Should I use BibTeX or BibLaTeX for a new project?

Use BibLaTeX with the biber backend for any new project. It supports Unicode names and titles natively, offers far more citation styles, lets you customize formatting in LaTeX rather than in cryptic .bst files, and handles multiple bibliographies and entry subsets cleanly. The only reason to use classic BibTeX is a journal or conference template that explicitly requires it, which some IEEE and ACM packages still do.

What is biber and how is it different from bibtex?

biber is the backend program BibLaTeX uses to process your .bib file, replacing the older bibtex program. biber has full Unicode support, better sorting, and richer data handling, which is what enables BibLaTeX's flexibility. You run biber instead of bibtex in the compile sequence: pdflatex → biber → pdflatex → pdflatex. Online editors detect which backend your document needs and run the correct one automatically.

Can I switch an existing document from BibTeX to BibLaTeX?

Yes, and the .bib file itself rarely needs changes since both read the same database format. In the document you replace \bibliographystyle and \bibliography with \usepackage[style=...]{biblatex}, \addbibresource{refs.bib}, and \printbibliography, then switch the compile backend from bibtex to biber. Citation commands also change: \citep/\citet from natbib become \parencite/\textcite. Budget a few minutes to update these and recompile.

BibTeX vs BibLaTeX: Which to Use and How

BibLaTeX is the modern successor to BibTeX: it supports Unicode, offers dozens of citation styles, and is customized in LaTeX rather than in .bst files — and it uses the biber backend instead of bibtex. For new projects, choose BibLaTeX. Use classic BibTeX only when a journal template requires it. Both read the same .bib database, so switching is cheap.

1. The fundamental difference

| | BibTeX (classic) | BibLaTeX | |---|---|---| | Backend program | bibtex | biber | | Unicode names/titles | Limited | Full | | Number of styles | Few | Dozens built in | | Customize formatting | .bst (arcane) | LaTeX options | | Multiple bibliographies | Hard | Easy | | Recommended for new work | No | Yes |

2. BibLaTeX setup (recommended)

\usepackage[style=ieee, backend=biber]{biblatex}
\addbibresource{refs.bib}
...
Transformers~\parencite{vaswani2017} changed NLP.
\printbibliography

Change the style by changing one option: style=apa, style=nature, style=authoryear. Compile with pdflatex → biber → pdflatex → pdflatex.

3. Classic BibTeX setup (when required)

\usepackage[numbers]{natbib}
\bibliographystyle{ieeetran}
...
Transformers~\citep{vaswani2017} changed NLP.
\bibliography{refs}

Compile with pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex → pdflatex. Some IEEE and ACM templates still ship .bst files that mandate this route.

4. Citation command equivalents

| Need | BibLaTeX | BibTeX + natbib | |---|---|---| | Parenthetical | \parencite{k} | \citep{k} | | In-text author | \textcite{k} | \citet{k} | | Print list | \printbibliography | \bibliography{refs} |

For full citation usage, see How to Add Citations and a Bibliography.

5. Migrating

Your .bib file usually transfers unchanged. Swap \bibliographystyle/\bibliography for the BibLaTeX trio, update citation commands, and switch the backend to biber. LetX auto-detects the backend and runs the right one, so you don't manage the build by hand. Import references without typing them via Zotero → Bibliography.

→ Manage references with the right backend, automatically, in LetX.

Written by Shihab Shahriar Antor — AI Engineer & Founder of Shahriar Labs, maker of LetX.