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Agda VS Isabelle

Compare Agda VS Isabelle and see what are their differences

Agda logo Agda

Agda is a dependently typed functional programming language. It has inductive families, i.e.

Isabelle logo Isabelle

Isabelle is a proof assistant for writing and checking mathematical proofs by computer.
  • Agda Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • Isabelle Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-29

Agda features and specs

  • Dependent Types
    Agda's type system supports dependent types, allowing types to depend on values. This feature enables very expressive type checking, helping catch more errors at compile time and ensuring program correctness.
  • Strong Verification
    Agda is designed with theorem proving in mind, offering strong capabilities for verifying the properties of programs. It allows developers to write and prove properties about their programs, ensuring a high level of reliability.
  • Interactive Development
    Agda provides an interactive environment, which facilitates program development. This feature helps programmers incrementally build programs by receiving immediate feedback and suggestions, improving productivity and understanding.
  • Pattern Matching
    Agda supports sophisticated pattern matching, which simplifies function definitions and enhances code readability. It allows complex data structures to be easily deconstructed and manipulated.

Possible disadvantages of Agda

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Agda has a steep learning curve due to its advanced type system and syntax. Beginners may find it challenging to grasp the concepts of dependent types and formal proofs without prior experience.
  • Limited Library Support
    Compared to more mainstream programming languages, Agda has limited library and tool support. This can make it difficult to find pre-built solutions and may lead to additional work when building certain applications.
  • Performance Overhead
    Due to its focus on correctness and expressive type system, programs written in Agda might experience performance overheads. The additional checks and proofs can sometimes result in slower runtime performance compared to less strict languages.
  • Smaller Community
    Agda has a relatively small community compared to more popular languages. This can result in fewer learning resources, less community support, and potentially slower development of the language and its ecosystem.

Isabelle features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Agda videos

Twitch: Proving things using Agda!

More videos:

  • Review - AGDA Robot Vacuum Review

Isabelle videos

*NEW* ISABELLE Skin! Reactive Test | Gameplay + Combos | Before You Buy (Fortnite Battle Royale)

More videos:

  • Review - Isabelle skin gameplay and review
  • Review - Should You Buy? ISABELLE Skin Fortnite (Fortnite Season 6)

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Agda and Isabelle)
Programming Language
74 74%
26% 26
OOP
70 70%
30% 30
Generic Programming Language
Dynamic Programming Language

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Agda seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 7 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Agda mentions (7)

  • If given a list of properties/definitions and relationship between them, could a machine come up with (mostly senseless, but) true implications?
    Still, there are many useful tools based on these ideas, used by programmers and mathematicians alike. What you describe sounds rather like Datalog (e.g. Soufflé Datalog), where you supply some rules and an initial fact, and the system repeatedly expands out the set of facts until nothing new can be derived. (This has to be finite, if you want to get anywhere.) In Prolog (e.g. SWI Prolog) you also supply a set of... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • What can Category Theory do?
    Haskell and Agda are probably the most obvious examples. Ocaml too, but it is much older, so its type system is not as categorical. There is also Idris, which is not as well-known but is very cool. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Best Programming Language for Computational Proof
    Coq, Agda, Lean, Isabelle, and probably some others which are not coming to my mind at the moment, but those would be considered the major ones. Source: over 2 years ago
  • If C++ would be safe as Rust, Would you consider your current/next project be in C++?
    Safer doesn't mean better. You could proof program correctness, and get proven program with tools like Coq (https://news.ycombinator.com/) and Agda (https://wiki.portal.chalmers.se/agda/pmwiki.php). However, it leads to much higher cost of creating software than both C++ and Rust. It's a trade-off. A great thing about Rust is that the safety costs very little compared to Coq and Agda. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Do you feel static types have "won the war", so to speak?
    At the most extreme level, you disappear into a meditative solitary retreat for a couple of years to seek enlightenment, and when you emerge you're no longer a programmer who writes programs, you're a theorist who proves theorems in Agda, and you have transcended above things that are tainted by the inherent evil of the material plane like "side effects" and "business needs" and "delivery timelines" and "could you... Source: almost 3 years ago
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Isabelle mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Isabelle yet. Tracking of Isabelle recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Agda and Isabelle, you can also consider the following products

Coq - Coq is a proof assistant, which allows you to write mathematical proofs in a rigorous and formal...

Racket Lang - Racket (formerly PLT Scheme) is a modern programming language in the Lisp/Scheme family, suitable...

Lean - Clean up your Live Photos

Haskell - An advanced purely-functional programming language

Idris - Programming, Programming Language, Learning Resources, Languages, and Frontend Development

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.