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R vs GNU Octave: catalog facts
R	GNU Octave
Free Free software, supported by donations to the R Foundation.	Free Free software under the GNU General Public License.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
Broad set of statistical methods and graphics Runs on Windows, macOS and many Unix platforms	Runs many Matlab scripts without changes Built-in 2D and 3D plotting
Downloads are spread across CRAN mirrors rather than a single page The language has quirks that take time to learn for programmers from other languages	Compatibility with Matlab is partial, not complete No equivalent of Matlab's commercial toolboxes beyond community packages
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: GPL-2.0-or-later	License: GPL
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 24, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.