TeXbrain
LaTeX editor in Productivity & writing
Browser-based LaTeX editor running pdfTeX via WebAssembly, praised as a free open-source option. Commenters note the mobile preview and error log are weak.
Browser-based LaTeX editor running pdfTeX via WebAssembly, praised as a free open-source option. Commenters note the mobile preview and error log are weak.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 78%
Recommended in 1 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 3.5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 1 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not 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
Loads dependencies on demand
“I'm a fan of your approach to loading dependencies on demand with a service worker.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: TeXbrain, a LaTeX editor that runs pdfTeX in the browser via WASM” Free open-source LaTeX editor
“Great to see a FOSS version!”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: TeXbrain, a LaTeX editor that runs pdfTeX in the browser via WASM”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Error log abbreviated and unclear
“The UI seems to provide a very abbreviated log that’s clearly not full.”
Comment from 26 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: TeXbrain, a LaTeX editor that runs pdfTeX in the browser via WASM” “It was really not clear where the error was coming from.”
Comment from 25 Aug 2026 in “Show HN: TeXbrain, a LaTeX editor that runs pdfTeX in the browser via WASM”
What people recommend instead
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.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overleaf | 24 | 10 | 71% | 6 | — | Approved |
| TeXbrainThis page | 7 | 2 | 78% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
7 of the 11 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Great to see a FOSS version!”
“The UI seems to provide a very abbreviated log that’s clearly not full.”
“Seems like it's almost responsive, but I'm unable to see the latex preview on mobile”
“Usability to see changes live is a bit weird.”
“I'm a fan of your approach to loading dependencies on demand with a service worker.”
“It was really not clear where the error was coming from.”
“somehow I can’t get this fallback to work”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.