions
Is Overleaf really free?
Yes. Overleaf has a free plan that lets you create unlimited projects, write, compile, and download PDFs at no cost. The limits are on collaboration (one collaborator per project), compile time, and integrations (Git, Dropbox, and reference managers are paid).
How many collaborators can I have on Overleaf free?
One. On the Overleaf free plan each project can be shared with a single collaborator. For group projects you either upgrade to a paid plan or use an editor with unlimited free collaborators such as LetX.
Why does my Overleaf compile time out?
The free plan has a shorter compile-time budget than paid tiers, so long or image-heavy documents can exceed it. Splitting the document, reducing heavy TikZ, or using an editor with faster compiles (LetX compiles in 1–2 seconds) resolves it.
What is a free Overleaf alternative with unlimited collaborators?
LetX is a free Overleaf alternative that offers unlimited real-time collaborators on every project, 1–2 second compiles, and 80+ templates. You can import an existing Overleaf project by uploading its .zip.
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Written by Shihab Shahriar Antor — AI Engineer & Founder of Shahriar Labs. Builder of LetX (collaborative LaTeX) and QuantumSketch (AI STEM video).