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TeXmacs

Hacker Approved

Ranked 5 of 12 typesetting systems by recommenders

Free WYSIWYG editor for fast, well-typeset math and structured documents. Critics say it supports only a subset of LaTeX, so LaTeX packages won't work.

Free WYSIWYG editor for fast, well-typeset math and structured documents. Critics say it supports only a subset of LaTeX, so LaTeX packages won't work.

27 people gave an opinion

recommend it
19
criticize it
8
approval share
70%
Each figure is one person. RecommendsCriticizes

Recommended in 9 of 13 months

  1. November 2025: recommended
  2. December 2025: recommended
  3. January 2026: recommended
  4. February 2026: recommended
  5. March 2026: recommended
  6. April 2026: recommended
  7. May 2026: recommended
  8. June 2026: recommended
  9. July 2026: not recommended
  10. August 2026: recommended
  11. September 2026: not recommended
  12. October 2026: not recommended
  13. November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)

Why it carries the badge

  • 19 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
  • 2.4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
  • Recommended in 9 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.

The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works

What people say about it

The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.

Why people recommend it

Each mark is one comment

  • Fast math typing

    “Typing math in TeXmacs felt much quicker than LaTeX, enough so that I was able to keep up with the lecturer's writing on the blackboard.”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

    “It allows me to type quickly and accurately math and explanation with exquisite typography.”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

    “it was excellent for quickly writing math, and building tables”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”
  • Live WYSIWYG editing without compile cycle

    “it frees you from the write-compile cycle while being equivalent (maybe in some ways better) from the point of view of the control you have on the document”

    Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “The code and open-source tools I used to produce a science fiction anthology”

    “Tree-structured documents in a live (WYSIWYG) typesetter with a programmable editor are possible”

    Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Typst 0.15.0”

    “fully WYSIWYG, no limitation on what it can do”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”
  • Beautiful typeset output

    “get proper typesetting, and can copy/paste expressions for simplification by hand”

    Comment from 28 Feb 2026 in “Woxi: Wolfram Mathematica Reimplementation in Rust”

    “the program is an incredibly powerful tool for creating beautiful documents”

    Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “TeX Live 2026 is available for download now”

    “LaTeX: accomplished typography”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”
  • Structured data and CAS integration

    “It supports handing over beautifully typeset and semantically-structured math to various CAS”

    Comment from 12 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Woxi - Open-source Mathematica / Wolfram Language reimplementation”

    “For me, also highly intestering is the internal data model and serialization”

    Comment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

    “you can insert it programmatically into a TeXmacs document in a seamless way”

    Comment from 27 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

What people warn about

Each mark is one comment

  • Misleading name suggests Emacs editor

    “they gave it a terrible name that strongly implies it's some kind of Emacs TeX editor”

    Comment from 13 Jun 2026 in “Tectonic: A modernized, complete, self-contained TeX/LaTeX engine”

    “trading on association rather than on substance”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

    “Probably the most misleading app name ever.”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”
  • Not LaTeX compatible, limited TeX support

    “this thing is not LaTeX and you won't be able to use any of the LaTeX packages that you need”

    Comment from 6 Mar 2026 in “TeX Live 2026 is available for download now”

    “TeXmacs supports only quite limited subset of what LaTeX and TeX can do”

    Comment from 13 Jun 2026 in “Tectonic: A modernized, complete, self-contained TeX/LaTeX engine”

    “TexMacs is great. However, I use LaTeX regularly.”

    Comment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”
  • Dislike of WYSIWYG over source markup

    “It seemed like a cool piece of software, but when I later learned LaTeX I discovered I prefer non-WYSIWYG for everything but lecture notes.”

    Comment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

    “I don't like this mode of interaction. No, thanks.”

    Comment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Typst 0.15.0”

Other typesetting systems people recommend

The four most recommended other typesetting systems, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.

TeXmacs compared with 4 alternatives
ProductRecommendCriticizeApprovalMonthsOwnedBadge
Typst2053187%131 yr16 ownersApproved
LaTeX1378263%1220 yrs4 owners—
TeX271269%10—Approved
Quarto27584%9—Approved
TeXmacsThis page19870%9—Approved
See all 12 typesetting systems, ranked

What people said

40 of the 47 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.

“It supports handing over beautifully typeset and semantically-structured math to various CAS”

RecommendsComment from 12 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: Woxi - Open-source Mathematica / Wolfram Language reimplementation”

“I don't like this mode of interaction. No, thanks.”

CriticizesComment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Typst 0.15.0”

“Tree-structured documents in a live (WYSIWYG) typesetter with a programmable editor are possible”

RecommendsComment from 15 Jun 2026 in “Typst 0.15.0”

“they gave it a terrible name that strongly implies it's some kind of Emacs TeX editor”

CriticizesComment from 13 Jun 2026 in “Tectonic: A modernized, complete, self-contained TeX/LaTeX engine”

“as one would not expect that it works so well”

RecommendsComment from 13 Jun 2026 in “Tectonic: A modernized, complete, self-contained TeX/LaTeX engine”

“TeXmacs supports only quite limited subset of what LaTeX and TeX can do”

CriticizesComment from 13 Jun 2026 in “Tectonic: A modernized, complete, self-contained TeX/LaTeX engine”

“is the kind of program that we need for writing”

RecommendsComment from 13 Jun 2026 in “Tectonic: A modernized, complete, self-contained TeX/LaTeX engine”

“Both, the concept and the tool, are amazingly capable and a breath of fresh air”

RecommendsComment from 27 Apr 2026 in “Quarkdown – Markdown with Superpowers”

“their manuals are very well written”

RecommendsComment from 9 Apr 2026 in “Ask HN: Any Interesting Niche Hobbies?”

“this thing is not LaTeX and you won't be able to use any of the LaTeX packages that you need”

CriticizesComment from 6 Mar 2026 in “TeX Live 2026 is available for download now”

“the program is an incredibly powerful tool for creating beautiful documents”

RecommendsComment from 6 Mar 2026 in “TeX Live 2026 is available for download now”

“Maybe http://texmacs.org would fit here!”

RecommendsComment from 28 Feb 2026 in “Woxi: Wolfram Mathematica Reimplementation in Rust”

“get proper typesetting, and can copy/paste expressions for simplification by hand”

RecommendsComment from 28 Feb 2026 in “Woxi: Wolfram Mathematica Reimplementation in Rust”

“both quite stable and speedier than any alternative”

RecommendsComment from 28 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“you can insert it programmatically into a TeXmacs document in a seamless way”

RecommendsComment from 27 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“TeXmacs provide all things 90% of people need.”

RecommendsComment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“For me, also highly intestering is the internal data model and serialization”

RecommendsComment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“succinctly telling you what the project is about and what it can do”

RecommendsComment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“TexMacs is great. However, I use LaTeX regularly.”

MixedComment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“writing maths just feels easy”

RecommendsComment from 26 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“Discovered then that it has a steep learning curve and not too much helpful info if you want to do something not preconfigured.”

MixedComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“The animation in presentation mode is really impressive”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“As if the author had added the best aspects of the two and then some.”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“It is a software designed to render writing a lot of mathematics easier and more importantly to not loose focus in irrelevant details.”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“I had no idea this existed and I’m in love.”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“LaTeX: accomplished typography”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“fully WYSIWYG, no limitation on what it can do”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“It allows me to type quickly and accurately math and explanation with exquisite typography.”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“praising how efficient (and pleasurable, I might add!) TeXmacs is”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“it was excellent for quickly writing math, and building tables”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“Typing math in TeXmacs felt much quicker than LaTeX, enough so that I was able to keep up with the lecturer's writing on the blackboard.”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“It seemed like a cool piece of software, but when I later learned LaTeX I discovered I prefer non-WYSIWYG for everything but lecture notes.”

MixedComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“it does support quite some TeX commands”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“The name alone is hilarious bad.”

CriticizesComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“trading on association rather than on substance”

CriticizesComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“I love TeXmacs so much I just use it as a regular word processor”

RecommendsComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“Probably the most misleading app name ever.”

CriticizesComment from 25 Feb 2026 in “GNU Texmacs”

“What you want is a document format that is not Turing complete, such as the TeXmacs document format.”

RecommendsComment from 29 Jan 2026 in “Ask HN: Why not make English computational, just like LaTeX, to ensure lock-in?”

“Texmacs which is far superior for academics.”

RecommendsComment from 21 Dec 2025 in “Ireland’s Diarmuid Early wins world Microsoft Excel title”

“it frees you from the write-compile cycle while being equivalent (maybe in some ways better) from the point of view of the control you have on the document”

RecommendsComment from 19 Nov 2025 in “The code and open-source tools I used to produce a science fiction anthology”

Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.