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AUCTeX vs TeXworks: catalog facts
AUCTeX	TeXworks
Free Free software from the GNU Project.	Free Free and open source under the GPL.
Windows, macOS, Linux	Windows, macOS, Linux
Supports LaTeX, ConTeXt, Texinfo, AMS-TeX and docTeX preview-latex shows formulas as images in the source	Editor and PDF preview in a single window Simple interface aimed at TeX newcomers
Requires GNU Emacs and familiarity with it Needs a separate TeX distribution to compile documents	Requires a separately installed TeX distribution Fewer project management features than larger LaTeX IDEs
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-3.0-or-later	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 2, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.