5 Best Mathematical Equation Writing Software [2024 Guide]

A formula editor is a computer program or software used to typeset mathematical works or formulas.

This tool has two purposes: first is to allow word processing and publication of technical content for print or for web pages and presentations.

The second objective is to provide a way that users can specify input to computational systems that is easier to read and check plus easy to understand.

If you’re looking for the best software to write mathematical equations, check out our top picks listed below.

What is the best software to write mathematical equations?

MathType

MathType steps in when you need a complementary program to create equations where word processors are limited, and insert the equations in your documents.

It is a powerful equation editor among the best software to write mathematical equations which you can use with Office, or even on its own.

Its strong points include the many symbols accessible right from your keyboard, plus its compatibility with different operating systems for importing and exporting formulas like TeX or MathML.

You can change or move any part of the mathematical equation, as this software features nine tabs that give you access to frequently used tools offered.

You can also customize the software completely from the font to keyboard shortcuts and much more.

It is professional, has different auto format writing styles, keyboard shortcuts for most used formulas, and it is easy to export results, however, only a limited number of shortcuts can be added.

⇒ Get MathType

MathMagic

This equation editor comes with an easy-to-use interface that has a WYSIWYG editing capability, customizable features, and productivity, and you get to publish quality equations using this powerful software.

It is available in four different versions, the MathMagic Lite, Personal Edition, Pro Edition, and Prime Edition, all for use with different operating systems and Office programs.

With MathMagic, you can write beautiful equations and symbols easily and very fast, whether you’re good at Math or not, and the quality is designed to meet the DTP professionals’ requirements.

It is also designed for use with any word processor, DTP layout software, presentation, and/or graphic software. Equations can be used through drag and drop, copy and paste, or export and import tools.

However, the Pro Editions have their own plugins or extensions, so you can write or edit equations inside InDesign or QuarkXPress documents without having to export or import.

Its superior quality and productivity are accepted by many scholars, University presses, publishers, professors and teachers, students, online content providers, and government research centers in over 80 countries since it debuted in 1998.

The tool, however, cannot solve your equations but is meant for equation typesetting for technical documents, though it doesn’t discriminate whether an equation uses meaningful or correct notation.

It lets you enter any equations you can build with the editing tools, so you need not have Mathematical knowledge or background.

If you’re interested in other learning and education software, check out our wide collection of guides.

⇒ Get MathMagic

MathCast

This is an equation editor that lets you input mathematical equations for use in documents, emails, and web pages. You can render the equations graphically to your computer’s screen, or to picture files and MathML.

It is free, open-source, and was first released in 2004, and features a powerful and friendly graphical interface for rapid development of mathematical equations.

The Rapid Mathline is a part of the MathCast interface that is intuitive and effective and supports an extensive set of mathematical symbols, operators, and functions.

This software is also an Equation List Manager that can organize dozens of equations in a single list, enabling the ability to manage, modify, edit, view, and re-edit all mathematics of your project whether it is a webpage or document, among others, all in the same session.

Some of its classical features include:

• Support for word processors like Microsoft Word, so you can insert into written documents like equation sheets, lab reports, study guides, and any other type
• Support for output to picture files like BMP, PNG, and EMF, which you can incorporate into presentations and web pages.
• The equations can be copied and pasted into an email, webmail, and other apps
• Features sharp rendering for on-screen reading and smooth rendering for high-quality printing
• Support for exporting equations to MathML which is based on XML
• Mathcasting provides a WYSIWYG tool to author XHTML web pages with math equations
• You can work, learn and teach together because this tool exposes equation lists as a restful HTTP service that can be seen by browsers and different instances in a network

⇒ Get MathCast

LyX

This is an open-source document processor based on the LaTex typesetting system, that has a WYSIWYM (what you see is what you mean) approach such that what you see on your screen is an approximation of what will be displayed on the page.

LyX is popular among technical authors and scientists because of its advanced mathematical modes but is being used increasingly today by non-mathematically oriented scholars because of features like the ability to manage multiple files and its bibliographic database integration.

Features include a mathematical formula editor, copy/paste tool to and from LaTex source code, support for customizable math macros, basic support for various computer algebra systems, and you can enter equations via point and click interface or via keyboard with LaTex commands.

It also has a structured way of creating documents, advanced features for labels, references, index, and bibliography, as well as standard word processor operations like cut/paste, undo/redo, spellchecker, numbered section headings, table of contents, outliner mode for easy navigation in your document, and much more.

Other features include graphics and tables with support for many graphic formats and intelligently floating figures and tables, document formats, and support for writing documents in many languages of the world.

The graphical user interface gives you access to all functions via menus and mouse, plus has extensive documentation which includes beginners’ tutorials available in many languages, text completion support, and typesetting in the background.

There’s so much more this tool offers like change tracking, yellow sticky notes, support for external version control systems like RCS, CVS, Git, and others, and it is fast plus doesn’t hog your computer’s memory.

⇒ Get LyX

MathJax

MathJax consortium is a joint venture of the American Mathematical Society and Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) to advance mathematical and scientific content on the web.

This is a JavaScript display engine for mathematics that works with all browsers, without the need for setup for readers.

Features include high-quality typography as it uses CSS with web fonts or SVG, instead of bitmap images or Flash, so equations scale with surrounding text at all zoom levels.

Additionally, it is highly modular in input and output, so you can use MathML, TeX, and ASCIImath as input and produce HTML+CSS, SVG, and MathML as output.

It is also accessible and reusable as it is compatible with screen readers and provides zoom, plus you can copy equations into Office, LaTex, wikis, and other software.

Whether you’re a casual user or serious author, or even a professional developer, you can integrate MathJax. It has a rich API to help you create interactive content, advanced authoring tools, and math-enabled web and mobile apps.

⇒ Get MathJax

Got a tool you use for writing mathematical equations? Let us know, or share your experience with any of the software listed here, by leaving a comment in the section below.