COMSOL Multiphysics vs GNU FisicaLab
COMSOL Multiphysics
comsol.comGNU FisicaLab
gnu.orgSide by side
| Figure | COMSOL Multiphysics | GNU FisicaLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.9 (#2) | 8.5 (#14) |
| Authoring tools | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | desktop | desktop |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Lesson library | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | COMSOL Multiphysics simulates designs, devices, and processes across engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. | FisicaLab is an educational application for solving physics problems while leaving the mathematical details to the program. |
| Support | To contact support, users must sign in with a COMSOL Access account; license options include technical support during the term or the first 12 months of a perpetual license. | The fisicalab-discusion mailing list is for user help with using and installing the program; bug-fisicalab is for development discussion, improvement requests, and bug reports. |
| 3D visuals | Yes | No |
Plans
COMSOL Multiphysics
- Perpetual license (commercial or academic; license type chosen by quotation)Priced on request
- Term license (commercial or academic; license type chosen by quotation)Priced on request
In their own words
COMSOL Multiphysics
COMSOL Multiphysics is desktop software for simulating designs, devices, and processes in engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. It supports single-physics and fully coupled multiphysics models, including user-defined physics descriptions and equations. Model Builder covers work from geometry and CAD through physics modeling, meshing, studies, optimization, solving, and visualization. Supported fields include electromagnetics, structural mechanics, acoustics, fluid flow, heat transfer, and chemical reactions.
Model Manager provides version control, storage, search, collaboration, permissions, and support for local or remote server databases. Application Builder lets experts create custom simulation interfaces for collaborators and customers; deploying those applications requires COMSOL Server or COMSOL Compiler. Interfacing products include LiveLink for MATLAB, Simulink, and Excel, as well as CAD links or import tools. The software supports Windows, macOS, and Linux, with offline access, authoring tools, 3D visuals, and data export. It is paid, with pricing on request, and a free trial is available. Customers contact COMSOL to evaluate requirements and choose a license; a sales representative responds within one business day.
GNU FisicaLab
GNU FisicaLab is a free desktop application for solving physics problems while handling the mathematical details. Its modules cover two-dimensional particle and circular kinematics, statics and dynamics, calorimetry, ideal gases, expansion, and thermodynamics. Statics and dynamics problems are described by constructing free-body diagrams. The interface supports SI and English unit systems. A grid chalkboard starts at 26 by 18 cells and can be enlarged in Preferences to 100 by 100. Data fields accept scientific notation, conversion factors, arithmetic, trigonometric functions, and square roots; parentheses cannot group operations. Online and downloadable documentation includes step-by-step examples. Source code is available from GNU FTP and mirrors, with previous Linux binaries and a Windows installer listed. GNU/Linux and BSD executable packages may come from distributions. FisicaLab is distributed under GNU GPL version 3 or any later version and provides no 3D visuals.