Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GnuPlot VS OmniGraphSketcher

Compare GnuPlot VS OmniGraphSketcher and see what are their differences

GnuPlot logo GnuPlot

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

OmniGraphSketcher logo OmniGraphSketcher

Creators of Mac, iPad, and iPhone productivity software. Proud to bring you OmniFocus, OmniOutliner, OmniGraffle, and OmniPlan.
  • GnuPlot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13
  • OmniGraphSketcher Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-06

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).

OmniGraphSketcher features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    OmniGraphSketcher is designed to be user-friendly, allowing users to quickly sketch graphs with minimal effort.
  • Intuitive Interface
    The application offers a clean and intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to access various features without a steep learning curve.
  • Interactive Editing
    Users can interactively edit graphs by dragging points and curves, allowing for quick adjustments and refinements to the data visualization.
  • Customizable Graphs
    OmniGraphSketcher offers a range of customization options, enabling users to tailor graphs to meet their specific presentation needs.
  • Import and Export Options
    The software supports the import and export of data in various formats, facilitating easy integration with other tools and platforms.

Possible disadvantages of OmniGraphSketcher

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While great for simpler graphs, it may lack advanced analytical features that more specialized graphing or data analysis tools provide.
  • Mac-Only Software
    OmniGraphSketcher is available only for macOS, limiting its accessibility for users on other operating systems such as Windows or Linux.
  • No Longer Updated
    OmniGraphSketcher has been discontinued and is no longer receiving updates or support, which may present compatibility issues with newer systems.
  • Cost Consideration
    It is a paid software, which might be a drawback for users looking for free graphing solutions, especially given its limited advanced capabilities.

Analysis of GnuPlot

Overall verdict

  • Gnuplot is generally considered to be a good choice for those looking for a reliable and flexible plotting tool, especially if the users need robust scriptability or work across different operating systems.

Why this product is good

  • Gnuplot is a powerful, portable, and multi-platform tool capable of producing high-quality 2D and 3D plots. It supports numerous output formats and can be used interactively or in scripts. Additionally, it has a large support community and extensive documentation, making it accessible for both beginners and advanced users.

Recommended for

  • Scientists and engineers who need to visualize data across diverse platforms.
  • Users comfortable working with command-line interfaces.
  • Individuals or teams needing to generate plots through automated scripts.
  • Those looking for a free and open-source alternative to other graphing tools.

GnuPlot videos

Gnuplot Introduction

More videos:

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

OmniGraphSketcher videos

Quick Review: OmniGraphSketcher for iPad

More videos:

  • Review - iPad app OmniGraphSketcher
  • Review - iPad app OmniGraphSketcher

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GnuPlot and OmniGraphSketcher)
Technical Computing
92 92%
8% 8
Data Visualization
86 86%
14% 14
Numerical Computation
87 87%
13% 13
Education & Reference
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GnuPlot seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 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.

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 3 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: over 3 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: over 3 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 3 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 3 years ago

OmniGraphSketcher mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

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

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

DPlot - DPlot graphing software lets scientists and engineers graph, plot, analyze, and manipulate data.

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

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

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

Sage Math - Sage is a free open-source mathematics software system licensed under the GPL.