---
title: "Reactive Resume vs Overleaf"
description: "Compare Reactive Resume's visual resume builder with Overleaf's LaTeX templates, source editing, collaboration, and PDF workflow."
---

Overleaf is a better fit for direct LaTeX source control, a large community template gallery, and document collaboration. Reactive Resume is a better fit for people who want to edit structured resume sections visually without writing or debugging LaTeX.

These products use different authoring models. Overleaf is an online LaTeX editor that compiles source into documents, including CV and resume templates. Reactive Resume stores resume content as structured data and renders it through its built-in templates and visual controls.

## Quick comparison

| Consideration | Reactive Resume | Overleaf |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Primary workflow | Visual resume editing with structured sections | LaTeX source editing and compilation |
| Template model | Built-in resume templates and layout settings | Community CV and resume LaTeX templates |
| Source control | Resume JSON export, not LaTeX source | Direct editing of LaTeX project files |
| Collaboration | Resume sharing and export workflow | Project collaboration with plan-dependent limits |
| Output | PDF, DOCX, Markdown, and Reactive Resume JSON | Compiled document PDFs and project source |
| Free plan | Core hosted resume workflow has no premium tier | Free plan has documented collaboration and compile limits |

Overleaf's [CV and résumé gallery](https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/tagged/cv) includes community templates, while its [plans documentation](https://docs.overleaf.com/getting-started/free-and-premium-plans) explains the differences between free and paid accounts. Reactive Resume keeps the task narrower: enter resume content, select a template, tune its settings, and export the result.

## Where Overleaf is a better fit

Use Overleaf if you want to work directly in LaTeX. It gives you control over the source document and access to a broad community template gallery. That can be useful when you already maintain academic or technical documents in LaTeX, want to make source-level typesetting changes, or need a resume that follows a particular LaTeX template.

Overleaf also has a document-collaboration workflow. Its plan pages describe collaborator and compile-time allowances, so review those limits for the plan you use. This can be more suitable than a resume-focused tool when several people need to work on a LaTeX project or when the resume is part of a larger academic document set.

## Where Reactive Resume is a better fit

Use Reactive Resume if you prefer a visual editor and do not want to maintain LaTeX source. It keeps common resume content in fields for profile details, experience, education, skills, projects, and other sections, then shows the result in a live preview. You can switch templates and adjust resume-specific layout settings without editing a document class or compilation configuration.

Reactive Resume also provides [PDF, DOCX, Markdown, and JSON exports](/guides/exporting-your-resume). Its JSON export preserves resume content and settings for later restoration or another version. If you need to operate the software on your own infrastructure, the project is [MIT-licensed](/legal/license) and [self-hostable](/self-hosting/docker).

## Which should you choose?

Choose Overleaf if LaTeX source, community templates, or collaborative academic-document workflows are central to how you work. Choose Reactive Resume if you want a focused visual resume builder and structured fields without a LaTeX editing workflow.

Both tools can produce a PDF, but the ongoing maintenance differs. With Overleaf, you maintain a source document. With Reactive Resume, you update resume data and template settings.

## Reactive Resume limitations in this comparison

Reactive Resume does not offer LaTeX source editing or Overleaf-style collaboration for academic document projects. It also does not expose the same source-level typesetting control as a LaTeX template. Overleaf is the more relevant option when those capabilities are required.

## Sources

- [Overleaf CV and résumé templates](https://www.overleaf.com/latex/templates/tagged/cv)
- [Overleaf free and premium plans](https://docs.overleaf.com/getting-started/free-and-premium-plans)
- [Overleaf plans and pricing](https://www.overleaf.com/user/subscription/plans)
- [Reactive Resume: exporting your resume](/guides/exporting-your-resume)

Last checked: July 28, 2026

<Card title="Choose visual editing when LaTeX is unnecessary" icon="arrow-right" href="https://rxresu.me">
  Build from structured sections and a live preview without maintaining a LaTeX document.
</Card>
