Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GnuPlot VS LabPlot

Compare GnuPlot VS LabPlot and see what are their differences

GnuPlot logo GnuPlot

Gnuplot is a portable command-line driven interactive data and function plotting utility.

LabPlot logo LabPlot

LabPlot is a KDE-application for interactive graphing and analysis of scientific data.
  • GnuPlot Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-12-13
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-02
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-02
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-02
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-02
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-02
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-02
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-05
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-05
  • LabPlot
    Image date //
    2024-09-05

LabPlot is a FREE, open source and cross-platform Data Visualization and Analysis software accessible to everyone and trusted by professionals.

FEATURE HIGHLIGHTS

  • High-quality data visualization and interactive plotting
  • Data analysis, statistics, nonlinear regression, curve and peak fitting
  • Fast computing with interactive notebooks (for Python, R, Julia, Maxima and more)
  • Data extraction from images (Plot Digitizer)
  • Smooth data import and export to and from multiple formats (CSV, JSON, ODS, XLSX, Origin, SAS, Stata, SPSS, MATLAB, SQL, MQTT, BLF, HDF5, FITS, ROOT (CERN), LTspice, Ngspice and more)
  • Available for Windows, macOS, Linux, FreeBSD, Haiku, GNU

A full list of features: https://labplot.kde.org/features

Video tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/@LabPlot

Communication channels: https://labplot.kde.org/support

Get it here: https://labplot.kde.org/download

GnuPlot features and specs

  • Highly Customizable
    GnuPlot offers extensive customization options for creating plots, allowing users to tweak almost every aspect of the graph, including colors, labels, line styles, and more.
  • Scriptable
    GnuPlot can be driven by scripts, making it convenient for automating complex plots and integrating with other software workflows.
  • Wide Range of Output Formats
    It supports many output formats such as PNG, PDF, SVG, and EPS, making it easy to generate graphics for different purposes like presentations, publications, and web content.
  • Cross-Platform
    GnuPlot runs on multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring that it can be used in diverse computing environments.
  • Complex Plotting Capabilities
    GnuPlot supports a wide variety of plots, including 2D and 3D plots, histograms, heatmaps, and more, which caters to the needs of advanced visualization requirements.
  • Performance
    GnuPlot is efficient and can handle large datasets with ease, offering fast rendering times which is crucial when dealing with complex visualizations.
  • Free and Open Source
    Being free and open-source software, GnuPlot is accessible to everyone, and users can modify the source code to suit their needs.

Possible disadvantages of GnuPlot

  • Steep Learning Curve
    GnuPlot has a complex syntax and a steep learning curve, especially for beginners who may find it difficult to get started without substantial effort.
  • Limited GUI
    GnuPlot lacks a full-featured graphical user interface (GUI), making it less user-friendly for those who prefer point-and-click interactions over scripting.
  • Documentation
    While comprehensive, the documentation can be overwhelming and difficult to navigate for new users trying to find specific information quickly.
  • Date Handling
    Handling and formatting dates can be cumbersome in GnuPlot, requiring more manual setup compared to other dedicated plotting tools.
  • Interactive Features
    GnuPlot's interactive plotting capabilities are limited compared to other modern plotting tools that offer more dynamic and real-time interactivity.
  • Integration
    Integration with some modern programming environments and languages may not be as seamless as with other plotting libraries specifically designed for those ecosystems (e.g., Matplotlib in Python).

LabPlot features and specs

  • Open Source
    LabPlot is free and open source, allowing users to modify and distribute the software without any cost.
  • Integration with KDE
    LabPlot is part of the KDE software collection, offering seamless integration with other KDE applications and a consistent look and feel.
  • Multiplatform Support
    LabPlot is available on various platforms, including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it accessible to a wide range of users.
  • Extensive Plotting Features
    LabPlot offers a wide range of plotting capabilities, including 2D and 3D plots, which can accommodate diverse scientific and engineering needs.
  • Customizability
    Users can customize plots extensively in LabPlot, adjusting parameters such as plot style, color, and data presentation to suit their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of LabPlot

  • Steeper Learning Curve
    Due to its comprehensive features, new users might find LabPlot challenging to learn and may require time to become proficient.
  • Limited Community Support
    While there is a community around LabPlot, the size is relatively small compared to more widely used plotting tools, potentially limiting peer support.
  • Performance Issues with Large Datasets
    LabPlot may experience performance slowdowns when handling very large datasets, which can hinder productivity for users working with such data.
  • Less Frequent Updates
    LabPlot may receive updates less frequently than some commercial software, possibly affecting the pace of new feature integration.

GnuPlot videos

Gnuplot Introduction

More videos:

  • Review - DTrace Latency Visualization in gnuplot
  • Review - Basics of Gnuplot - Make your plot look Good

LabPlot videos

How to fit a curve using LabPlot

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Quick Statistics and Visual Overview of Data in LabPlot
  • Tutorial - How to export publication-quality plots from LabPlot
  • Tutorial - Your First Data Import and Visualization in LabPlot

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GnuPlot and LabPlot)
Technical Computing
62 62%
38% 38
Numerical Computation
65 65%
35% 35
Office & Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
Data Visualization
63 63%
37% 37

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare GnuPlot and LabPlot

GnuPlot Reviews

We have no reviews of GnuPlot yet.
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LabPlot Reviews

  1. LabPlot provides extensive capabilities for data import and export, along with tools for analysis, curve fitting, nonlinear regression and interactive visualization, including live data support. Users can export graphs in various formats and utilize a built-in plot digitizer to extract data from existing charts. Additionally, if users are familiar with programming languages such as Python or R, they can leverage these within LabPlot's interactive notebooks.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, GnuPlot seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

GnuPlot mentions (5)

  • Question about Project Management
    To some extent it extends the concept of tasks which only can be reasonably executed after the completion of other ones (though results of branches eventually may join each other) and offers an additional assisting birds' eye visual of projects. So far, I'm aware about the documentation on worg interfacing org-taskjuggler and taskjuggler, as well as a video tutorial interfacing gnuplot instead. Source: over 1 year ago
  • How do I make a transparent background on .ps or .eps file imported to groff
    Gnuplot is a program to plot diagrams. The Commands issued to use it don't change regardless if it is used in Linux/Windows/MacOS and it comes with less dependencies than a Spread sheet, or a statistics program. This is why I started to Become comfortable with it, and venture out some of its features. Here, "conditional plot" referred to "the diagram only displays a Thing/uses a pixel if the value in the table... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Drawing graphs and diagrams
    Or, does drawing diagrams refers to plotting data, but neither using matplotlib, nor gnuplot (export to .svg, .pdf, .png; pstricks, tikz to mention a few options)? Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Are specific softwares avialable that are suitable for converting different diagrams, graphs and mindmaps to latex codes?
    There may the occasion you actually need the data from a publication, and want to plot them altogether with data newly collected data in one diagram in common. An overlay, though possible, can become tricky (scaling, centering, alignment, etc.) and plotting all data in a diagram generated from scratch (gnuplot/octave, matplotlib, Origin, ...) exported as an illustration in the usual formats (.pdf/.png), or... Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Introducing Graphs
    Have you looked at the graphing capabilities of Octave or Gnuplot? Gnuplot in particular has a lot of options, and a GUI for those who want it. Source: about 2 years ago

LabPlot mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of LabPlot yet. Tracking of LabPlot recommendations started around Mar 2021.

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GnuPlot and LabPlot, you can also consider the following products

GeoGebra - GeoGebra is free and multi-platform dynamic mathematics software for learning and teaching.

SciDaVis - SciDAVis is a free application for Scientific Data Analysis and Visualization.

DataMelt - DataMelt (DMelt), a free mathematics and data-analysis software for scientists, engineers and students.

Matplotlib - matplotlib is a python 2D plotting library which produces publication quality figures in a variety...

IGOR Pro - Technical graphing and data analysis for Macintosh and Windows.

GeoGebra CAS Calculator - Free online algebra calculator from GeoGebra: solve equations, expand and factor expressions, find derivatives and integrals