MathWorks Matlab vs Starburst Galaxy comparison

Why PeerSpot?

MathWorks and Starburst are both solutions in the Data Science Platforms category. MathWorks is ranked #16 with an average rating of 9.0, while Starburst is ranked #7 with an average rating of 9.3. MathWorks holds a 1.9% mindshare in Data Science Platforms, compared to Starburst’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of MathWorks users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Starburst users who would recommend it.

MathWorks Matlab

Read 5 MathWorks Matlab reviews

2,040 Views
1,979 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Starburst Galaxy

Read 12 Starburst Galaxy reviews

2,242 Views
1,726 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

MathWorks Matlab

Starburst Galaxy

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between MathWorks Matlab and Starburst Galaxy based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Data Science Platforms solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed MathWorks Matlab vs. Starburst Galaxy Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

MathWorks Matlab vs. Starburst Galaxy

September 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 917,433 peers since 2012

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

MathWorks Matlab

Ranking in Data Science Platforms

16th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Starburst Galaxy

Ranking in Data Science Platforms

7th

Average Rating

9.4

Reviews Sentiment

2.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Streaming Analytics (8th)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of MathWorks Matlab is 1.9%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Starburst Galaxy is 1.5%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Science Platforms Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Starburst Galaxy	1.5%
MathWorks Matlab	1.9%
Other	96.6%

Data Science Platforms

Featured Reviews

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Bisping

Business Owner at SASS GmbH

Versatile system empowers users with advanced algorithm development and seamless integration capabilities

The application is pretty good, and I don't really complain. For my purposes, MathWorks Matlab is perfect because it's very versatile; it is not out-of-the-box of course, and you have to program everything yourself. If you are experienced enough, you can do many things which other programs, for instance, SPSS, cannot do, as you need to program it—it's a fourth-generation programming language. In the future of MathWorks Matlab, I would appreciate the addition of many AI features, as there are a lot of machine learning capabilities and many AI features in the visual scene, although I don't need those because I use this feature data and don't work on pictures or images. However, you can work on images and can then do deep learning and that stuff, which is one of the real strengths of MathWorks Matlab.

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Pedromachado Ventura

Data Analyst at a financial services firm with 5,001-10,000 employees

Unified SQL layer has streamlined access to distributed historical data for analytics and reporting

One area that I think could be improved is the experience when performance issues occur. When a query is slow, it is not always immediately obvious to me whether the bottleneck comes from Starburst Galaxy itself, the underlying data source, the query design, or the reporting tool. Better visibility into query performance and easier diagnostics for non-administrators would be useful. Another potential improvement would be enhancing the experience with BI tools to make it more seamless. I work a lot with Power BI, and when you are working with larger data sets, performance can sometimes depend on several different layers. Having more visibility into what is happening between the BI tool, Starburst Galaxy, and the underlying source would be helpful. I also think onboarding could be a little more accessible for analysts. There is good technical documentation, but sometimes I just need to understand the best way to approach a common use case without diving too deep into the platform architecture. The main improvement would be troubleshooting. I have not used the AI capabilities extensively, so I cannot give a detailed assessment. I am not sure if my organization has the full capabilities of Starburst Galaxy, but I think adding AI on top of the data layer is interesting, especially if it can help users discover data, understand data sets, and interact with them more naturally. For governance and security, one of the strengths of Starburst Galaxy is that you can centralize access to data while still controlling what different users are allowed to see. Role-based access, fine-grained permissions, and data masking are important because giving people easier access to data should not mean giving everyone access to everything. I think that is even more important than any AI capabilities that are introduced. If you do introduce AI, I think it should respect exactly the same data permissions and governance rules as the user that is accessing the data.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"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."

"This solution is pretty good, I truly enjoy it."

"What I appreciate about MathWorks Matlab is that it is the most versatile program system I know; there are so many toolboxes which I don't need, as I mostly work with statistics, but it's amazing how many functions there are."

"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 platform's most valuable feature is its field-specific packages, which make it very easy to use."

"Making digital twins saves significant time; checking something in simulation is more cost-effective—for instance, with marine engines, we typically need about 10 years of checking to find misfires, but with MathWorks Matlab, we can complete it in one month."

"I am now able to answer questions in a couple of minutes that would otherwise take hours or days of time for my data engineering teams."

"The main positive impact Starburst Galaxy has made is making data more accessible for analytics and reporting."

"The most fundamental feature is the query engine, which is much faster than any of the competitors; Starburst is able to finish most queries within 10 seconds, which is especially important for many non-technical employees."

"Starburst Galaxy is becoming a cornerstone of our data platform, empowering us to make smarter and faster decisions across the organization."

"Starburst Galaxy has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to rethink the strategy for data and architect data differently; instead of having multiple data marts and siloed data marts, we have a unified vision, and that is how it is changing."

"I use Starburst as a cost-efficient hosted option for Trino for data integration and ad-hoc analysis across a broad range of data sources."

"Starburst Galaxy has significantly improved our data architecture flexibility and performance management by solving cross-database query challenges and enabling us to utilize iceberg tables externally across our entire data ecosystem."

"Starburst Galaxy serves the best purpose for me because if my SLAs are not met with my customers, they will raise a case, and I have tried many other tools, but Starburst Galaxy fits the best."

More Starburst Galaxy pros

Cons

"It is not out-of-the-box of course, and you have to program everything yourself."

"One area where the product could improve is in the ease of learning."

"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."

"To make use of the GPU, you have to have an Nvidia card."

"The cost is a significant concern; while university pricing is reasonable, a cheaper version with fewer libraries would be beneficial."

"I think there are areas of improvement with respect to AI adaptability, and also in general, the amount of connectors working with other tools are areas where it can be expanded."

"There is still room for improved usability and diagnostics, especially for users who are not platform specialists."

"Multi-tenancy could be improved. In order to have multiple environments for SSO, we maintain multiple tenants that are connected to different AWS accounts via the Marketplace."

"Cluster startup time is another pain point, typically 3 to 5 minutes, which is not the worst with proper planning but can be annoying for ad-hoc work."

"I would like Starburst to leverage AI to improve usability. Data lakes are complicated and difficult for users to explore."

"Cluster startup time can be slow, sometimes taking over a minute."

"As a hosted option, I wish I had more control over the cluster configuration, specifically regarding some of the more advanced options."

"The most persistent issue is the cluster spin-up time."

More Starburst Galaxy cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have a single user license. Support and add-ons are an extra fee."

"The pricing for the software itself is reasonable, and I didn't encounter any additional costs beyond the initial purchase or license."

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Comms Service Provider

14%

Construction Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

30%

Computer Software Company

10%

Manufacturing Company

Construction Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	4
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	4

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MathWorks Matlab?

Regarding the pricing part and licensing cost for MathWorks Matlab, it is not cheap, but it depends on the functions you need. You don't need all of them; you may just require a few and then it's r...

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What needs improvement with MathWorks Matlab?

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What is your primary use case for MathWorks Matlab?

I am working with MathWorks Matlab for statistics and machine learning, though I don't know which version I have, but I guess it is 21 or so. I don't care because the things I'm doing haven't chang...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Starburst Galaxy?

I recommend experimenting with different cluster sizes to determine what works best for your particular use case.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Starburst Galaxy?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Starburst Galaxy?

I have mainly used Starburst Galaxy as a query and access layer for analytical data, as my current work involves dealing with data stored across different platforms, including Hive and SingleStore....

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

MathWorks Matlab

October 2026

Download MathWorks Matlab product report

Buyer's Guide

Starburst Galaxy

September 2026

Download Starburst Galaxy product report

Overview

MathWorks Matlab provides powerful algorithm testing capabilities and supports matrix calculations and toolboxes. It integrates with older systems and offers a visual system modeling environment in Simulink. Users appreciate its versatility and ability to create custom libraries for research projects.

MathWorks Matlab supports algorithm development and system modeling with seamless integration with C and Java. It is popular in educational and engineering contexts for its digital twins, mathematical modeling, and digital signal processing. Users in fields like automotive sector rely on Matlab's robust packages and libraries, though there is room for improvement in support and GPU compatibility. The cost and reliance on add-ons can be significant concerns, along with challenging syntax and limited learning resources.

What are the key features of MathWorks Matlab?

Algorithm Testing: Facilitates testing with matrix calculations.
Toolbox Versatility: Offers a broad range of toolboxes and functions.
Simulink Integration: Provides visual modeling for engineering disciplines.
Custom Libraries: Allows creation of tailored libraries for projects.
System Compatibility: Supports older systems and integrates with C and Java.

How does MathWorks Matlab provide benefits and ROI?

Time Savings: Digital twins lead to significant efficiency gains.
Research Reliability: User-friendly design supports R&D projects.
Robust Modeling: Facilitates automation and embedded coding.
Industry Support: Strong packages for specific fields enhance productivity.

MathWorks Matlab is implemented in educational and engineering settings, providing critical support for testing algorithms and data modeling. It's extensively used in the automotive sector for machine learning, statistics, and model-based development. Matlab and Simulink allow users to switch focus based on project needs, offering robust solutions for tasks like algorithm development and digital signal processing.

MathWorks

Starburst Galaxy offers rapid query speeds and robust cluster management, enhancing data engineering efficiency while supporting AWS integrations and cross-database functionality. Users benefit from its advanced data integration and federated querying capabilities.

Starburst Galaxy stands out with a compute-focused architecture that excels in facilitating seamless data integration. Technological innovations like autoscaling clusters and automated metadata management optimize operations in multi-tenant environments. With a keen emphasis on compatibility, the platform provides support for AWS Glue and enables federated querying across S3, Snowflake, and Redshift. This adaptability ensures comprehensive ETL processes and enhances analytics through querying SQL Server, Google Sheets, and blob stores. While noted for its robust capabilities, users seek improvements in cluster startup times, Tableau and AI support, and desire infrastructure-as-code enhancements.

What are Starburst Galaxy's key features?

Rapid Query Speeds: Enhances data processing with quick responses.
Cluster Autoscaling: Optimizes resource allocation for varying workloads.
Federated Querying: Cross-database functionality for seamless integration.
Compute-Focused Architecture: Ensures efficiency and scalability.
Automated Metadata Management: Streamlines data handling processes.
AWS Integration: Broad compatibility with AWS services.

What benefits should users evaluate in reviews?

Data Engineering Efficiency: Reduces operating expenses and improves productivity.
Cost Reduction: Highlights lower storage costs with efficient data handling.
Seamless Integration: Enables robust data integration across various platforms.
Cluster Management: Supports diverse workloads with advanced management tools.

In industries focusing on large-scale data efforts, Starburst Galaxy plays an essential role in connecting data sources like Amazon S3 and RDS, streamlining tasks in data engineering and ad-hoc analysis across complex environments. Teams leverage its cross-database querying to boost AWS analytics, with features tailored for sectors needing agile data solutions, from ETL pipelines to secure data federation.

Starburst

Buyer's Guide

MathWorks Matlab vs. Starburst Galaxy

September 2026

Free Report: MathWorks Matlab vs. Starburst Galaxy

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