programming languages

Rank

Matlab vs Python

  1. This language has a niche outside of which I would not use it

    90% 10%
    Matlab 49 out of 54 picked Matlab over Python Python

  2. Developers who primarily use this language often burn out after a few years

    87% 13%
    Matlab 28 out of 32 picked Matlab over Python Python

  3. This language is unusually bad for beginners

    83% 17%
    Matlab 41 out of 49 picked Matlab over Python Python

  4. I am sometimes embarrassed to admit to my peers that I know this language

    81% 19%
    Matlab 36 out of 44 picked Matlab over Python Python

  5. I enjoy playing with this language but would never use it for "real code"

    80% 20%
    Matlab 36 out of 45 picked Matlab over Python Python

  6. This language has an annoying syntax

    79% 21%
    Matlab 66 out of 83 picked Matlab over Python Python

  7. This language is good for numeric computing

    79% 21%
    Matlab 50 out of 63 picked Matlab over Python Python

  8. I often get angry when writing code in this language

    78% 22%
    Matlab 63 out of 80 picked Matlab over Python Python

  9. I am reluctant to admit to knowing this language

    78% 22%
    Matlab 36 out of 46 picked Matlab over Python Python

  10. The thought that I may still be using this language in twenty years time fills me with dread

    77% 23%
    Matlab 48 out of 62 picked Matlab over Python Python

  11. The semantics of this language are much different than other languages I know.

    75% 25%
    Matlab 52 out of 69 picked Matlab over Python Python

  12. This language has a niche in which it is great

    72% 28%
    Matlab 32 out of 44 picked Matlab over Python Python

  13. This language matches it's problem domain particularly well.

    72% 28%
    Matlab 48 out of 66 picked Matlab over Python Python

  14. This language has many features which feel "tacked on"

    71% 29%
    Matlab 30 out of 42 picked Matlab over Python Python

  15. Writing code in this language is a lot of work

    69% 31%
    Matlab 34 out of 49 picked Matlab over Python Python

  16. There is a lot of accidental complexity when writing code in this language

    66% 34%
    Matlab 26 out of 39 picked Matlab over Python Python

  17. This language is easier to use for it's problem domain by removing unneeded expressiveness (such as not being Turing complete).

    66% 34%
    Matlab 28 out of 42 picked Matlab over Python Python

  18. This language is good for scientific computing

    65% 35%
    Matlab 36 out of 55 picked Matlab over Python Python

  19. It is too easy to write code in this language that looks like it does one thing but actually does something else

    65% 35%
    Matlab 32 out of 49 picked Matlab over Python Python

  20. I use a lot of code written in this language which I really don't want to have to make changes to

    60% 40%
    Matlab 33 out of 55 picked Matlab over Python Python

  21. This language has a strong static type system

    57% 43%
    Matlab 29 out of 50 picked Matlab over Python Python

  22. I learned this language early in my career as a programmer

    57% 43%
    Matlab 45 out of 78 picked Matlab over Python Python

  23. This language has a very rigid idea of how things should be done

    56% 44%
    Matlab 26 out of 46 picked Matlab over Python Python

  24. This language is frequently used for applications it isn't suitable for

    56% 44%
    Matlab 26 out of 46 picked Matlab over Python Python

  25. Code written in this language tends to be verbose

    56% 44%
    Matlab 32 out of 57 picked Matlab over Python Python

  26. I often feel like I am not smart enough to write this language

    54% 46%
    Matlab 29 out of 53 picked Matlab over Python Python

  27. This language is likely to be a passing fad

    54% 46%
    Matlab 25 out of 46 picked Matlab over Python Python

  28. There are many good commercial tools for this language

    51% 49%
    Matlab 18 out of 35 picked Matlab over Python Python

  29. This language makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot

    50% 50%
    Matlab 30 out of 60 each for Python and Matlab Python

  30. This is a low level language

    48% 52%
    Matlab 25 out of 49 picked Python over Matlab Python

  31. This language is suitable for real-time applications

    46% 54%
    Matlab 24 out of 45 picked Python over Matlab Python

  32. This is a high level language

    44% 56%
    Matlab 30 out of 54 picked Python over Matlab Python

  33. This language excels at concurrency

    43% 57%
    Matlab 22 out of 39 picked Python over Matlab Python

  34. It is easy to debug programs written in this language when it goes wrong

    42% 58%
    Matlab 27 out of 47 picked Python over Matlab Python

  35. I often write things in this language with the intent of rewriting them in something else later

    41% 59%
    Matlab 18 out of 31 picked Python over Matlab Python

  36. This language is best for very small projects

    41% 59%
    Matlab 25 out of 43 picked Python over Matlab Python

  37. If this language didn't exist, I would have trouble finding a satisfactory replacement

    41% 59%
    Matlab 32 out of 55 picked Python over Matlab Python

  38. It's unusual for me to discover unfamiliar features

    41% 59%
    Matlab 21 out of 36 picked Python over Matlab Python

  39. This language allows me to write programs where I know exactly what they are doing under the hood

    40% 60%
    Matlab 28 out of 47 picked Python over Matlab Python

  40. Code written in this language tends to be terse

    40% 60%
    Matlab 31 out of 52 picked Python over Matlab Python

  41. Programs written in this language will usually work in future versions of the language

    39% 61%
    Matlab 28 out of 46 picked Python over Matlab Python

  42. When I run into problems my colleagues can provide me with immediate help with this language

    38% 62%
    Matlab 24 out of 39 picked Python over Matlab Python

  43. This language is minimal

    38% 62%
    Matlab 32 out of 52 picked Python over Matlab Python

  44. Programs written in this language tend to be efficient

    38% 62%
    Matlab 34 out of 55 picked Python over Matlab Python

  45. If my code in this language successfully compiles, there is a good chance my code is correct.

    37% 63%
    Matlab 43 out of 69 picked Python over Matlab Python

  46. This language is large

    37% 63%
    Matlab 32 out of 51 picked Python over Matlab Python

  47. When I write code in this language I can be very sure it is correct

    36% 64%
    Matlab 29 out of 46 picked Python over Matlab Python

  48. This language is good for distributed computing

    36% 64%
    Matlab 26 out of 41 picked Python over Matlab Python

  49. I would use this language for writing programs for an embedded hardware platform

    35% 65%
    Matlab 34 out of 53 picked Python over Matlab Python

  50. Libraries in this language tend to be well documented.

    35% 65%
    Matlab 43 out of 67 picked Python over Matlab Python

  51. I find it easy to write efficient code in this language

    32% 68%
    Matlab 37 out of 55 picked Python over Matlab Python

  52. I would list this language on my resume

    31% 69%
    Matlab 34 out of 50 picked Python over Matlab Python

  53. This language excels at symbolic manipulation

    31% 69%
    Matlab 30 out of 44 picked Python over Matlab Python

  54. This language is well documented

    31% 69%
    Matlab 41 out of 60 picked Python over Matlab Python

  55. I find this language easy to prototype in

    31% 69%
    Matlab 33 out of 48 picked Python over Matlab Python

  56. Code written in this language tends to be very reliable

    30% 70%
    Matlab 32 out of 46 picked Python over Matlab Python

  57. I know this language well

    29% 71%
    Matlab 517 out of 732 picked Python over Matlab Python

  58. I usually use this language on projects with many other members

    28% 72%
    Matlab 38 out of 53 picked Python over Matlab Python

  59. It is easy to tell at a glance what code in this language does

    28% 72%
    Matlab 33 out of 46 picked Python over Matlab Python

  60. I still discover new features of this language on a fairly regular basis

    28% 72%
    Matlab 33 out of 46 picked Python over Matlab Python

  61. Code written in this language will usually run in all the major implementations if it runs in one of them.

    28% 72%
    Matlab 46 out of 64 picked Python over Matlab Python

  62. Learning this language significantly changed how I use other languages.

    27% 73%
    Matlab 70 out of 97 picked Python over Matlab Python

  63. I know many other people who use this language

    27% 73%
    Matlab 39 out of 54 picked Python over Matlab Python

  64. This language has unusual features that I often miss when using other languages

    25% 75%
    Matlab 38 out of 51 picked Python over Matlab Python

  65. Learning this language improved my ability as a programmer

    25% 75%
    Matlab 41 out of 55 picked Python over Matlab Python

  66. This language has a very dogmatic community

    22% 78%
    Matlab 34 out of 44 picked Python over Matlab Python

  67. This language has a high quality implementation

    22% 78%
    Matlab 45 out of 58 picked Python over Matlab Python

  68. This language is good for beginners

    21% 79%
    Matlab 43 out of 55 picked Python over Matlab Python

  69. This language is built on a small core of orthogonal features

    20% 80%
    Matlab 34 out of 43 picked Python over Matlab Python

  70. There are many good tools for this language

    20% 80%
    Matlab 38 out of 48 picked Python over Matlab Python

  71. There are many good open-source tools for this language

    20% 80%
    Matlab 39 out of 49 picked Python over Matlab Python

  72. I regularly use this language

    19% 81%
    Matlab 45 out of 56 picked Python over Matlab Python

  73. Third-party libraries are readily available, well-documented, and of high quality

    19% 81%
    Matlab 37 out of 46 picked Python over Matlab Python

  74. The resources for learning this language are of high quality

    19% 81%
    Matlab 38 out of 47 picked Python over Matlab Python

  75. I can imagine using this language in my day job

    18% 82%
    Matlab 43 out of 53 picked Python over Matlab Python

  76. This language is likely to be around for a very long time

    18% 82%
    Matlab 53 out of 65 picked Python over Matlab Python

  77. This language is well suited for an agile development approach using short iterations.

    18% 82%
    Matlab 49 out of 60 picked Python over Matlab Python

  78. I would like to write more of this language than I currently do

    17% 83%
    Matlab 46 out of 56 picked Python over Matlab Python

  79. This language has a good community

    17% 83%
    Matlab 47 out of 57 picked Python over Matlab Python

  80. I would recommend most programmers learn this language, regardless of whether they have a specific need for it

    16% 84%
    Matlab 69 out of 83 picked Python over Matlab Python

  81. I use many applications written in this language

    16% 84%
    Matlab 47 out of 56 picked Python over Matlab Python

  82. This language encourages writing reusable code.

    16% 84%
    Matlab 47 out of 56 picked Python over Matlab Python

  83. This language is expressive

    16% 84%
    Matlab 42 out of 50 picked Python over Matlab Python

  84. I usually use this language on solo projects

    16% 84%
    Matlab 42 out of 50 picked Python over Matlab Python

  85. This language has a wide variety of agreed-upon conventions, which are generally adhered to reasonably well, and which increase my productivity

    15% 85%
    Matlab 32 out of 38 picked Python over Matlab Python

  86. I find code written in this language very elegant

    15% 85%
    Matlab 44 out of 52 picked Python over Matlab Python

  87. This language has a very coherent design

    14% 86%
    Matlab 41 out of 48 picked Python over Matlab Python

  88. I use this language out of choice

    14% 86%
    Matlab 53 out of 62 picked Python over Matlab Python

  89. This language encourages writing code that is easy to maintain.

    14% 86%
    Matlab 59 out of 69 picked Python over Matlab Python

  90. This language has well-organized libraries with consistent, carefully thought-out interfaces

    14% 86%
    Matlab 42 out of 49 picked Python over Matlab Python

  91. I would use this language for a desktop GUI project

    14% 86%
    Matlab 43 out of 50 picked Python over Matlab Python

  92. I enjoy using this language

    13% 87%
    Matlab 56 out of 65 picked Python over Matlab Python

  93. I rarely have difficulty abstracting patterns I find in my code

    13% 87%
    Matlab 39 out of 45 picked Python over Matlab Python

  94. This language has a good library distribution mechanism.

    12% 88%
    Matlab 64 out of 73 picked Python over Matlab Python

  95. I would use this language for casual scripting

    11% 89%
    Matlab 52 out of 59 picked Python over Matlab Python

  96. This language would be good for teaching children to write software

    11% 89%
    Matlab 67 out of 76 picked Python over Matlab Python

  97. Code written in this language is very readable

    11% 89%
    Matlab 54 out of 61 picked Python over Matlab Python

  98. This is a mainstream language

    10% 90%
    Matlab 73 out of 82 picked Python over Matlab Python

  99. I would use this language to write a command-line app

    10% 90%
    Matlab 44 out of 49 picked Python over Matlab Python

  100. This language is best for very large projects

    9% 91%
    Matlab 38 out of 42 picked Python over Matlab Python

  101. I would use this language as a scripting language embedded inside a larger application

    9% 91%
    Matlab 49 out of 54 picked Python over Matlab Python

  102. This language is very flexible

    9% 91%
    Matlab 40 out of 44 picked Python over Matlab Python

  103. This language is likely to have a strong influence on future languages

    8% 92%
    Matlab 41 out of 45 picked Python over Matlab Python

  104. Programs written in this language tend to play well with others

    7% 93%
    Matlab 47 out of 51 picked Python over Matlab Python

  105. There is a wide variety of open source code written in this language

    7% 93%
    Matlab 49 out of 53 picked Python over Matlab Python

  106. This language excels at text processing

    7% 93%
    Matlab 50 out of 54 picked Python over Matlab Python

  107. I can imagine this will be a popular language in twenty years time

    6% 94%
    Matlab 44 out of 47 picked Python over Matlab Python

  108. I would use this language for mobile applications

    4% 96%
    Matlab 46 out of 48 picked Python over Matlab Python

  109. I would use this language for writing server programs

    2% 98%
    Matlab 39 out of 40 picked Python over Matlab Python

  110. I would use this language for a web project

    2% 98%
    Matlab 43 out of 44 picked Python over Matlab Python

What's going on here?

The absolute rankings are interesting for large scale comparisons but when you want to know about two specific languages it's much more informative to look at how the two fare when they go directly head to head.

Here are all the statements which we've got enough comparisons between Matlab and Python to be meaningful and which of the two our users picked.

The order in which we're presenting them is a little arbitrary (sorry), but we've tried to put the things which they're both good at first so as to give you the most interesting picture of it.