TeX Writer - LaTeX On The Go

Could be good but has glitches and issues and the support email doesn’t seem to respond.

Does what it is expected to do, can handle even complex projects. The only downside is that one cannot switch between locations in the tex file and the pdf file (click on a word in the pdf and you’ll find the location of this word in the tex file and vice versa). So editing large files may be bothersome and the app cannot compete with user-friendliness of overleaf-likes. Still, it is the best offline Latex editor on iPad I found.

Although there is one competitor on iOS with offline typesetting capabilities, namely Texpad, TeX Writer excels in almost every way. It has a solid file manager, with Files app integration. It supports multitasking technology on iPad perfectly. It has tons of customisation and scripting capabilities. It can show `tex` and `PDF` simultaneously, with horizontal split in landscape and vertical split in portrait orientation. Moreover, it has a transparent package management solution, i.e., the same old way as managing any files. The only thing that probably holds some people back from TeX Writer is that it's more like an app written developers. For example, the editor draws inspirations from Emacs and customisation requires editing a plain text configuration file.

I have been having daily appointments with TeX Writer for a long time. It is easily the main tool in my routine writing of scientific papers and books, or when preparing presentations and creating typographic artwork for my publications. Without TeX Writer I could not work wherever I am, on my Ipad, and I would not be able to use my Ipad, which I love. Performance is astonishing, both in the basic version and in the Pro upgrade of the app, this latter offering excellent online XeLaTeX support. I am totally satisfied with TeX Writer's superlative Dropbox integration and file and figure management, and its extended keyboard. I use the endless collection of LaTeX facilities, including TiKz, fontenc, filecontent and beamer to combine productivity and fun. I recently encountered a XeLaTeX compilation problem. An email to the TeX Writer support team was sufficient to have the problem fixed in less than two days.

For work on the go, I need a LaTeX implementation on iPad that - compiles offline - works with OneDrive - works with the small iPad screen without burning your eyes after 5 minutes of editing I’ve looked around, including paying for other apps and testing them for what I need, and this is the only one that meets the 3 requirements above. Two weeks in and very happy - it’s worth every penny.

Great app normally but latest update has broken links to cloud files. Cannot open and sync a from the cloud making this very inconvenient.

The author has the nerve to not only charge a premium for a rather substandard product, but to then require a “pro” subscription for proper functionality. Product quality itself is low with minimal functionality. Saving files for example is not via a file selection dialog but command line. Turn out you can only use files on “local” not on iCloud drive. No ability to upload additional packages. Didn’t get much further as this is pretty useless. Very poor

It is a great app and I haven’t found any bugs, so far. BUT, 1) I would prefer to have the real experience of writing latex. For example, add shortcuts for bold, italics etc. (Command + I, Command + b, ...) or {Option + b}, ... 2) List of all open documents in the top, in order to avoid opening again and again each file. This will be helpful if you write in multiple documents. 3) It would be great if while writing, the app suggests the command you are going to write. For example, if I write \te, show a small list? with the commands \textit, \textbf etc. 4) When you write \begin, show list with the most common options (tabular, table, center, etc.), and write automatically the \end{...}. Thanks! ;)

Latex on the iPad that just works. So convenient being able to take my work with me with a small iPad footprint. Obviously typing on an iPad is not ideal over long periods of time but it’s great when travelling or working on the train/in coffee shops etc. Also, the developer is active, having recently added split screen support which allows for editing of tex files while simultaneously viewing the PDF. For me this was the only thing I thought was missing from the app before.

I’m very glad, in iPad there is such an productivity app, this makes iPad just like a computer, very good!