6 MATLAB Alternatives You Could Use

1

MATLAB

Maintaining a healthy balance between features and ease of use, Scilab is a great open-source numerical computational package, that you can use in place of MATLAB. It comes with a high-level, numerically oriented programming language. However, due to features such as dynamic typing and automatic memory management, it becomes possible to express numerical problems using reduced amount of code. Scilab also comes with a free “Xcos” package (analogous to MATLAB’s Simulink) for effortless modeling and simulation of explicit and implicit dynamical systems. The syntax of Scilab is largely based on MATLAB. Other regular functionalities, such as 2D/3D visualization, control system analysis etc. are there too. Oh, and there are quite a few external modules available for it too, for doing things like network computations and GPU computing.

#Technical Computing #Numerical Computation #Data Visualization

Deveoped by Wolfram Research, the pioneers of computational software, Mathematica comes with a truckload of features for all your mathematical computational needs. The latest version boasts over 700 new functions, as well as multiple function libraries and geo visualization/animation tools. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. From 2D/3D image processing to enhanced signal processing, and from automated machine learning to enhanced graphical computations, Mathematica can handle it all. Then there are powerful tools for connecting to the systems based on DLL, SQL, CUDA, OpenCL, and Fortran. A curated API framework allows for external device connectivity, and it can also connect with programming languages like Haskell, AppleScript, and Clojure.

#Technical Computing #Numerical Computation #3D

3

Maple

Having a powerful Math engine, Maple is a pretty feature heavy MATLAB alternative. It lets you enter problems in traditional mathematical notation, and allows creation of custom interfaces. Maple includes a dynamically typed, imperative-style programming language, identical to Pascal. And of course, it can interface with other languages (e.g. C, Java) as well. It has over 5000 functions covering every area of mathematics, and numerous useful modules like equation editor, variable manager, and live-data plots. Even hand written symbols are recognized, and it can connect with MATLAB as well. Thanks to its versatility, Maple’s usage extends in areas like financial modeling, control design, and statistical data analysis. In fact, it was instrumental in the discovery of the mathematics based Gomboc shape.

#Technical Computing #Numerical Computation #3D

4

GNU Octave

Want a powerhouse free and open-source alternative to MATLAB? GNU Octave is all you need. Comprised of a high-level interpreted language, it’s primarily meant for numerical computations, but can also handle extensive data manipulation and visualization just as good. Probably one of its most unique features is the interactive command line interface, used for solving linear and non-linear problems numerically. Moreover, the Octave language is quite identical to MATLAB, which makes for easy portability of most programs. Other notable features include command history, variable name completion, and a wide variety of packages, which let the software do everything from solving Differential Advection Reaction (DAR) Partial Differential Equations, to interfacing with SQL databases.

#Technical Computing #Numerical Computation #3D 1 social mentions

5

Scilab

Maintaining a healthy balance between features and ease of use, Scilab is a great open-source numerical computational package, that you can use in place of MATLAB. It comes with a high-level, numerically oriented programming language. However, due to features such as dynamic typing and automatic memory management, it becomes possible to express numerical problems using reduced amount of code. Scilab also comes with a free “Xcos” package (analogous to MATLAB’s Simulink) for effortless modeling and simulation of explicit and implicit dynamical systems. The syntax of Scilab is largely based on MATLAB. Other regular functionalities, such as 2D/3D visualization, control system analysis etc. are there too. Oh, and there are quite a few external modules available for it too, for doing things like network computations and GPU computing.

#Technical Computing #Numerical Computation #3D

6

Sage Math

#Math Solver #Math Tools #Mathematics 4 social mentions

7

Julia

Strictly speaking, Julia is not a full “alternative” to MATLAB, in the sense that it’s essentially a high-level, dynamic programming language, intended for numerical computing. However, you can easily use it via the free Juno IDE. As for the language itself, it comes with a sophisticated compiler, with support for distributed parallel computing, and a large mathematical function library. And thanks to the active developer community, the list of external packages is steadily growing too. It’s designed for cloud computing, and the “multiple dispatch” approach makes it easy to define function behavior across many argument type combinations. You also get Lisp like macros, shell-like capabilities for easily managing other processes. Oh, and Julia conferences are held at none other than the world-renowned MIT itself.

#Programming Language #Technical Computing #OOP 114 social mentions