# OpenFOAM, SolidWorks Flow Simulation vs MATLAB Comparison

| | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Star Rating** | 4.3 out of 5 | 4.1 out of 5 | 4.5 out of 5 | 
| **Total Reviews** | 35 | 35 | 770 | 
| **Largest Market Segment** | Small-Business (63.6% of reviews) | Small-Business (48.5% of reviews) | Enterprise (41.8% of reviews) | 
| **Entry Level Price** | No pricing available | No pricing available | No pricing available | 

---
## Top Pros & Cons

### OpenFOAM

**Not enough data**

### SolidWorks Flow Simulation

**Not enough data**

### MATLAB

Pros:
- Ease of Use (19 reviews)
- Features (16 reviews)

Cons:
- Expensive (12 reviews)
- Slow Performance (10 reviews)

---
## Ratings Comparison
| Rating | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
  | **Meets Requirements** | 8.0 (26 reviews) | 8.6 (30 reviews) | 9.0 (675 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Use** | 6.7 (26 reviews) | 8.3 (30 reviews) | 8.3 (684 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Setup** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (86 reviews) | 
  | **Ease of Admin** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.4 (41 reviews) | 
  | **Quality of Support** | 6.1 (21 reviews) | 8.3 (30 reviews) | 8.6 (626 reviews) | 
  | **Has the product been a good partner in doing business?** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.4 (38 reviews) | 
  | **Product Direction (% positive)** | 6.1 (24 reviews) | 7.1 (28 reviews) | 8.8 (672 reviews) | 

---
## Pricing

### OpenFOAM

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

### SolidWorks Flow Simulation

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

### MATLAB

#### Entry-Level Pricing

No pricing available

#### Free Trial

No information available

---
## Features Comparison By Category

### MEP

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **OpenFOAM** | N/A | N/A |
| **SolidWorks Flow Simulation** | 8.9/10 | 11 |
| **MATLAB** | N/A | N/A |

#### Design

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Systems** | Not enough data | 9.2 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **3D** | Not enough data | 8.7 (9 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Documentation** | Not enough data | 8.7 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Fabrication** | Not enough data | 9.0 (8 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Clash Detection** | Not enough data | 8.8 (7 reviews) | Not enough data | 

#### Work

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Integrate** | Not enough data | 8.5 (9 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Drafting** | Not enough data | 8.9 (9 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Analysis** | Not enough data | 8.8 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 
| **Simulations** | Not enough data | 9.2 (10 reviews) | Not enough data | 

### Simulation & CAE

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **OpenFOAM** | 6.9/10 | 16 |
| **SolidWorks Flow Simulation** | 8.2/10 | 9 |
| **MATLAB** | 8.5/10 | 219 |

#### Design

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **3D/solid modeling Tools** | 6.2 (11 reviews) | 8.8 (8 reviews) | 8.4 (147 reviews) | 
| **Drawing Tools** | 6.1 (11 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 8.2 (164 reviews) | 
| **Editing Tools** | 6.8 (11 reviews) | 7.7 (8 reviews) | 8.1 (166 reviews) | 
| **Rendering tools** | 7.1 (12 reviews) | 7.7 (8 reviews) | 8.0 (141 reviews) | 

#### Tools

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Fluid analysis** | 8.8 (13 reviews) | 8.1 (8 reviews) | 8.4 (127 reviews) | 
| **Finite element analysis** | 6.5 (8 reviews) | 7.7 (8 reviews) | 8.5 (150 reviews) | 
| **Multibody dynamics** | 6.3 (8 reviews) | 8.1 (8 reviews) | 8.4 (132 reviews) | 

#### Work

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Discrete event modeling** | 6.7 (8 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 8.8 (159 reviews) | 
| **Continuous event modeling** | 6.9 (9 reviews) | 8.5 (8 reviews) | 8.9 (161 reviews) | 
| **Mechanical event simulation** | 7.1 (8 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 8.7 (145 reviews) | 
| **Manufacturing process simulation** | 6.4 (7 reviews) | 7.7 (8 reviews) | 8.3 (135 reviews) | 
| **Integrate** | 6.9 (9 reviews) | 8.5 (8 reviews) | 8.4 (141 reviews) | 

#### Environment

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Hardware support** | 7.1 (8 reviews) | 8.1 (8 reviews) | 8.4 (163 reviews) | 
| **Task** | 6.8 (10 reviews) | 8.3 (8 reviews) | 8.7 (162 reviews) | 
| **Manage Multiple Profiles** | 7.4 (7 reviews) | 9.0 (8 reviews) | 8.4 (138 reviews) | 
| **Command Clarity** | 7.2 (12 reviews) | 8.8 (8 reviews) | 8.8 (177 reviews) | 

### Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **OpenFOAM** | N/A | N/A |
| **SolidWorks Flow Simulation** | N/A | N/A |
| **MATLAB** | 8.4/10 | 124 |

#### System

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Data Ingestion & Wrangling** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.5 (75 reviews) | 

#### Model Development

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Language Support** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.5 (97 reviews) | 
| **Drag and Drop** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (94 reviews) | 
| **Pre-Built Algorithms** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.0 (108 reviews) | 
| **Model Training** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (98 reviews) | 

#### Model Development

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Feature Engineering** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (79 reviews) | 

#### Machine/Deep Learning Services

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Computer Vision** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (90 reviews) | 
| **Natural Language Processing** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (78 reviews) | 
| **Natural Language Generation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.2 (76 reviews) | 
| **Artificial Neural Networks** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (91 reviews) | 

#### Machine/Deep Learning Services

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Natural Language Understanding** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.5 (69 reviews) | 
| **Deep Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (77 reviews) | 

#### Deployment

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Managed Service** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.4 (82 reviews) | 
| **Application** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (93 reviews) | 
| **Scalability** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.4 (93 reviews) | 

#### Generative AI

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **AI Text Generation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.0 (14 reviews) | 
| **AI Text Summarization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (14 reviews) | 
| **AI Text-to-Image** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.5 (14 reviews) | 

#### Agentic AI - Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Autonomous Task Execution** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (10 reviews) | 
| **Multi-step Planning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (10 reviews) | 
| **Cross-system Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.8 (10 reviews) | 
| **Adaptive Learning** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.0 (10 reviews) | 
| **Natural Language Interaction** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.8 (10 reviews) | 
| **Proactive Assistance** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 7.7 (10 reviews) | 
| **Decision Making** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.0 (10 reviews) | 

### Big Data Analytics

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **OpenFOAM** | N/A | N/A |
| **SolidWorks Flow Simulation** | N/A | N/A |
| **MATLAB** | 8.7/10 | 85 |

#### Data Transformation

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Real-Time Analytics** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.7 (73 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Data Querying** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (45 reviews) ✓ Verified | 

#### Connectivity

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Hadoop Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (47 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Spark Integration** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.6 (50 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Multi-Source Analysis** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.4 (60 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Data Lake** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.3 (52 reviews) ✓ Verified | 

#### Operations

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Data Visualization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 9.1 (75 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Data Workflow** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.9 (69 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Governed Discovery** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Feature Not Available | 
| **Embedded Analytics** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.8 (60 reviews) ✓ Verified | 
| **Notebooks** | Not enough data | Not enough data | 8.8 (37 reviews) ✓ Verified | 

### Big Data

| Product | Score | Reviews |
|---|---|---|
| **OpenFOAM** | N/A | N/A |
| **SolidWorks Flow Simulation** | N/A | N/A |
| **MATLAB** | N/A | N/A |

#### Building Reports

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Data Transformation** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Data Modeling** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **WYSIWYG Report Design** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Integration APIs** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

#### Platform

| Feature | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Mobile User Support** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Customization ** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **User, Role, and Access Management** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Internationalization** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Sandbox / Test Environments** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Performance and Reliability** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 
| **Breadth of Partner Applications** | Not enough data | Not enough data | Not enough data | 

---
## Categories
**Shared Categories (1):** [Simulation & CAE Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/simulation-cae)


**Unique to SolidWorks Flow Simulation (1):** [MEP Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/mep)

**Unique to MATLAB (2):** [Big Data Analytics Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/big-data-analytics), [Data Science and Machine Learning Platforms](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-science-and-machine-learning-platforms)


---
## Reviewer Demographics

### By Company Size

| Segment | OpenFOAM | SolidWorks Flow Simulation | MATLAB | 
|---|---|---|---|
| **Small-Business** | 63.6% | 48.5% | 31.5% | 
| **Mid-Market** | 18.2% | 27.3% | 26.8% | 
| **Enterprise** | 18.2% | 24.2% | 41.8% | 

### By Industry

#### OpenFOAM

- **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 30.3%
- **Automotive:** 18.2%
- **Research:** 12.1%
- **Higher Education:** 9.1%
- **Oil & Energy:** 6.1%
- **Renewables & Environment:** 3.0%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 3.0%
- **Government Administration:** 3.0%
- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 3.0%
- **Design:** 3.0%
- **Other:** 9.1%

#### SolidWorks Flow Simulation

- **Information Technology and Services:** 21.2%
- **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 12.1%
- **Design:** 12.1%
- **Higher Education:** 9.1%
- **Automotive:** 9.1%
- **Architecture & Planning:** 6.1%
- **Oil & Energy:** 3.0%
- **Military:** 3.0%
- **Medical Devices:** 3.0%
- **Machinery:** 3.0%
- **Other:** 18.2%

#### MATLAB

- **Higher Education:** 15.4%
- **Research:** 12.7%
- **Computer Software:** 6.8%
- **Mechanical or Industrial Engineering:** 6.7%
- **Education Management:** 6.3%
- **Information Technology and Services:** 6.2%
- **Electrical/Electronic Manufacturing:** 5.4%
- **Automotive:** 4.3%
- **Aviation & Aerospace:** 2.7%
- **Oil & Energy:** 2.7%
- **Other:** 30.9%

---
## Alternatives

### Alternatives to OpenFOAM

- [SimScale](https://www.g2.com/products/simscale/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (279 reviews)
- [Ansys Fluent](https://www.g2.com/products/ansys-fluent/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (122 reviews)
- [COMSOL Multiphysics®](https://www.g2.com/products/comsol-multiphysics/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (36 reviews)
- [Autodesk CFD](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-cfd/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (31 reviews)
- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews)
- [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (643 reviews)
- [GNU Octave](https://www.g2.com/products/gnu-octave/reviews) — 4.2/5 stars (55 reviews)
- [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.g2.com/products/designcenter-solid-edge/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (599 reviews)
- [Onshape](https://www.g2.com/products/onshape/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (695 reviews)
- [Inventor](https://www.g2.com/products/inventor/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (440 reviews)

### Alternatives to SolidWorks Flow Simulation

- [Ansys Fluent](https://www.g2.com/products/ansys-fluent/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (122 reviews)
- [COMSOL Multiphysics®](https://www.g2.com/products/comsol-multiphysics/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (36 reviews)
- [Autodesk CFD](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-cfd/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (31 reviews)
- [Moldflow](https://www.g2.com/products/moldflow/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (28 reviews)
- [Inventor](https://www.g2.com/products/inventor/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (440 reviews)
- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews)
- [SimScale](https://www.g2.com/products/simscale/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (279 reviews)
- [Designcenter Solid Edge](https://www.g2.com/products/designcenter-solid-edge/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (599 reviews)
- [Onshape](https://www.g2.com/products/onshape/reviews) — 4.7/5 stars (695 reviews)
- [Simcenter STAR-CCM+](https://www.g2.com/products/simcenter-star-ccm/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (178 reviews)

### Alternatives to MATLAB

- [Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform](https://www.g2.com/products/gemini-enterprise-agent-platform/reviews) — 4.3/5 stars (656 reviews)
- [SOLIDWORKS](https://www.g2.com/products/solidworks/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (643 reviews)
- [Autodesk Fusion](https://www.g2.com/products/autodesk-fusion/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (519 reviews)
- [Altair AI Studio](https://www.g2.com/products/rapidminer-studio/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (516 reviews)
- [Alteryx](https://www.g2.com/products/alteryx/reviews) — 4.6/5 stars (809 reviews)
- [Posit](https://www.g2.com/products/posit-posit/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (570 reviews)
- [Inventor](https://www.g2.com/products/inventor/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (440 reviews)
- [TensorFlow](https://www.g2.com/products/tensorflow/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (138 reviews)
- [Ansys Fluent](https://www.g2.com/products/ansys-fluent/reviews) — 4.5/5 stars (122 reviews)
- [Simcenter Amesim](https://www.g2.com/products/simcenter-amesim/reviews) — 4.4/5 stars (121 reviews)

---
## Top Discussions

### OpenFOAM

- Title: [Is OpenFOAM free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-openfoam-free) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Yes! It's open source"
- Title: [What do you use as mesher? Are there free ones that are good for complex geometries?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/30233-what-do-you-use-as-mesher-are-there-free-ones-that-are-good-for-complex-geometries) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "I used snappyHexMesh to mesh a complicated geometry and it did well. Many like cfMesh too. If snappyHexMesh is used, can use blockMesh to generate background..."

### SolidWorks Flow Simulation

No discussions available for this product.

### MATLAB

- Title: [Can I use Matlab for free?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/can-i-use-matlab-for-free) — 3 comments
  > **Top comment:** "You can use trial version for free"
- Title: [Any good website to discuss about the matlab programming?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/15468-any-good-website-to-discuss-about-the-matlab-programming) — 3 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "https://www.vexforum.com/t/matlab-vs-robotc/41155"
- Title: [Is it possible to check the output of Simulink terminal if I am not keeping a scope?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/is-it-possible-to-check-the-output-of-simulink-terminal-if-i-am-not-keeping-a-scope) — 2 comments, 1 upvote
  > **Top comment:** "Wonderful tool for FEM analysis"
- Title: [What is MATLAB used for?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-matlab-used-for) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "MATLAB is basically used for simulation and modeling of dynamics of the machine like if we want to simulate the physical modelling of the machine then we can..."
- Title: [What is Matlab written in?](https://www.g2.com/discussions/what-is-matlab-written-in) — 1 comment
  > **Top comment:** "Matlab uses C &C++ for backend."

---
**Source:** [G2.com](https://www.g2.com) | [Comparison Page](https://www.g2.com/compare/openfoam-vs-solidworks-solidworks-flow-simulation-vs-matlab)