Tex Lite is a lightweight, local-first web workspace for a small, trusted team writing LaTeX together. It provides browser-based editing, compilation, previewing, and source-level discussion while reusing the LaTeX installation already present on the host.

Own the writing environment. Use the host's TeX installation and keep sources, history, and compiled output in one local data directory. Collaborate without a large stack. The default deployment is one Node.js process, SQLite, and local files—plus real-time editing and source-level comments for a small trusted team.

A practical distinction from Overleaf: Overleaf is a strong choice when its hosted product or broader ecosystem is the right fit. Tex Lite addresses a narrower self-hosted use case. Overleaf's open-source Community Edition follows a more involved Docker deployment path, and source comments are a Server Pro feature. Tex Lite uses the server's existing TeX environment, runs as a small single-host stack, and includes real-time source comments and replies.

Self-hosting does not make every document compile faster: that still depends on the host and the document. It does give the team control over capacity, TeX updates, data location, and the collaboration workflow. For a desktop-first, individual workflow, start with VS Code + LaTeX Workshop or TeXstudio instead.