SageMath

SageMath is described on its home page as a free open-source mathematics software system licensed under the GPL. Its stated mission is creating a viable free open source alternative to Magma, Maple, Mathematica and Matlab. It combines existing open-source packages, including NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, Sympy, Maxima, GAP, FLINT and R, through a common Python-based language.

The home page lists three ways to use it: download and install it, use it online through CoCalc, or run it in the browser through the SageCell server. Sponsorship and optional one-time and recurring donations are offered, including through the Open Source Collective, and no price is named for the software. The pages we read state no country or organisation behind the project.

• Python-based common language. SageMath ties its component packages together through a Python-based language. That gives one entry point to several mathematics libraries, though the pages do not describe how version differences between components are handled.
• Bundled open-source packages. The home page names NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, Sympy, Maxima, GAP, FLINT and R as parts of the system. Each covers a different area, from numerics to group theory and statistics.
• Stated alternative to commercial systems. The mission statement targets Magma, Maple, Mathematica and Matlab. It is an aim rather than a feature comparison, and the pages we read include no table of what is covered.
• CoCalc online use. The home page and download page list CoCalc as an online option. That lets a user work without installing anything, though the pages do not describe any limits on the hosted service.
• SageCell in the browser. The SageCell server at sagecell.sagemath.org runs short computations in the browser. The pages do not state how long a computation may run or what resources it may use.
• Docker images. The download page lists SageMath Docker images on Docker Hub. For teams that already run containers this is a route that avoids the platform-specific installers.
• Source code access. Source code is on GitHub and as a source tarball, with stable and devel downloads and links to older versions. The download page names no specific version number.

• A mathematics student. The CoCalc and SageCell options let a student try the system online first, then install it later. No price is named for the software.
• A researcher mixing libraries. Having NumPy, SciPy, Sympy, Maxima, GAP, FLINT and R under one Python-based language saves wiring them by hand. The pages do not describe how interfaces between them behave in edge cases.
• An instructor preparing a course. Docker images and online options give routes that do not depend on each student's operating system. Windows users should note that support goes through the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

The home page lists three ways in: download and install, use CoCalc online, or run SageCell in the browser. The download page states that Linux binaries have been discontinued and points Linux users to the installation guide, which covers conda-forge binaries for Linux and macOS. For macOS it recommends binaries from a GitHub releases page labelled 3-manifolds.

Windows support is through the Windows Subsystem for Linux, and Docker images are on Docker Hub. Source downloads are labelled stable and devel. The pages we read give no installation size, minimum system requirements or specific version number, so users should expect to follow the installation guide step by step.

SageMath states its mission as a viable free alternative to Magma, Maple, Mathematica and Matlab, and combines NumPy, SciPy, matplotlib, Sympy, Maxima, GAP, FLINT and R through a Python-based language. It can run online through CoCalc. Installation is the weak point: Linux binaries have been discontinued, Windows runs through the Windows Subsystem for Linux, and macOS binaries sit on GitHub.

The numerical computing software list places SageMath 5 of 13: it follows R Project and comes before Maxima. Established names take the places after the first three, in ranked order, and we give no numeric score.

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

In the catalogue: Free software under the GPL; the pages list only sponsorship and donation links.

The home page and download page name no price or cost for the software. The home page offers sponsorship and optional one-time and recurring donations, including through the Open Source Collective, and the download page mentions sponsorship and donation links only. The pages we read describe no paid tiers, support plans or commercial licences. The money-related costs that apply are therefore indirect: time spent on installation and, for those who choose it, any charges of an online host such as CoCalc, which the pages we read do not describe. Teams that need a vendor contract and service levels would find neither on these pages.

Basis: sagemath.org, read for the Best Numerical Computing Software in 2026 guide (reviewed 13 November 2026).

The download page offers source labelled stable and devel without naming a version number, plus Docker images on Docker Hub, and the installation guide covers conda-forge binaries for Linux and macOS.

Because it assembles existing packages, one notebook can call Maxima for symbolic work and NumPy for arrays in the same language.

A buyer should budget time for the install route, since each platform has a different one.

Installed locally, SageMath keeps data on the user's own machine. The online options, CoCalc and the SageCell server, are separate services, and the pages we read do not describe their data retention, certifications or data residency. The home page states the GPL licence and links the source code on GitHub and as a tarball.

No country of establishment and no owning organisation is named on the home or download pages. Donations are routed through options that include the Open Source Collective, but the pages do not explain who administers the project itself.

Integrations the vendor names (14):

• NumPy
• SciPy
• matplotlib
• Sympy
• Maxima
• GAP
• FLINT
• R
• CoCalc
• SageCell
• Docker Hub
• conda-forge
• Windows Subsystem for Linux
• GitHub

The choice below rests on shared catalogue tags, price model, free plan and region, with rank distance as the tie-break.

• GNU Octave (#1 of 13): Scientific programming language with MATLAB-compatible syntax under the GPL licence. Best for: Teams with MATLAB scripts who want to run them without a licence fee.
• Julia (#2 of 13): Not for: teams wanting a bundled commercial toolbox with one vendor behind it. Fast dynamic language for scientific computing, released under the MIT licence.
• SMath Studio (#3 of 13): Units-aware maths worksheet program with published prices from SMath LLC. Best for: Engineers documenting unit-aware calculations in readable worksheets on a published price list.
• R Project (#4 of 13): A good match for: Statisticians and analysts who work mainly with models, tests and time series.

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

• sagemath.org: licence, mission, components, usage options, donations, Windows
• sagemath.org/download.html: Linux binaries discontinued, macOS binaries, Docker, source, online options, no price
• sagemath.org: additional page context
• sagemath.org: additional page context

The same four questions are asked of every numerical computing software product: time to value, real cost, the way out and the intended buyer. That puts SageMath at #5 of 13. Details: how we rank software.