LaTeX vs. Word - which is better?

Especially in scientific fields, LaTeX vs. Word argued. Both programs are excellent for creating documents. But which one is right for you depends clearly on what you want to achieve. We explain the advantages of both programs.

LaTeX vs. Word: The easy way to get started with Word

Microsoft's Word is the market giant among office products and surely one of the most successful and best developments of the software company. This is not least due to the ease of entry.

• First of all, Word is much easier to use the first time than LaTeX. After the simple installation, open your first document and just start writing.
• The WYSIWYG principle is essential: You see the document exactly as it will be displayed in the end. This includes all design settings, e.g. bold text.
• However, this WYSIWYG is often a fallacy for Word and related programs. If you open the same Word file on another computer, it can sometimes look different.
• Nevertheless, Word scores with the simple introduction and the simple handling of the basic functions.
• Simple layout changes, tables and graphs can be created with just a few clicks and look at least halfway professional.
• With LaTeX you have buttons for such basic functions, depending on the editor, but usually not as clearly as with Word. In addition, the document is still enriched with the code and is therefore very confusing for beginners.
• In addition to the simple basic functions, Word also offers a large number of professional tools that let you create excellent documents. However, as with LaTeX, it takes a lot of familiarization time to really use the potential.
• In comparison with LaTeX, the question of scientific functions is essential. Word has that too, but the formula editor is rather weak - but also simpler than getting started with LaTeX. If you just want to write a mathematical formula for fun, that's certainly enough, but you don't usually do serious scientific work like this.
• The trend towards open source alternatives clearly shows that Word is not particularly compatible with alternative office suites - and even different versions of Word can cause problems. Unfortunately, the WYSIWYG system leverages this somewhat.
• And with all of this, there is also the fact that Word is not exactly cheap: For the 2016 version, you currently pay a whopping 80 euros.

LaTeX vs. Word: Flexible and scientific with LaTeX

LaTeX does not have a huge software company in the back, but it grows more flexibly in many directions with the help of the active community. However, there are many advanced users who are active here for a reason.

• LaTeX's biggest weakness is that if you want to use more than the simplest functions, you should start working with the system and the editor right from the start.
• You don't need a mouse for a LaTeX document as you write every design decision as code in your text, but accordingly there are hardly any simple functions that do this work for you.
• The installation itself is a bit more complicated than with Word. Even if there are templates with which you can easily create letters, for example, the effort is probably not worth it if you only intend to do so.
• In contrast to Word, you do not immediately see what your writing looks like, but must first generate a document such as a PDF from the code. This can quickly lead to errors if you are not yet familiar with the TeX structure. Tip: With LyX, LaTeX gets a user-friendly interface.
• As soon as you have overcome this entry hurdle, the layout of LaTeX is not only fundamentally more professional than Word, but also much more flexible.
• If you know your way around enough, LaTeX allows you to work as deeply into the sources as you want and adapt everything to your needs.
• The LaTeX community has been doing this for quite some time, so there are additions to everything you can imagine, especially in scientific needs - and a very active community that is at your side when in doubt.
• The extensive possibilities for bibliographies are striking. Many large publications have their own citation standard, which you can easily import for your sources.
• In addition, with LaTeX you can implement practically any scientific formula, which is why the program is an essential tool for many researchers, but also engineers and related groups.
• It is special that you can draw directly in the text with commands. This starts with the simplest of drawings and can end up in excessive diagrams and plots. Entire books can be written using this outstanding system alone.
• LaTeX is also ideal for very long documents due to its structuring options and performance management. It remains efficient, quick and reliable.
• In addition, LaTeX, like the associated editors, is free of charge. A good program is, for example, Texmaker.
• So while basically everyone can have a LaTeX editor, the problem here remains that many cannot handle it. There are therefore primarily compatibility problems on the user side.