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KNIME vs MathWorks Matlab comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

KNIME
Ranking in Data Science Platforms
2nd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
60
Ranking in other categories
Data Mining (1st)
MathWorks Matlab
Ranking in Data Science Platforms
15th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.2
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of KNIME is 11.9%, up from 10.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MathWorks Matlab is 0.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Science Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Laurence Moseley - PeerSpot reviewer
Has a drag-and-drop interface and AI capabilities
It's difficult to pinpoint one single feature because KNIME has so many. For starters, it's very easy to learn. You can get started with just a one-hour video. The drag-and-drop interface makes it user-friendly. For example, if you want to read an Excel file, drag the "read Excel file" node from the repository, configure it by specifying the file location, and run it. This gives you a table with all your data. Next, you can clean the data by handling missing values, selecting specific columns you want to analyze, and then proceeding with your analysis, such as regression or correlation. KNIME has over 4,500 nodes available for download. In addition, KNIME offers various extensions. For instance, the text processing extension allows you to process text data efficiently. It's more powerful than other tools like NVivo and Palantir. KNIME also has AI capabilities. If you're unsure about the next step, the AI assistant can suggest the most frequently used nodes based on your previous work. Another valuable feature is the integration with Python. If you need to perform a task that requires Python, you can simply add a Python node, write the necessary code,
Ioannis Kalathas - PeerSpot reviewer
Creating digital twins significantly reduces time for marine engine diagnostics
MathWorks Matlab has numerous libraries, making it challenging to have a holistic understanding of all of them. I can only speak about the libraries I have used. Additional GUIs and add-ons for MathWorks Matlab would help, especially for users who are not familiar with the software. The cost is a significant concern. While university pricing is reasonable, a cheaper version with fewer libraries would be beneficial. In Greece, we struggle to purchase licenses, and we also use Ansys. There are technical differences in simulation, but the price of MathWorks Matlab is too high for a Greek mechanic to use it. A license with fewer features would be more appropriate.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It's a very powerful and simple tool to use."
"KNIME is more intuitive and easier to use, which is the principal advantage."
"It's a huge tool with machine learning features as well."
"KNIME is fast and the visualization provides a lot of clarity. It clarifies your thinking because you can see what's going on with your data."
"I am impressed by the modularity and reusability in KNIME, especially the ability to make small adjustments to object configurations."
"One of the greatest advantages of KNIME is that it can be used by those without any coding experience. those with no coding background can use it."
"The product is very easy to understand even for non-analytical stakeholders. Sometimes we provide them with KNIME workflows and teach them how to run it on their own machine."
"It is possible to configure the system to effectively manage memory and space requirements."
"The platform's most valuable feature is its field-specific packages, which make it very easy to use."
"Personally for me, because I do a lot of development, I like that it is easy to test mathematical algorithms with several matrix calculations. It's perfect for that."
"The tool's most valuable feature is the Simulink environment. This feature provides an incredible capability to visually represent the system behavior before creating the code. It allows you to see the flow and interactions of the system, which is extremely beneficial for software development. With this visual representation, you can better understand the system's behavior, make necessary adjustments, and ensure maintenance and updates. This capability is why I love working with the product."
 

Cons

"There are a lot of tools in the product and it would help if they were grouped into classes where you can select a function, rather than a specific tool."
"The solution is inconvenient when it comes to wrangling data that includes multiple steps or features because each step or feature requires its own icon."
"To enhance accessibility and user-friendliness, there is a need for improvements in the interface and usability of deep learning and large-scale learning languages."
"The main issue with KNIME is that it sometimes uses too much CPU and RAM when working with large amounts of data."
"Though I can use KNIME in a 64-bit platform in the lab, it's missing some features. For example, from my laptop, I can use the image reader feature of KNIME. However, in the lab, the image reader node is missing."
"The overall user experience feels unpolished. In particular: Data field type conversion is a real hassle, and date fields are a hassle; documentation is pretty poor; user community is average at best."
"The dynamic column name feature could be improved. When attempting to automate processes involving columns, such as with companies, it becomes difficult to achieve the same result when we make changes."
"KNIME is not good at visualization."
"To make use of the GPU, you have to have an Nvidia card. What I would want it to do is to run in Next Generation with Intel or AMD, and not just with Nvidia."
"In the area of improvement, sometimes there are issues with the speed of MathWorks Matlab, particularly in the Simulink environment. The tool's latest versions can be slow to open, taking significant time to load. Additionally, saving data and integrating models can also be time-consuming processes."
"One area where the product could improve is in the ease of learning."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I use the open-source version."
"For beginners, the free desktop version is very attractive, but the full server version can be more expensive. I have only used the free version and it offers a fair pricing system. I have been promoting it to others without any compensation or request from the company, simply because I am enthusiastic about it. I am not aware of the pricing for the server version, but it seems to be widely used."
"This is a free open-source solution."
"The price of KNIME is quite reasonable and the designer tool can be used free of charge."
"KNIME is a cheap product. I currently use KNIME's open-source version."
"Scaling to the on-premises version requires a licensing fee per user that is a bit expensive in comparison to R, Python, and SAS."
"It is expensive to procure the license."
"This is an open-source solution that is free to use."
"The pricing for the software itself is reasonable, and I didn't encounter any additional costs beyond the initial purchase or license."
"We have a single user license. Support and add-ons are an extra fee."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Computer Software Company
8%
University
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about KNIME?
Since KNIME is a no-code platform, it is easy to work with.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for KNIME?
I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.
What needs improvement with KNIME?
I have seen the potential to interact with Python, which is currently a bit limited. I am interested in the newer version, 5.4, when it becomes available. The machine learning and profileration asp...
What do you like most about MathWorks Matlab?
The tool's most valuable feature is the Simulink environment. This feature provides an incredible capability to visually represent the system behavior before creating the code. It allows you to see...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MathWorks Matlab?
The pricing for the software itself is reasonable, and I didn't encounter any additional costs beyond the initial purchase or license.
What needs improvement with MathWorks Matlab?
One area where the product could improve is in the ease of learning. The syntax can be challenging for first-time programmers or those unfamiliar with specialized languages. Also, while the communi...
 

Comparisons

 

Also Known As

KNIME Analytics Platform
No data available
 

Overview

Information not available
 

Sample Customers

Infocom Corporation, Dymatrix Consulting Group, Soluzione Informatiche, MMI Agency, Estanislao Training and Solutions, Vialis AG
Information Not Available
Find out what your peers are saying about KNIME vs. MathWorks Matlab and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
861,524 professionals have used our research since 2012.