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Mathcad VS Mathomatic

Compare Mathcad VS Mathomatic and see what are their differences

Mathcad logo Mathcad

Mathcad is engineering calculation software that drives innovation and offers significant process...

Mathomatic logo Mathomatic

Mathomatic is a free general purpose computer algebra system that is an expert in solving and simplifying the algebraic and computation issues.
  • Mathcad Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-06
  • Mathomatic Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-17

Mathcad features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Mathcad provides a user-friendly interface that allows for natural mathematical notation, making it easy for users to express complex equations and perform calculations without extensive programming knowledge.
  • Unit Management
    Mathcad features a robust unit management system that helps prevent errors by allowing users to work with units throughout calculations, ensuring that unit conversions and compatibility are handled automatically.
  • Live Mathematical Worksheets
    Mathcad offers live worksheets where equations update dynamically with changes in data or parameters, allowing for interactive exploration and quick iteration on solutions.
  • Integration with Other Tools
    Mathcad can integrate with other software tools and platforms such as CAD systems and databases, facilitating seamless workflows and data exchange across engineering and design processes.
  • Comprehensive Documentation Capabilities
    Mathcad allows users to combine calculations with text, graphs, and images in a single document, making it easy to create comprehensive and well-organized documentation for projects and analyses.

Possible disadvantages of Mathcad

  • Cost
    Mathcad can be relatively expensive, especially for individual users or small businesses, as it requires purchasing licenses for full access, potentially limiting its accessibility for budget-conscious users.
  • Limited Programming Features
    While Mathcad is excellent for straightforward calculations and visualizations, it lacks some of the advanced programming capabilities found in other mathematical software like MATLAB or Mathematica, which may be necessary for more complex projects.
  • Performance with Large Datasets
    Mathcad may struggle with performance issues when handling very large datasets or highly complex computations, which can limit its applicability for certain data-intensive tasks.
  • Compatibility Issues
    Mathcad may encounter compatibility issues when interacting with newer technologies or specific file formats, which can hinder interoperability with other tools or systems that utilize different software standards.
  • Learning Curve for Advanced Features
    Although basic functionalities are easy to learn, mastering the more advanced features of Mathcad requires a significant investment of time and effort, which may be challenging for users who need quick solutions.

Mathomatic features and specs

  • Lightweight and portable
    Mathomatic is a small, portable computer algebra system (CAS) written in C that can run on a wide variety of platforms including Unix, Linux, Windows, and even embedded systems, requiring very minimal system resources.
  • Free and open source
    Mathomatic is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL), making it freely available for anyone to use, study, modify, and distribute without any cost.
  • Simple and easy to use
    Mathomatic features a straightforward command-line interface with intuitive commands, making it accessible to users who need quick symbolic math computations without a steep learning curve common in more complex CAS tools.
  • Fast performance
    Due to its small codebase and efficient C implementation, Mathomatic performs symbolic algebra operations quickly, even on older or resource-constrained hardware.
  • Good for basic algebra tasks
    Mathomatic handles core algebraic operations well, including simplification, solving equations, polynomial arithmetic, calculus (differentiation and integration), and symbolic manipulation of mathematical expressions.

Possible disadvantages of Mathomatic

  • Limited advanced functionality
    Compared to major CAS tools like Mathematica, Maple, or even free alternatives like Maxima and SageMath, Mathomatic lacks many advanced mathematical capabilities such as advanced calculus, linear algebra, and specialized mathematical functions.
  • No longer actively maintained
    Mathomatic's development has been largely inactive since the passing of its primary developer, George Gesslein II, in 2018, meaning bugs are unlikely to be fixed and new features will not be added.
  • No graphical interface
    Mathomatic operates solely through a text-based command-line interface and does not offer a graphical user interface (GUI) or plotting capabilities, which limits its appeal for users who prefer visual interaction.
  • Small community and limited documentation
    Mathomatic has a relatively small user community compared to mainstream CAS software, which means limited community support, fewer tutorials, and less comprehensive documentation for troubleshooting.
  • Limited library and ecosystem integration
    Mathomatic lacks robust APIs and integration options with other programming languages, scientific libraries, or notebook environments, making it difficult to incorporate into larger scientific computing workflows.

Analysis of Mathomatic

Overall verdict

  • Mathomatic is a free, open-source computer algebra system that is lightweight and useful for basic to intermediate symbolic math, though it is not as powerful or actively developed as major CAS tools like Mathematica, Maple, or SymPy.

Why this product is good

  • It is free and open-source, making it accessible to anyone
  • Lightweight and simple to install, requiring minimal system resources
  • Capable of symbolic algebra including simplification, solving equations, and calculus operations
  • Portable and can run on various platforms including embedded systems
  • Simple command-line interface that is easy to learn for basic tasks
  • No licensing costs compared to commercial alternatives

Recommended for

  • Students learning algebra and basic symbolic computation
  • Hobbyists who want a lightweight CAS without installing large software
  • Users on resource-constrained or older systems needing simple symbolic math tools
  • Educators demonstrating basic algebraic concepts
  • Programmers who want to embed simple symbolic computation in other projects
  • Those who prefer open-source tools over commercial CAS software

Mathcad videos

PRE-COURSE: WHY USE MATHCAD? Intro to Mathcad for Engineers

More videos:

  • Review - MathCAD Prime 2.0 Review
  • Review - Introduction to MathCAD for Engineers

Mathomatic videos

No Mathomatic videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Mathcad and Mathomatic)
Technical Computing
78 78%
22% 22
Math Solver
82 82%
18% 18
Numerical Computation
81 81%
19% 19
Engineering Calculator
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 Mathcad and Mathomatic

Mathcad Reviews

10 Best MATLAB Alternatives [For Beginners and Professionals]
Another alternative to MATLAB is Mathcad. it has easy integration with Microsoft Excel. The feature can be utilized to directly load the dataset or showcase your work.

Mathomatic Reviews

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Mathcad and Mathomatic, you can also consider the following products

MATLAB - A high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming

COMSOL Multiphysics - COMSOL is the developer of COMSOL Multiphysics software, an interactive environment for modeling and simulating scientific and engineering problems.

Wolfram Mathematica - Mathematica has characterized the cutting edge in specialized processing—and gave the chief calculation environment to a large number of pioneers, instructors, understudies, and others around the globe.

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

Maxima - Maxima is a fairly complete computer algebra system written in Lisp with an emphasis on symbolic computation.

SMath Studio - Tiny, powerful, free mathematical program with WYSIWYG editor and complete units of measurements support.