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MATLAB
Programming and numeric computing platform
As of 30 August 2026, MATLAB starts at $940/year. MATLAB is a programming and numeric computing platform for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and model building. Softwr lists it under Machine Learning. MATLAB is made by MathWorks, launched in 1984, available on Linux, macOS, Windows.
Overview
What MATLAB does
MATLAB is a programming and numeric computing platform for algorithm development, data analysis, visualization, and model building. With specialized toolboxes for machine learning, deep learning, and statistics, it is widely used in academia and industry.
What people use it for
- Numerical computing and analysis
- Algorithm development
- Academic research and teaching
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about MATLAB.
- A standard individual licence is $940 a year, and it is annual rather than perpetual
- Add on toolboxes are bought separately through the web store rather than being included
- No price is displayed for the academic, student, home or startup licences, each of which requires a quote
- Eligibility rather than price separates most tiers, so a commercial user has one option
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of MATLAB
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- MATLABvsGoogle Vertex AI
Google Vertex AI: Unified ML platform to build, deploy, and scale AI models
- MATLABvsAzure Machine Learning
Azure Machine Learning: Enterprise-grade machine learning service
- MATLABvsDataRobot
DataRobot: Enterprise AI platform for automated machine learning
Pricing
What MATLAB costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Individual Standard
$940 /yr
- MATLAB
- Simulink
- Online Training Suite
- Add-on products
Startups
On request
- MATLAB
- Simulink
- 90+ add-on products
Academic
On request
- MATLAB
- Simulink
Student
On request
- MATLAB
Home
On request
- MATLAB
Capabilities
Features
Matrix computations
Data visualization
Machine learning
Deep learning
Signal processing
Simulink
Integration with Simulink
Python
Integration with Python
C/C++
Integration with C/C++
Java
Integration with Java
Excel
Integration with Excel
Linux support
Available on linux
Mac support
Available on mac
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What is the cost of an individual MATLAB license?
USD 940 per year for Standard individual license, which includes MATLAB, Simulink, Online Training Suite, and add-on products. All licenses include MathWorks Software Maintenance Service.
SourceAre pricing quotes available online for academic and startup licenses?
No, online pricing is not available for Academic, Student, Startup, or Home license types. Downloadable price lists are available only for Standard and Academic individual licenses. Contact sales for other tiers.
SourceCan I switch between license terms (annual vs perpetual)?
Both Standard and Home licenses offer annual and perpetual licensing options. Academic licenses also offer both terms. Startup licenses are available on annual basis only.
SourceBehind it
Who makes MATLAB
- Company
- MathWorks
- Based in
- Natick, Massachusetts
Keep looking
Where to go from MATLAB
- MATLAB alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- MATLAB pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- MATLAB badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Machine Learning softwareThe full category
- Best Machine Learning softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Machine Learning software for
Compare MATLAB with
- Google Vertex AI
- Azure Machine Learning
- DataRobot
- AWS SageMaker
- Orange
- Jupyter
- Apache Spark MLlib
- Weights & Biases
- Stata
- Databricks
- SAS
- Ray
- Seldon
- TensorBoard
- Dataiku
- Amazon Redshift ML
- Stata
- Amazon Redshift ML
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for MATLAB, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on MATLAB
MATLAB alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
MATLAB pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare MATLAB
Put it head to head with anything we hold
MATLAB badge
Its rating, and an embed for your own site
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