cvc5 vs NuSMV
cvc5
cvc5.github.ioNuSMV
nusmv.fbk.euSide by side
| Figure | cvc5 | NuSMV |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Formal Verification Tools | 8.7 (#1) | 7.7 (#18) |
| Integrations | The project lists applications using cvc5, including Kind 2 and QMaxUSE as backend solvers, and TRLC through PyVCG for proving absence of runtime errors. | NuSMV2's SAT based component can connect to the Minisat SAT solver, and the project describes cooperation to integrate NuSMV into ICS's SCL Visual Modeler. |
| Platforms | The project provides source and binary releases for Linux, MacOS, and Windows. | The downloads page lists current binaries for GNU/Linux, macOS, and Windows. |
| Purpose | cvc5 is an efficient open-source automatic theorem prover for satisfiability modulo theories problems. | NuSMV is a software tool for formally verifying finite state systems. |
| Support | The project directs bug reports to its GitHub issue tracker and questions, feature requests, and contributions to GitHub Discussions. | The project directs general questions and bug reports to its users mailing list and provides a separate list for announcements. |
Plans
In their own words
cvc5
cvc5 is a free, open-source solver for satisfiability modulo theories problems. It determines whether first-order formulas are satisfiable or valid across combinations of background theories, including arrays, bit-vectors, floating-point numbers, arithmetic, and strings. It also has a Syntax-Guided Synthesis engine for synthesizing functions against those theories.
The solver can run as a standalone command-line tool or be used as a library, with C++, C, Java, and Python APIs. Its binary accepts SMT-LIB v2 and SyGuS-IF input, and it can produce proofs and unsatisfiable cores to explain unsatisfiability results. The project links to an online interface for running SMT-LIB scripts and provides source releases and binaries for Linux, macOS, and Windows. cvc5 is led jointly by Stanford University and the University of Iowa. Research and commercial use are described as essentially unrestricted. The default license is modified BSD; using optional GPLv3 dependencies makes the combined work subject to GPLv3.
NuSMV
NuSMV is a self-hosted software tool for formally verifying finite state systems. It checks systems against CTL specifications and supports LTL and PSL model checking. NuSMV 2 combines BDD-based model checking with SAT-based bounded model checking. Its SMV input language supports hierarchical descriptions, reusable components and finite data types, including booleans, scalars, bit vectors and fixed arrays. Other capabilities include an interactive text shell, invariant analysis and partitioning methods; the SAT component can connect to the Minisat solver. The project describes uses in industrial design verification, custom verification tools and research into formal verification techniques. NuSMV runs on Linux, macOS and Windows, and version 2 is open source under LGPL v2.1. The project directs general questions and bug reports to its users mailing list, with a separate list for announcements. Its FAQ says there is no current tutorial for developers extending the tool. It also warns that processes are deprecated because they can behave incorrectly with relational constructs such as TRANS, INIT or INVAR.