Overleaf vs Rowy
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted office suites options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
Not the right match-up?
Overleaf
Online real-time collaborative LaTeX editor
VS
Rowy
Spreadsheet-like UI for Firestore databases
| Feature | Overleaf | Rowy |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later | MIT |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | docker, source |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,007 | ★ 6,832 |
| First released | 2023 | 2021 |
| Replaces | — | Airtable |
Why pick each one
Choose Overleaf if…
- Released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- Mature project with 18k GitHub stars
- Written in JavaScript
Choose Rowy if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 6.8k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Overleaf or Rowy better?
Overleaf is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Rowy if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Overleaf and Rowy free and open-source?
Yes. Overleaf is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and Rowy under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Overleaf and Rowy with Docker?
Overleaf: check the project docs for container support. Rowy: yes.