# Using Octave instead of Matlab in control engineering [closed]

I would like to know if in a first course in control systems at the undergraduate level I would miss much by using Octave instead of Matlab? I understand that Matlab has simulink but regarding basic control system design, is Octave enough?

• check the toolboxes for functionality by comparing functions., both of them are available online. Oct 30 '17 at 18:16
• For undergraduate Control, Octave is fine. Command set is identical to Matlab, but toolboxes are limited - the Control Systems toolbox is provided in the latest versions though. Matlab does have a student version that is low cost and includes Simulink.
– Chu
Oct 30 '17 at 19:14
• @Chu I would preferably go for an older book in Control since newer books seem to use Simulink. Yes toolboxes are somewhat limited in Octave and everything is not as polished. Oct 31 '17 at 14:35

I've finished my masters degree in electrical engineering one month ago and throughout my entire studies, i only used octave instead of matlab. I also had some control systems classes, which can be perfectly done with the control toolbox for octave (it is not built in). However, as you mentioned, octave has nothing like simulink, so if you need something like that, you don't really have a choice. For the matlab part and the usual undergraduate control systems classes, octave should be perfectly fine!