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Octree vs Crixet

Author

Basil Yusuf

Date Published

Octree vs Crixet

Crixet vs Octree: The Real Differences Explained (2025)

The AI-powered LaTeX editor space is growing fast, with both Crixet and Octree becoming popular choices for students, researchers, and engineers. Both platforms offer modern LaTeX editing with AI assistance β€” but they differ in a few important, concrete ways.

Below is a clear, honest breakdown of where Octree is actually ahead today.


1. Octree's Key Advantages Over Crixet

There are four specific areas where Octree currently stands out.

1. Open Source

Octree is fully open source under the Octree-Labs GitHub organization.

This provides:

  • transparency
  • auditability
  • trust for universities
  • open contributions
  • self-hosting options

Crixet is closed-source, making this a meaningful difference for academics and privacy-minded users.


2. True In-Line AI Edits

Octree supports direct in-line edits inside the code editor:

  • edits appear directly within your LaTeX file
  • diffs are highlighted
  • change acceptance is intuitive
  • no copy-paste required
  • feels like using Copilot but for LaTeX

Crixet uses a sidebar generation flow, which is less integrated.


3. Built-in TikZ Diagram Generator

Octree includes an AI TikZ diagram generator that converts natural language prompts into TikZ code.

This is extremely useful for:

  • math
  • CS
  • physics
  • engineering diagrams
  • problem sets

Crixet does not currently offer a TikZ generator.


4. Supports pdflatex, xelatex, and lualatex

Octree offers three compilers:

  • pdflatex
  • xelatex
  • lualatex

This provides compatibility with:

  • multilingual documents
  • custom fonts
  • modern templates
  • advanced packages

Crixet's engine support is more limited.


2. Where Crixet Is Strong

To keep this comparison balanced:

  • Very simple interface
  • Good for small, single-file projects
  • Clean UI with low cognitive load
  • Fast for short documents

3. Real Feature Comparison

Feature

Octree

Crixet

Open Source

Yes

No

In-Line Edits

Yes

No

TikZ Diagram Generator

Yes

No

pdflatex / xelatex / lualatex

All supported

Limited

AI Chat

Yes

Yes

Templates

Similar

Similar

Multi-file Support

Similar

Similar


4. Verdict

Both platforms are useful β€” but Octree has four real, product-level advantages:

  1. Fully open source
  2. In-line LaTeX editing
  3. TikZ generation
  4. Multiple LaTeX compilers

For students, researchers, engineers, and anyone writing technical documents, these features make Octree the more capable choice.


Try Octree β€” A Modern, Open-Source AI LaTeX Editor

Octree is designed for students and researchers who want a fast, AI-enhanced, and open LaTeX editing experience β€” without limitations.

πŸ‘‰ Start using Octree for free: https://useoctree.com πŸ‘‰ Explore the open-source code: https://github.com/octree-labs

If you write LaTeX regularly, Octree can cut your writing time in half while keeping full control and transparency.

Try it at useoctree.com

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