COMSOL Multiphysics vs MPTRAC
COMSOL Multiphysics
comsol.comMPTRAC
slcs-jsc.github.ioSide by side
| Figure | COMSOL Multiphysics | MPTRAC |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 2 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.9 (#2) | 8.7 (#7) |
| Authoring tools | Yes | No |
| Data export | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | desktop | hybrid |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Headquarters | Stockholm, Sweden | Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany |
| Integrations | Interfacing products include LiveLink for MATLAB, Simulink, and Excel, plus CAD links or import tools for SOLIDWORKS, Inventor, AutoCAD, Revit, Solid Edge, CATIA, and ECAD. | The documentation describes visualization interfaces for Gnuplot and ParaView and output formats that support integration with the CLaMS model. |
| Lesson library | Yes | No |
| Offline access | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | COMSOL Multiphysics simulates designs, devices, and processes across engineering, manufacturing, and scientific research. | MPTRAC is a Lagrangian particle dispersion model for analyzing atmospheric transport in the free troposphere and stratosphere. |
| 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 project directs questions, support, and collaboration inquiries to Dr. Lars Hoffmann at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. |
| 3D visuals | Yes | Yes |
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.
MPTRAC
MPTRAC is a Lagrangian particle dispersion model for studying atmospheric transport in the free troposphere and stratosphere. It calculates forward and backward air-parcel trajectories from meteorological wind fields, with stochastic diffusion, subgrid wind variation and mixing between parcels. Optional process parameterizations cover convection, sedimentation, decay, gas-phase and aqueous-phase chemistry, and wet and dry deposition. Listed research applications include long-range pollutant transport, volcanic ash dispersion, tracer experiments and atmospheric chemistry.
The browser-based Web Runner can configure, run and visualize simulations, then download results without local installation. It is limited to 10,000 air parcels, 30 days and 10 minutes of model runtime. The model needs meteorological input, normally netCDF files on a regular pressure, longitude and latitude grid. MPTRAC supports hybrid MPI, OpenMP and OpenACC parallelization, and offers visualization interfaces for Gnuplot and ParaView. It is GPL-3.0 software for Linux, self-hosted and web use; listed pricing includes free.