Mathematica Alternatives

Mathematica is described as 'Definitive technical computing system spanning machine learning and neural networks, data science, visualizations and much more' and is a very popular programming language in the education & reference category. There are more than 50 alternatives to Mathematica for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Web-based and iPhone apps. The best Mathematica alternative is SageMath, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like Mathematica are GNU Octave, R (programming language), Maxima and Jupyter.

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Mathematica alternatives are mainly Calculators but may also be Programming Languages or Numerical Computation Software.  Other popular filters includes Linux + Open Source. Filter by these or use the filter bar below if you want a narrower list of alternatives or looking for a specific functionality of Mathematica.
Mathematica iconMathematica
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Definitive technical computing system spanning machine learning and neural networks, data science, visualizations and much more.

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Mathematica alternatives page was last updated Dec 10, 2020
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  1. SageMath icon
    SageMath icon

    SageMath

     152 likes
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    SageMath is a free open-source mathematics software system licensed under the GPL. It builds on top of many existing open-source packages: NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, Sympy, Maxima, GAP, FLINT, R and many more.

    63 SageMath alternatives
    Dynamically visualize effects of of parameters on calculations with Interact

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    Draw Region Plots where the given equality, inequality or set of them is true.
    Visualize all pairs of characters in a sentence with a Multiedge Graph

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Symbolic Computation
    2.  Calculus solving
    3.  CAS
    4.  Python-based
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Currency Conversion
    7.  Portable
    8.  Works Offline
    9.  Dark Mode
    10.  No registration required
    SageMath iconMathematica Icon

    SageMath VS Mathematica

    Is SageMath a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about SageMath as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
       
    Guest

    It can calculate many things symbolically and combines many other software packages.

    Positive comment •Apr 19, 2020
    3
    vfrico

    Sage supports symbolic maths through Maxima

    Positive comment •Dec 29, 2016
    3
    Guest

    Its free and sounds capable

    Positive comment •Mar 28, 2019
    1
    Show more comments
    3 of 4 comments
    Mathematica Icon
    SageMath icon

    • Almost everyone thinks SageMath is a great Mathematica alternative.

    • SageMath is the most popular Web-based, Windows, Mac & Linux alternative to Mathematica.

    • SageMath is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to Mathematica.

    • SageMath is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
    • SageMath is LightweightMathematica is not according to our users
  2. GNU Octave icon
    GNU Octave icon

    GNU Octave

     219 likes
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    Octave is a computer program for performing numerical computations which is mostly compatible with MATLAB . It is part of the GNU Project. It is free software under the terms of the GNU General Public License.

    68 GNU Octave alternatives
    GNU Octave GUI screenshot

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Android
    • BSD

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight

    Features

    1.  Graphing calculator
    2.  Curve fitting
    3.  ANOVA test
    4.  Support for scripting
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Portable
    GNU Octave iconMathematica Icon

    GNU Octave VS Mathematica

    Is GNU Octave a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about GNU Octave as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
    Guest

    Octave needs programming language skills, it doesn't support well symbolic math.

    Negative comment •Jul 29, 2015
    -3
    Mathematica Icon
    GNU Octave icon

    • Most users think GNU Octave is a great Mathematica alternative.

    • GNU Octave is the most popular Android alternative to Mathematica.

    • GNU Octave is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
    • GNU Octave is LightweightMathematica is not according to our users
  4. R (programming language) icon
    R (programming language) icon

    R (programming language)

     211 likes
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    R is a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is a GNU project which is similar to the S language and environment which was developed at Bell Laboratories (formerly AT&T, now Lucent Technologies) by John Chambers and colleagues. R can be consider.

    102 R (programming language) alternatives
    R (programming language) screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • BSD
    On Unix
    On Mac

    Properties

    1.  Lightweight
    2.  Customizable

    Features

    1.  Data Mining
    2.  Communities
    3.  Quantitative data analysis
    4.  Data science
    5.  Automatic data loading
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Support for scripting
    8.  Portable
    R (programming language) iconMathematica Icon

    R (programming language) VS Mathematica

    Is this a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about R (programming language) as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
    Guest

    R is really only useful for statistics, and not even mathematical statistics.

    Negative comment •May 11, 2020
    -3
    Mathematica Icon
    R (programming language) icon

    • Most users think R (programming language) is a great Mathematica alternative.

    • R (programming language) is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
    • R (programming language) is Customizable and LightweightMathematica is not according to our users
  5. Maxima icon
    Maxima icon

    Maxima

     73 likes
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    Maxima is a system for the manipulation of symbolic and numerical expressions, including differentiation, integration, Taylor series, Laplace transforms, ordinary differential equations, systems of linear equations, polynomials, and sets, lists, vectors, matrices, and tensors.

    32 Maxima alternatives
    Xmaxima interface running Maxima 5.28

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Maxima Features

    1.  Symbolic manipulation
    2.  CAS
    3.  Symbolic Computation
    Maxima running in GNU Emacs with Imaxima mode
    Maxima running in command line mode
    Maxima iconMathematica Icon

    Maxima VS Mathematica

    Is Maxima a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about Maxima as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
    Guest

    It's free. It is also smaller, so starts up fast. Runs on Android devices as well. Lot's of functionality, including symbolic and numerical operations. Symbolic operations are not as extensive as Mathematica, but adequate for many operations. Numeric operations are considerably slower than Mathematica, and numerically oriented apps such as R, Matlab or Octave.

    Positive comment •Aug 15, 2017
    4
    Guest

    I'm a theoretical physicist and I can do almost al the math I need with Mxima

    Positive comment •Jun 10, 2018
    3
    vfrico

    It does support Symbolic math, but Matlab or Octave not

    Positive comment •Dec 29, 2016
    -2
    Mathematica Icon
    Maxima icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Maxima is a great Mathematica alternative.

    • Maxima is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
  6. Jupyter icon
    Jupyter icon

    Jupyter

     82 likes
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    The Jupyter Notebook is a web application that allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations and explanatory text. Uses include: data cleaning and transformation, numerical simulation, statistical modeling, machine learning and much...

    50 Jupyter alternatives
    The Jupyter Notebook is an open-source web application that allows you to create and share documents that contain live code, equations, visualizations and narrative text. Uses include: data cleaning and transformation, numerical simulation, statistical modeling, data visualization, machine learning, and much more.

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Cloudron

    Jupyter Features

    1.  Interactive Visualization
    2.  Browser-based
    3.  Multiple languages
    4.  Server-side
    5.  Ad-free
    6.  Literate programming
    Jupyter iconMathematica Icon

    Jupyter VS Mathematica

    Is Jupyter a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about Jupyter as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
    Guest

    It can run python inline and do markup work all in one system. Can be worked via network and connected to via browser (including through phone) and set up to run distributed computing systems easily. Additionally it's open source and server side runs on most major operating systems.

    Positive comment •Oct 9, 2019
    0
    Mathematica Icon
    Jupyter icon

    • Most users think Jupyter is a great Mathematica alternative.

    • Jupyter is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
  7. MATLAB icon
    MATLAB icon

    MATLAB

     227 likes
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    MATLAB is a numerical computing environment and programming language. Maintained by The MathWorks, MATLAB allows easy matrix manipulation, plotting of functions and data, implementation of algorithms, creation of user interfaces, and interfacing with programs in other languages.

    89 MATLAB alternatives
    MATLAB screenshot 1

    License model

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Online
    • Android
    • iPhone
    • iPad
    MATLAB screenshot 1
    MATLAB screenshot 2
    +3
    MATLAB screenshot 3

    MATLAB Features

    1.  Simulink
    2.  File Sync
    3.  Batch plotting
    4.  Embedded debugger
    5.  Portable
    MATLAB iconMathematica Icon

    MATLAB VS Mathematica

    Is MATLAB a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about MATLAB as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
       
    snshepherd

    Both are comprehensive mathematics solutions, and have very similar features, as well as even both being commercial.

    Top positive comment •Apr 19, 2017
    -2
    Guest

    Mathematica is mainly a CAS (symbolic maths), but MATLAB is more for numeric analysis

    Top negative comment •Dec 29, 2016
    7
    Guest

    MATLAB is mainly for numerics

    Negative comment •May 10, 2020
    1
    Show more comments
    3 of 7 comments
    Mathematica Icon
    MATLAB icon

    • Some users think MATLAB is a great Mathematica alternative, some don't.

    • MATLAB is the most popular iPhone & iPad alternative to Mathematica.

    • MATLAB is the most popular commercial alternative to Mathematica.

    • MATLAB is Paid and ProprietaryMathematica is also Paid and Proprietary
  9. Julia icon
    Julia icon

    Julia

     58 likes
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    Julia is a high-level, high-performance dynamic programming language for technical computing, with syntax that is familiar to users of other technical computing environments. It provides a sophisticated compiler, distributed parallel execution, numerical accuracy, and an...

    51 Julia alternatives
    Julia screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux

    Julia Features

    1.  Parallel Computing
    2.  Compiled Language
    Julia iconMathematica Icon

    Julia VS Mathematica

    Is Julia a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about Julia as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
    Guest

    It's an easy, powerful, really fast language which feels like a mix of Python and Ruby but runs like C. It comes with many mathematical functions, has a good stack of libraries for graphs (including Matplotlib as PyPlot) and can be used with the Jupyter Notebook. Still not at version 1.0, but already a great tool!

    Positive comment •Feb 14, 2017
    -1
    Mathematica Icon
    Julia icon

    • Almost everyone thinks Julia is a great Mathematica alternative.

    • Julia is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
  10. fxSolver icon
    fxSolver icon

    fxSolver

     57 likes
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    Online math solver, equation editor and database, graphing calculator and science/engineering problem helper.

    139 fxSolver alternatives
    Solver page

    License model

    • Free • Proprietary

    Application types

    Platforms

    • Online
    Plot sample
    Variable Linking
    +8
    Formula Search

    fxSolver Features

    1.  Formula Builder
    2.  Equation editor
    3.  Editable calculations
    4.  Engineering calculator
    5.  Equation solving
    6.  Shared links
    7.  Graphs
    fxSolver iconMathematica Icon

    fxSolver VS Mathematica

    Is fxSolver a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
  11. Spyder icon
    Spyder icon

    Spyder

     62 likes
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    Combines advanced editing, analysis, debugging, and profiling functionalities with data exploration, execution, and visualization capabilities. Expandable using its powerful plugin system and API, providing flexibility for custom integrations.

    48 Spyder alternatives
    Spyder screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Python
    • Flatpak
    Spyder screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Privacy focused

    Features

    1.  Works Offline
    2.  Dark Mode
    3.  No registration required
    4.  No Tracking
    5.  Full-Text Search
    6.  Ad-free
    7.  Syntax Highlighting
    8.  Supports Python
    9.  Python IDE
    10.  Debugging
    11.  Built-in terminal emulation
    12.  Static Code Analysis
    Spyder iconMathematica Icon

    Spyder VS Mathematica

    Is Spyder a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
    Comments about Spyder as an Alternative to Mathematica
     
    Guest

    It is a development environment for Python, not a symbolic math language/software.

    Negative comment •Oct 21, 2019
    1
    Mathematica Icon
    Spyder icon
    • Spyder is Free and Open SourceMathematica is Paid and Proprietary
    • Spyder is Privacy focusedMathematica is not according to our users
  12. Scilab icon
    Scilab icon

    Scilab

     101 likes
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    Scilab is free and open source software for numerical computation providing a powerful computing environment for engineering and scientific applications. Scilab includes hundreds of mathematical functions.

    61 Scilab alternatives
    Scilab screenshot 1

    License model

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Flathub
    • Flatpak

    Scilab Features

    1.  No registration required
    2.  Works Offline
    3.  3D visualization
    4.  Data visualization
    Scilab screenshot 1
    Scilab screenshot 2
    +1
    Scilab screenshot 3
    Scilab iconMathematica Icon

    Scilab VS Mathematica

    Is Scilab a good alternative to Mathematica?
     
10 of 78 Mathematica alternatives