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Gurobi Optimizer

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Spec score 8.9 #1 of 32 in Prescriptive Analytics Software

What it is

Gurobi Optimizer converts mathematical models of business problems into optimal solutions. It handles linear, mixed integer, quadratic, combinatorial, nonlinear, conic, and multi-objective problems. For non-convex quadratic problems, its global optimization can prove a global optimum rather than only a local one. Solver capabilities include parallel and distributed optimization, presolve, cutting planes, heuristics, and symmetry handling. For model review, it provides sensitivity analysis, infeasibility analysis, feasibility relaxation, and solution quality attributes. APIs are available for C, C++, Java, .NET, Python, MATLAB, and R, enabling optimization models to be built into applications, services, and data pipelines. Deployment options include local, server, cloud, and container environments. Instant Cloud runs Gurobi on AWS or Azure without requiring users to deploy or maintain infrastructure. The included gurobipy license is for non-production use and limits models to 2,000 variables and 2,000 linear constraints, or 200 variables for models with quadratic terms. Free options also include a full-featured 30-day commercial evaluation license and an academic license for eligible institutions.

Spec sheet

What it does
Gurobi Optimizer formulates business problems as mathematical models and searches for optimal decisions.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Purpose
Gurobi Optimizer converts mathematical models of business problems into optimal solutions.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Deployment
Its licensing page describes local, server, cloud, and container deployment options.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Integrations
Gurobi says teams can use its APIs, including its Python API, to build and deploy optimization models in applications, services, and data pipelines.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Security
Gurobi Remote Services supports authenticated Cluster Manager access, role-based access, and encrypted communication using TLS 1.2 or later.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Support
The commercial evaluation license includes technical guidance and support, benchmarking, and model tuning services.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Headquarters
Houston, Texas, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Founded
2008Read 28 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Acquisition news
Gurobi announced its acquisition of Japan-based October Sky on June 28, 2023.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
AMPL change
Since version 12, Gurobi no longer distributes the AMPL connector; AMPL distributes and manages the connector.Read 14 Oct 2026 · support.gurobi.com
API controls
Applications use environments and models, while parameters control algorithm behavior, quality targets, termination, logging, licensing and client-server connections.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
APIs
Gurobi provides APIs for C, C++, Java, .NET, Python, MATLAB, and R.Read 30 Sep 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Cloud service
Gurobi Instant Cloud is a managed service that runs Gurobi on AWS or Azure without requiring users to deploy or maintain infrastructure.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Company profile
LinkedIn lists Gurobi Optimization as a privately held software company founded in 2008, headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, with 51–200 employees.Read 14 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Distributed solving
Distributed MIP, distributed concurrent optimization and distributed parameter tuning require Remote Services or Instant Cloud.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Documentation depth
Documentation includes getting started material, examples, a reference manual, Remote Services, Instant Cloud, Intelligence Hub and open-source-extension guides.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Framework integrations
Gurobi documents integrations with Pyomo, PuLP, Google OR-Tools, Python-MIP, CVXPY, GAMS and AMPL.Read 14 Oct 2026 · support.gurobi.com
Free license limit
The automatically included gurobipy license is for non-production use and limits models to 2,000 variables and 2,000 linear constraints, or 200 variables for models with quadratic terms.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Global nonconvex optimization
For supported nonconvex quadratic models, Gurobi can prove global optimality rather than only finding a local optimum.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Global optimization
For non-convex quadratic problems, its global optimization capabilities can prove a global optimum rather than only a local one.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
GPU support
The GPU build supports PDHG on Linux x86-64 and arm64 with NVIDIA hardware; CUDA 12 and 13 compute-capability ranges are specified.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Investment news
Gurobi announced a significant Thompson Street Capital Partners investment on January 3, 2018, with financial terms undisclosed.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Legal name and owner
Crunchbase identifies the legal name as Gurobi Optimization, LLC and lists Thompson Street Capital Partners as its investor.Read 14 Oct 2026 · crunchbase.com
Licence model
The core product is copyrighted proprietary software licensed under Gurobi's EULA, with restrictions on copying, reverse engineering, transfer and sublicensing.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Limit: G2 price and functions
G2 reviewers report that licensing is expensive and some solution-hint functions perform poorly.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Limit: Gartner cost and interpretability
Gartner reviewers cite high cost for small organizations, a steep learning curve, black-box outputs and limited visualization as drawbacks.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Model diagnostics
It provides sensitivity analysis, infeasibility analysis, feasibility relaxation, and solution quality attributes.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Modeling features
Capabilities include general constraints, piecewise-linear constraints, callbacks, logical operators and 64-bit indexes for very large models.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Multi-objective limitation
Multi-objective models are supported only when every objective is linear.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Nonlinear solving
Nonlinear constraints are handled with spatial branch-and-bound and iteratively refined linear outer approximations.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Open-source extensions
Gurobi publishes open-source Python packages, but those packages call the proprietary Gurobi library.Read 14 Oct 2026 · support.gurobi.com
Optimization methods
The product includes parallel and distributed optimization, presolve, cutting planes, symmetry handling, heuristics and solution-improvement controls.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Praise: G2 usability and speed
G2 reviewers repeatedly mention easy modeling, fast solves, strong Python integration, broad model support and useful documentation.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Praise: Gartner performance
Gartner reviewers praise speed, reliability, large-dataset handling, API integration, documentation and responsive support.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Praise: TrustRadius Python integration
TrustRadius says users value the Python integration because it enables model development without learning another language and is backed by documented APIs.Read 14 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Problem classes
The solver supports LP, MIP, QP, QCP, SOCP, NLP, MILP, MIQP, MIQCP and MINLP models.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Problem types
It handles linear, mixed integer, quadratic, combinatorial, nonlinear, conic, and multi-objective problems.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Public APIs
Official APIs are provided for C, C++, Java, .NET, Python, MATLAB and R, each wrapping the core C API.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Pyomo integration
Pyomo offers direct, file-based, persistent and auto-persistent Gurobi interfaces, with access to Gurobi options and model objects.Read 14 Oct 2026 · support.gurobi.com
Rating on Capterra
5.0 out of 5 from 2 reviews.Read 14 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Rating on G2
4.6 out of 5 from 21 reviews.Read 14 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
4.4 out of 5 from 38 ratings.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Rating on TrustRadius
8 out of 10 from 1 review.Read 14 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Release 13
Gurobi 13.0 added a PDHG implementation, a nonlinear barrier method, improved heuristics and Kubernetes autoscaling, with claimed average gains of about 16% on difficult MIPs and over 2x on nontrivial MINLPs.Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Security statement
Intelligence Hub documentation says portions of submitted inputs may reach an LLM in Gurobi's secure cloud and model files are used only to fulfill the request unless attached to support.Read 14 Oct 2026 · doc.gurobi.com
Solver features
The product capabilities page lists parallel and distributed optimization, presolve, cutting planes, heuristics, and symmetry handling among its speed enablers.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Supported systems
Gurobi 13.0.3 supports 64-bit Windows, x86-64 and arm64 Linux, and universal macOS, with listed compiler and language-version requirements.Read 14 Oct 2026 · docs.gurobi.com
Who it is for
Gurobi identifies operations research analysts, software developers, data scientists, academics, and students as users of the product.Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com

Plans and prices

Academic license Free Free for faculty, staff, and students at degree-granting institutions · Full-featured · No model size limits Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Academic License Free Full-featured · no model-size limits · degree-granting institution faculty, staff and students Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Commercial evaluation license Free 30 days Full-featured · No model size limits · Includes benchmarking, model tuning, and support Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Commercial Free Trial Free 30 days · full-featured · no model-size limits · benchmarking, tuning and expert support Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Size-limited license Free 2,000 variables · 2,000 linear constraints · 200 variables for quadratic models · non-commercial use Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Commercial license Priced on request Commercial license options vary by deployment and usage requirements; pricing by quote Read 30 Sep 2026 · gurobi.com
Compute Server License Price not published Annual subscription; request a quote Dedicated servers · queuing · load balancing · on-premises or cloud Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Floating License Price not published Annual subscription; request a quote Token Server · shared concurrent access · team use Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Gurobi Instant Cloud Price not published Annual subscription; request a quote Managed AWS or Azure infrastructure · no customer infrastructure to maintain Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Named User License Price not published Annual subscription; request a quote One person · one machine · multiple models · large-scale problems Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Single-Machine License Price not published Annual subscription; request a quote Machine-tied · automated server jobs · fixed version and configuration Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com
Single-Use License Price not published Annual subscription; request a quote One concurrent solve · one machine Read 14 Oct 2026 · gurobi.com

Every Gurobi Optimizer plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Handles linear, quadratic, nonlinear, and other problem types.
  • Provides model sensitivity and infeasibility analysis.
  • APIs are available for seven programming languages.
  • Deployment options include local, server, cloud, and containers.

Limits

  • Included gurobipy license is for non-production use.
  • Quadratic models under that license are limited to 200 variables.
  • Commercial license pricing is by quote.

Who it suits

Gurobi identifies operations research analysts, software developers, data scientists, academics, and students as users. Its APIs and deployment options also suit teams integrating optimization models into applications, services, or data pipelines.

Gurobi Optimizer in depth

Read the full write-up

Gurobi Optimizer is a solver for turning mathematical models of business problems into optimal solutions. It is best suited to analysts and technical teams able to formulate those models; it is less appropriate for buyers seeking a ready-made operational application. Its breadth and deployment choices are substantial, but free access is tightly limited by model size and use.

Overview

Gurobi handles linear, mixed-integer, quadratic, combinatorial, nonlinear, conic, and multi-objective problems. That range makes it a credible option for teams whose optimization work spans different model types, rather than a single narrow problem. For non-convex quadratic problems, it can prove a global optimum instead of returning only a local one, which matters when establishing the best solution is part of the requirement.

This is a solver to incorporate into a technical workflow, not a packaged business application. Teams can use its APIs to build and deploy models in applications, services, and data pipelines. Gurobi was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Key features

Solving and diagnostics

Parallel and distributed optimization, presolve, cutting planes, heuristics, and symmetry handling are among its speed-enabling capabilities. These are useful for demanding models, though their presence alone does not establish how quickly a particular workload will solve. For diagnosing results, Gurobi provides sensitivity and infeasibility analysis, feasibility relaxation, and solution quality attributes. Those tools help teams investigate model behavior and address infeasibility rather than treating a failed solve as a dead end.

APIs and deployment

APIs are available for C, C++, Java,.NET, Python, MATLAB, and R, giving development teams several routes to integrate the solver into existing systems. Deployment choices include local, server, cloud, and container environments. Instant Cloud runs Gurobi on AWS or Azure as a managed service, avoiding the need to deploy or maintain that infrastructure. For organizations that need controlled remote access, Remote Services supports authenticated Cluster Manager access, role-based access, and TLS 1.2-or-later encrypted communication.

Pricing

Gurobi uses a freemium model, but its free options differ significantly in purpose and limits.

Size-limited license: free. The automatically included gurobipy license is for non-production use and permits up to 2,000 variables and 2,000 linear constraints, or 200 variables for models with quadratic terms. It is useful for learning and small experiments, not production workloads or larger models.

Commercial evaluation license: free, billed 30 days. It is full-featured with no model-size limits and includes benchmarking, model tuning, technical guidance, and support. This is the stronger fit for a commercial team evaluating larger models, but its 30-day term makes it an evaluation route rather than ongoing free production access.

Academic license: free for faculty, staff, and students at degree-granting institutions. It is full-featured and has no model-size limits, making it the most capable free option for eligible academic work.

Commercial license: custom pricing by quote, with options varying by deployment and usage requirements. This is the relevant route for commercial use beyond evaluation; buyers should expect the quote to depend on how they intend to deploy and use the solver.

Platforms

Gurobi supports API, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, and Windows environments. The combination of local, server, cloud, and container deployment gives organizations room to match deployment to their infrastructure, while Instant Cloud offers a managed AWS or Azure option.

Who it's for

Gurobi identifies operations research analysts, software developers, data scientists, academics, and students as users. It is a strong fit for people who can formulate optimization models and need a solver they can integrate into software or data workflows. Buyers who want an out-of-the-box business process tool rather than a modeling-and-solving component should look elsewhere.

Pros and cons

Pros: Broad problem coverage, including global optimization for non-convex quadratic problems, makes it suitable for varied and technically demanding optimization work.

Pros: Multiple language APIs and local, server, cloud, and container deployment choices support integration into different technical environments.

Pros: Diagnostics for sensitivity, infeasibility, feasibility relaxation, and solution quality help teams examine models as well as solve them.

Cons: The included free license is non-production and sharply limits model size, especially for quadratic models.

Cons: Ongoing commercial licensing requires a quote, so the cost cannot be assessed from a fixed published price.

Cons: Its value depends on having the expertise to formulate models; it is not a ready-made application for business users.

Alternatives

Prescriptive Analytics Software is a useful starting point for comparing tools in the broader category.

SAS Visual Statistics is worth considering when enterprise-scale statistical modeling on SAS Viya is the priority; it is paid, has a free trial, and runs self-hosted or on the web.

OptimoRoute is a more focused choice for driver and order routing: its Lite plan is $35.10 a month billed annually per driver, with up to 700 orders at once, live tracking, and a Web Service API. It is paid and offers a free trial.

Lokad is an alternative for supply-chain optimization, with a custom subscription typically charged as a flat monthly fee based on the agreed decision type and scope. It is paid, offers a free plan and trial, and runs on the web.

Manhattan Active Inventory Replenishment is another option to consider for inventory replenishment; it is paid and supports API and web access.

Timefold Platform is another paid API, self-hosted, and web option, with a free trial and plans including managed-cloud Spark and Horizon.

o9 Digital Brain is an enterprise SaaS alternative whose pricing is scoped to customer complexity, users and functions, deployed solutions, and implementation; it supports Android, iOS, API, and web.

RELEX Solutions is another paid option, with API and iOS platform support.

Competera is a paid option with API and web access and plans including competitive price monitoring and neural-network pricing.

Verdict

Choose Gurobi Optimizer if your team can build mathematical models and needs a capable solver that covers many optimization classes, provides useful diagnostics, and can fit several deployment patterns. The main reason to look elsewhere is practical: the free license is too constrained for production, while commercial use moves to custom pricing, and neither changes the fact that you need modeling expertise.

Verdict

Gurobi Optimizer supports a wide range of optimization problems, with model diagnostics and multiple deployment choices. The included gurobipy license is size-limited and non-production; commercial license pricing is by quote.

Where Specifiction places it

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