Maxima

Maxima is a computer algebra system whose home page describes it as a system for the manipulation of symbolic and numerical expressions, with calculus, differential equations and linear algebra named as the core territory. The source is released under the GNU General Public License, and the page recounts that William Schelter obtained permission in 1998 to publish it that way.

Since Schelter's death a group of users and developers has formed to carry the work on. The project publishes official downloads for Windows, Linux and Mac, a browser version called maxima-on-wasm and the source through Git. Day-to-day use usually goes through a notebook front end, wxMaxima or XMaxima, which present formatted mathematical output. The pages we read state no price and do not name a company behind it.

• Symbolic calculus. The home page lists differentiation, integration, Taylor series and Laplace transforms as symbolic operations. These work on expressions rather than on decimal approximations, so a result can stay exact until you ask for a number.
• Exact and arbitrary-precision numbers. Exact fractions, arbitrary-precision integers and variable-precision floating point numbers are named on the home page. The manual introduction we read gives no numeric or precision limits, so practical ceilings are not documented there.
• Differential equations. Ordinary differential equations are listed among the supported problem types. The pages we read describe the category rather than the solution methods, so anyone with a specific equation class has to check the manual.
• Matrices and tensors. Matrix and tensor handling sits beside the calculus functions in the feature list. Linear algebra is also named in the opening description, which makes it a stated focus rather than an add-on.
• Two- and three-dimensional plotting. The first page of the manual shows plot2d and plot3d examples. Plots are part of the system itself, so a quick graph of a function does not require exporting data to another program.
• Notebook interfaces. wxMaxima and XMaxima are named as notebook interfaces giving formatted mathematical output. Working in one of them looks closer to a worksheet than to the bare command line the system starts from.
• Browser version. A browser build, maxima-on-wasm, is offered on the home page. It lets someone try expressions without an installation, though the pages do not say how it differs in features from the desktop builds.

• A mathematics student checking algebra by hand. Entering an integral or a Taylor expansion and comparing the exact result with a hand calculation. The browser version removes the installation step, which helps on a shared or locked-down laptop.
• A teacher preparing worked examples. Generating exact fractions, matrices and plots for a handout without a licence fee to explain to a department. Output from the notebook interfaces is formatted as mathematics rather than as raw text.
• An engineer working with differential equations. Solving ordinary differential equations symbolically before moving to a numerical tool. The pages we read do not list solver methods, so unusual equation types need a manual check first.

The download page is the starting point. For Windows it offers a 64-bit installer, and it says the last installer that runs on Windows 7 is version 5.45.1. On macOS the page gives two routes, MacPorts with sudo port install maxima +sbcl +xmaxima and Homebrew with brew install maxima. Linux users can choose tarballs, RPM packages, distribution packages or a snap package of wxMaxima.

The page warns that package-manager builds for Windows (winget, Chocolatey) and for Linux distributions may not carry the most recent version, so anyone who needs the newest release should use the official files. The manual's introduction page is the first section of the Maxima manual and shows plotting examples.

Maxima manipulates symbolic and numerical expressions: differentiation, integration, Taylor series, Laplace transforms, exact fractions and arbitrary-precision integers.

William Schelter obtained permission in 1998 to release the source under the GPL, and a group of users and developers has carried it on since. The catch is distribution: the download page warns that winget, Chocolatey and Linux package-manager builds may lag the newest version.

Maxima is entry #6 of 13 in the numerical computing software list: it follows SageMath and comes before PARI/GP. After the challenger places, Maxima is one of the established names, ranked in order and without a score.

The vendor states no country of establishment, so Maxima is left out of the regional count for this list.

Interfaces are wxMaxima and XMaxima, which give formatted mathematical output, and a browser version is built as maxima-on-wasm.

On macOS the page gives MacPorts and Homebrew commands, and on Linux tarballs, RPM packages, distribution packages and a snap of wxMaxima.

The last Windows installer that runs on Windows 7 is 5.45.1.

The manual introduction shows plot2d and plot3d examples but lists no supported Lisp implementations, so check that before depending on it for long runs.

Pricing as recorded: Free source code under the GPL; no price or cost is stated on the download page.

The home page says the source code is free to use, and the download page states no price or cost for Maxima. The software is distributed under the GNU General Public License, so the cost question is mostly one of time: installation, learning the syntax and finding help. The pages we read describe no paid support, subscription, hosted tier or commercial edition. Because nobody on these pages sells it, there is also no sales contact to ask about volume terms. Organisations that need contractual support would have to arrange that themselves, since the pages we read mention none. The licence text itself, rather than the home page summary, is the authority for what redistribution requires.

Source: the pricing material on maxima.sourceforge.io, as read for Best Numerical Computing Software in 2026 and last reviewed on 13 November 2026.

Maxima runs as a local program on Windows, Linux or Mac, so files and calculations stay on the machine where it is installed. The home page and download page describe no account, cloud service or data collection for the desktop builds.

The browser version, maxima-on-wasm, is described only as a browser version, and the pages we read do not explain where its code executes or what is stored. The pages mention no certifications, audits or security contact. Source code is available through Git, which allows inspection, and the GNU General Public License is named as the licence.

Integrations the vendor names (10):

• wxMaxima
• XMaxima
• MacPorts
• Homebrew
• winget
• Chocolatey
• RPM packages
• snap
• Git
• maxima-on-wasm

Closest by traits, not by rank: 4 products from the same list that overlap most with Maxima.

• SMath Studio (#3 of 13): Not for: teams needing a programming-first environment for large simulations. Units-aware maths worksheet program with published prices from SMath LLC.
• R Project (#4 of 13): Free statistical computing and graphics environment under GPL, backed by CRAN. Suits: Statisticians and analysts who work mainly with models, tests and time series.
• SageMath (#5 of 13): Python-based system bundling NumPy, SciPy, Maxima and R under the GPL. Best for: Mathematicians who want symbolic, numeric and Python tools combined in one open system.
• Octave Online (#8 of 13): Not for: work needing long sessions or confidential data held in a known place. Browser interface to GNU Octave, operated by Octave Online LLC.

Read from the vendor’s own pages on 12 November 2026.

• maxima.sourceforge.io: Description, licence, features, notebook interfaces, available downloads
• maxima.sourceforge.io/download.html: Windows installer, macOS and Linux install routes, version warnings, absence of a price
• maxima.sourceforge.io/docs/manual/maxima.html: Manual introduction with plot examples, no stated numeric limits
• maxima.sourceforge.io: Source access through Git and the project's history

Four tests decide a position: how soon the product is useful, what the bill really becomes, how data leaves and who it suits. That puts Maxima at #6 of 13. How vendor facts are sourced, and how money can and cannot influence a page, is in the editorial process.