# Free alternatives to MATLAB

> MATLAB (Individual License (annual)) costs $1,050 a year. Free alternatives: GNU Octave and JupyterLab. Data checked 2026-10-17.

- Page: https://stoprenting.dev/apps/matlab/
- Category: Data & Science (https://stoprenting.dev/categories/data-and-science/)
- Vendor: MathWorks
- Plan: Individual License (annual)
- Price: $87.50/month, $1,050/year
- Billing: annual license
- Price quote from the vendor's page: "MATLAB Individual License ... USD 1,050 per year"
- Price source: https://www.mathworks.com/pricing-licensing.html (checked 2026-10-17)

## Alternatives

### GNU Octave

- Website: https://octave.org
- Repository: https://github.com/gnu-octave/octave (663 stars, last push 2026-10-02)
- License: GPL-3.0
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: desktop app
- Linux: Arch extra: octave; Flathub: org.octave.Octave
- Self-hostable: no
- Install: `sudo pacman -S octave`, `flatpak install flathub org.octave.Octave`
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/gnu-octave/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

### JupyterLab

- Website: https://jupyter.org
- Repository: https://github.com/jupyterlab/jupyterlab (15,358 stars, last push 2026-10-12)
- License: BSD-3-Clause
- Open source: yes, OSI-approved license
- Type: web app
- Linux: web app
- Self-hostable: yes
- More: https://stoprenting.dev/alternatives/jupyterlab/
- Checked: 2026-10-17

## FAQ

### Is there a free alternative to MATLAB?

Yes. The 2 free alternatives are GNU Octave (open source, GPL-3.0) and JupyterLab (open source, BSD-3-Clause).

### How much does MATLAB cost?

MATLAB's Individual License (annual) plan costs $87.50 a month, which is $1,050 a year (annual license). Source: the official pricing page at mathworks.com, checked Oct 17, 2026.

### Which MATLAB alternatives run on Linux?

GNU Octave (Arch extra: octave; Flathub: org.octave.Octave) and JupyterLab (web app).

### Can you self-host a MATLAB alternative?

Yes. JupyterLab runs on your own server. GNU Octave is a desktop app.

### Are these MATLAB alternatives open source?

Yes. All 2 use OSI-approved open-source licenses: GNU Octave (GPL-3.0) and JupyterLab (BSD-3-Clause).

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Source: Stop Renting (https://stoprenting.dev). Methodology: https://stoprenting.dev/methodology/