SimpleTex Alternative
By imagetolatex team · Published
SimpleTex is a formula and document recognition platform whose website opens in Chinese, with a desktop client and Office plug-ins. If you want an English, browser-only alternative, imagetolatex converts formula screenshots to LaTeX, MathML and Word equations, free for single printed formulas within a daily limit. SimpleTex still does some things we do not, such as chemical structures.
SimpleTex and imagetolatex compared
| SimpleTex | imagetolatex | |
|---|---|---|
| Language of the site | Chinese by default, with a language menu | English |
| Where it runs | Web, desktop client, Word / PowerPoint / WPS plug-ins, API | Web browser only |
| Outputs | LaTeX, Typst, Markdown, MathML, PNG (per its site) | LaTeX, MathML, Word equation, .docx, PNG, SVG |
| Chemical structures | Yes (per its site) | No |
| Whole documents | PDF recognition (per its site) | PDF or image to Word, LaTeX, Markdown and Excel |
SimpleTex details come from its own website (simpletex.net) as of September 2026. We have not benchmarked accuracy between the two tools.
Which one fits
- imagetolatex if you want an English interface, nothing to install, and results that paste straight into Word as equations.
- SimpleTex if you need chemistry structure recognition, a desktop hotkey client, or plug-ins inside Word, PowerPoint or WPS.
Try it
Paste a formula screenshot into the image to LaTeX converter for a single formula. For a page with many formulas, switch to Page with several formulas: each formula is listed separately, and the page can be copied as Markdown or the selected formulas exported to Word (free account and credits).
FAQ
- Is SimpleTex free?
- SimpleTex offers online recognition on its website; check simpletex.net for its current free allowance.
- Does imagetolatex work offline?
- No, recognition runs on our servers. The LaTeX editor needs the page loaded but renders formulas in your browser.
- Can I get Typst output?
- Yes: convert the formula to LaTeX, then use LaTeX to Typst.
- Does it read handwriting?
- Yes. Tick Handwritten; handwriting uses the high-accuracy engine with a free account and a credit per image.