FEATool Multiphysics vs GNU FisicaLab
FEATool Multiphysics
featool.comGNU FisicaLab
gnu.orgSide by side
| Figure | FEATool Multiphysics | GNU FisicaLab |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | Free |
| Free plan | — | Yes |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.6 (#10) | 8.5 (#14) |
| Authoring tools | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | desktop | desktop |
| Downloads | FEATool is available as a standalone Windows or Linux desktop app and as a MATLAB toolbox for Windows, Linux, and Intel Mac; standalone macOS is unavailable. | The source code is available from the GNU FTP server and mirrors; the page also lists previous Linux binaries and a Windows installer. |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Intended users | The maker describes the product for engineers, researchers, teachers, and students in industry and academia. | The project describes the application as a way for learners to focus on physics concepts and build confidence before solving problems by hand. |
| Lesson library | Yes | Yes |
| Licensing | Licenses are offered for personal, academic, or commercial use as one-year or perpetual licenses; perpetual licenses include one year of updates and maintenance. | FisicaLab is free software available under the GNU General Public License version 3 or, at the user's option, any later version. |
| Purpose | FEATool Multiphysics is an engineering simulation toolbox for modeling and solving physics problems. | FisicaLab is an educational application for solving physics problems while leaving the mathematical details to the program. |
| Support | Limited free help is available through the public community forum, with dedicated developer support available as an add-on. | 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
FEATool Multiphysics
- Default free trial licenseFree
- 1-Year licensePrice not published
- Perpetual licensePrice not published
In their own words
FEATool Multiphysics
FEATool Multiphysics is desktop software for engineering simulation, with tools to model and solve problems across heat transfer, mass transport, structural mechanics, fluid dynamics, and electromagnetics. Models can be built in 1D, 2D, or 3D, including axisymmetric configurations. Geometry tools support modeling and exchange in STEP, IGES, STL, and OBJ formats; meshes can be generated with built-in tools or Gmsh, Netgen, tetWild, and Triangle. FEATool connects its solvers with OpenFOAM, SU2, FEniCS, and redbKIT workflows. Interface actions map to MATLAB functions, and projects can be saved as MATLAB scripts or exported as Python scripts for FEniCS. Results can be exported to MATLAB, CSV, GMV, and VTK, or as interactive ParaView Glance and Plotly web models. It runs as a standalone app on Windows and Linux, or as a MATLAB toolbox on Windows, Linux, and Intel Mac; no standalone macOS app is available. A limited-functionality trial is offered, with full-feature trials requestable for 30 days.
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.