Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GnuPlot VS Desmos

Compare GnuPlot VS Desmos and see what are their differences

GnuPlot logo GnuPlot

Gnuplot is a portable command-line driven interactive data and function plotting utility.

Desmos logo Desmos

A beautiful, innovative, and modern online graphing calculator.
  • GnuPlot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13
  • Desmos Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-06

GnuPlot features and specs

  • Highly Customizable
    GnuPlot offers extensive customization options for creating plots, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of the graph, including colors, labels, line styles, and more.
  • Scriptable
    GnuPlot can be driven by scripts, making it convenient for automating complex plots and integrating with other software workflows.
  • Wide Range of Output Formats
    It supports many output formats such as PNG, PDF, SVG, and EPS, making it easy to generate graphics for different purposes like presentations, publications, and web content.
  • Cross-Platform
    GnuPlot runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that it can be used in diverse computing environments.
  • Complex Plotting Capabilities
    GnuPlot supports a wide variety of plots, including 2D and 3D plots, histograms, heatmaps, and more, which caters to the needs of advanced visualization requirements.
  • Performance
    GnuPlot is efficient and can handle large datasets with ease, offering fast rendering times which is crucial when dealing with complex visualizations.
  • Free and Open Source
    Being free and open-source software, GnuPlot is accessible to everyone, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages of GnuPlot

  • Steep Learning Curve
    GnuPlot has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve, especially for beginners who may find it difficult to get started without substantial effort.
  • Limited GUI
    GnuPlot lacks a full-featured graphical user interface (GUI), making it less user-friendly for those who prefer point-and-click interactions over scripting.
  • Documentation
    While comprehensive, the documentation can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate for new users trying to find specific information quickly.
  • Date Handling
    Handling and formatting dates can be cumbersome in GnuPlot, requiring more manual setup compared to other dedicated plotting tools.
  • Interactive Features
    GnuPlot's interactive plotting capabilities are limited compared to other modern plotting tools that offer more dynamic and real-time interactivity.
  • Integration
    Integration with some modern programming environments and languages may not be as seamless as with other plotting libraries specifically designed for those ecosystems (e.g., Matplotlib in Python).

Desmos features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Desmos offers an intuitive and easy-to-navigate interface that makes it accessible for users of all skill levels, from beginners to advanced mathematicians.
  • Interactive Graphing
    The platform provides dynamic graphing capabilities that allow users to manipulate functions and see changes in real-time.
  • Educational Resources
    Desmos offers a variety of teaching resources, such as pre-made activities and lesson plans, which are beneficial for instructors in a classroom setting.
  • Accessibility
    Desmos is web-based, meaning it can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, on multiple devices, enhancing its convenience and reach.
  • Free Usage
    Desmos is available for free, making it an attractive option for students and educators who need powerful graphing tools without any cost.

Possible disadvantages of Desmos

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While Desmos is great for general graphing needs, it may lack advanced features required by professionals for more complex mathematical modeling.
  • Dependency on Internet
    As a web-based tool, Desmos requires a stable internet connection, which can be a limitation for users with unreliable internet access.
  • Feature Overload for Beginners
    Despite its user-friendly design, beginners might find the range of features overwhelming without proper guidance.
  • Privacy Concerns
    Users might have concerns about privacy and data security, particularly when using Desmos in educational settings, although the company strives to protect user information.
  • Customization Limitations
    Users may find limitations in terms of customizability when compared to other graphing software that provides extensive options for visual adjustments.

GnuPlot videos

Gnuplot Introduction

More videos:

  • Review - DTrace Latency Visualization in gnuplot
  • Review - Basics of Gnuplot - Make your plot look Good

Desmos videos

Desmos Review

More videos:

  • Review - Desmos Activities Review
  • Tutorial - Desmos Review: How to use Desmos classroom activity to teach Mathematics.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GnuPlot and Desmos)
Technical Computing
77 77%
23% 23
Education & Reference
43 43%
57% 57
Numerical Computation
100 100%
0% 0
Data Visualization
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GnuPlot and Desmos

GnuPlot Reviews

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Desmos Reviews

The 15 Best AI Tools to Solve Math Problems
Desmos: Desmos is an advanced graphing calculator that uses AI algorithms to plot functions, analyze data, and solve equations. It offers a user-friendly interface, real-time collaboration, and interactive visualization tools for exploring mathematical concepts.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Desmos seems to be a lot more popular than GnuPlot. While we know about 77 links to Desmos, we've tracked only 5 mentions of GnuPlot. 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.

GnuPlot mentions (5)

  • Question about Project Management
    To some extent it extends the concept of tasks which only can be reasonably executed after the completion of other ones (though results of branches eventually may join each other) and offers an additional assisting birds' eye visual of projects. So far, I'm aware about the documentation on worg interfacing org-taskjuggler and taskjuggler, as well as a video tutorial interfacing gnuplot instead. Source: about 2 years ago
  • How do I make a transparent background on .ps or .eps file imported to groff
    Gnuplot is a program to plot diagrams. The Commands issued to use it don't change regardless if it is used in Linux/Windows/MacOS and it comes with less dependencies than a Spread sheet, or a statistics program. This is why I started to Become comfortable with it, and venture out some of its features. Here, "conditional plot" referred to "the diagram only displays a Thing/uses a pixel if the value in the table... Source: about 2 years ago
  • Drawing graphs and diagrams
    Or, does drawing diagrams refers to plotting data, but neither using matplotlib, nor gnuplot (export to .svg, .pdf, .png; pstricks, tikz to mention a few options)? Source: about 2 years ago
  • Are specific softwares avialable that are suitable for converting different diagrams, graphs and mindmaps to latex codes?
    There may the occasion you actually need the data from a publication, and want to plot them altogether with data newly collected data in one diagram in common. An overlay, though possible, can become tricky (scaling, centering, alignment, etc.) and plotting all data in a diagram generated from scratch (gnuplot/octave, matplotlib, Origin, ...) exported as an illustration in the usual formats (.pdf/.png), or... Source: over 2 years ago
  • Introducing Graphs
    Have you looked at the graphing capabilities of Octave or Gnuplot? Gnuplot in particular has a lot of options, and a GUI for those who want it. Source: over 2 years ago

Desmos mentions (77)

  • What number raised to itself is equal to 1/2?
    Graphing x^x on desmos.com makes it look as though the value is always greater than 1/2. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Data Visualization: Sustainable Throughput Per Freight Car
    =) I've posted a link to the desmos.com page with the data that used to create the graph above in the first reply to the post. =). Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How to check points of non differentiability and discontinuity of a given function in ?
    It might help to graph the function, for example using desmos.com. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • How did you check your homework if it’s ungraded and there’s no answer key?
    Many answers can be checked numerically, even if only for a special case. There are also some sites that will solve certain types of problems, for example https://www.integral-calculator.com/. Graphing also sometimes helps, desmos.com. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • For the regions bounded by y = 6cosx and y= 1/4x^2 -7
    It might clarify your thinking to plot the two curves on desmos.com. You can also use the plots to check your work. Source: almost 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GnuPlot and Desmos, you can also consider the following products

GeoGebra - GeoGebra is free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for learning and teaching.

Matplotlib - matplotlib is a python 2D plotting library which produces publication quality figures in a variety...

Chart Maker Pro - Chart Maker Pro is an incredible software that allows users to create charts and graphs in a meaningful way.

SciDaVis - SciDAVis is a free application for Scientific Data Analysis and Visualization.

Line Graph Maker - Create a line graph for free with easy to use tools and download the line graph as jpg or png file.

GeoGebra CAS Calculator - Free online algebra calculator from GeoGebra: solve equations, expand and factor expressions, find derivatives and integrals