What is MATLAB used for?

MATLAB is MathWorks' numerical computing environment and programming language for engineering and scientific analysis, modeling and visualization. It is a good fit for engineering simulation and modeling, and scientific data analysis and plotting.

How much does MATLAB cost?

MATLAB is a paid product with no free plan.

Is MATLAB open source?

No. MATLAB is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to MATLAB include JupyterLab, Jupyter Notebook and Spyder.

What are some alternatives to MATLAB?

MATLAB competes with IBM SPSS Statistics. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source MATLAB alternatives.

MATLAB: features, pricing and alternatives

About MATLAB

MATLAB is a numerical computing environment and programming language from MathWorks. Engineers and scientists use it to analyze data, develop algorithms, build models and plot results, working in a language designed around matrices and arrays.

It is commercial, licensed software that is extended through add-on toolboxes for specific fields, and it is commonly paired with the separate Simulink product for simulation. MathWorks also offers a browser-based version. Detailed features and licensing options should be confirmed on the MathWorks website.

Key features

Matrix-based programming language
Data analysis and visualization tools
Toolboxes for specialized domains
Desktop environment for engineering workflows

Good fit for

→Engineering simulation and modeling
→Scientific data analysis and plotting

Tags: numerical-computing; matlab; engineering; data-analysis; simulation; mathworks

MATLAB: questions and answers

What is MATLAB used for?: MATLAB is MathWorks' numerical computing environment and programming language for engineering and scientific analysis, modeling and visualization. It is a good fit for engineering simulation and modeling, and scientific data analysis and plotting.
How much does MATLAB cost?: MATLAB is a paid product with no free plan.
Is MATLAB open source?: No. MATLAB is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to MATLAB include JupyterLab, Jupyter Notebook and Spyder.
What are some alternatives to MATLAB?: MATLAB competes with IBM SPSS Statistics. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source MATLAB alternatives.