MPTRAC vs OpenFOAM
MPTRAC
slcs-jsc.github.io
OpenFOAM
openfoam.comSide by side
| Figure | MPTRAC | OpenFOAM |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | — | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 2 | 1 |
| Spec score · Physics Simulation Software | 8.7 (#7) | 8.7 (#5) |
| Data export | Yes | Yes |
| Delivery mode | hybrid | desktop |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Headquarters | Jülich Supercomputing Centre, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany | Bracknell, Berkshire, UK |
| License | The repository states that MPTRAC is distributed under the GNU General Public License v3.0. | OpenFOAM is distributed under the GNU General Public Licence (GPL). |
| Purpose | MPTRAC is a Lagrangian particle dispersion model for analyzing atmospheric transport in the free troposphere and stratosphere. | OpenFOAM is an open-source computational fluid dynamics toolbox for simulating fluid flow, heat transfer, and related physical processes. |
| Support | The project directs questions, support, and collaboration inquiries to Dr. Lars Hoffmann at the Jülich Supercomputing Centre. | OpenCFD offers a one-year support package covering installation, bug fixes, updates, CFD assistance, and code customisation, with a maximum number of service hours per year. |
| 3D visuals | Yes | Yes |
Plans
In their own words
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.
OpenFOAM
OpenFOAM is a free, open-source computational fluid dynamics toolbox for simulating fluid flow, heat transfer, and related physical processes. It provides pre-processing, mesh generation, solvers for different flow and physics problems, and post-processing tools. Built-in utilities include blockMesh and snappyHexMesh, and it can convert meshes from external formats. ParaView visualization is supported through the paraFoam launcher, reader modules, VTK conversion, and VTK output during simulations. OpenFOAM runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and supports self-hosted use. Its current release is v2606, released on 26 June 2026; GPU offloading is available as a compile-time option, with that work on a separate development track. It is distributed under the GNU General Public Licence. OpenCFD offers a one-year support package for installation, fixes, updates, CFD assistance, and code customization, subject to a yearly service-hours maximum. It does not respond to support queries without a prior package. Training courses are also offered, with prices provided through a schedule or enquiry process.