Overleaf vs Univer
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
Univer
Full-stack framework for collaborative office docs
| Feature | Overleaf | Univer |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Office Suites | Office Suites |
| License | AGPL-3.0-or-later | Apache-2.0 |
| Language | JavaScript | TypeScript |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Hard |
| Min. RAM | 1,024 MB | 512 MB |
| Deployment | bare-metal | source, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 18,007 | ★ 14,069 |
| First released | 2023 | 2023 |
| Replaces | — | Google Sheets, Microsoft Office |
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 Univer if…
- Released under the Apache-2.0 license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Mature project with 14.1k GitHub stars
- Written in TypeScript
Frequently asked questions
Is Overleaf or Univer better?
Overleaf is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Univer if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Overleaf and Univer free and open-source?
Yes. Overleaf is licensed under AGPL-3.0-or-later and Univer under Apache-2.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Overleaf and Univer with Docker?
Overleaf: check the project docs for container support. Univer: yes.