Comparison of agent-based modeling software

The agent-based modeling (ABM) community has developed several practical agent based modeling toolkits that enable individuals to develop agent-based applications. More and more such toolkits are coming into existence, and each toolkit has a variety of characteristics. Several individuals have made attempts to compare toolkits to each other (see references). Below is a chart intended to capture many of the features that are important to ABM toolkit users.

Comparison of ABM Software

class="wikitable sortable sort-under" \|+ Agent Based Modeling Toolkit Comparison
{{verth\|va=middle\|Platform}} ! Primary Domain ! Supporting Organization ! License ! Programming Language ! Operating System ! User Support ! GIS Capabilities ! 3D Capabilities ! Last Update
{{verth\|va=middle\|Adaptive Modeler}} \| Building agent-based market simulation models for price forecasting of real-world stocks and other securities \| Altreva; Utrecht, Netherlands \| {{Proprietary}}; free evaluation version available for research and experimentation (some limitations but no expiration) \| No programming skills required. An adaptive form of genetic programming is used to create trading rules. Users can select functions to be used in the genetic programming engine. \| Windows \| FAQ, documentation, tutorial, examples, forum, email support \| {{unk}} \| {{yes}} Up to 3 agent properties can be visualized in real-time using 2D graphics and color \| {{dts\|2020-07-20}} (Version 1.6.0) {{Cite web\|url=https://www.altreva.com/release_notes.html\|title=Altreva - Stock market forecasting software using agent-based market simulation models\|website=www.altreva.com\|accessdate=29 November 2023}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|AnyLogic}} \| Agent-based general purpose; also supports discrete event and system dynamics simulations. \| The AnyLogic Company; Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, USA \| {{Proprietary}}; Free Personal Learning Edition available \| Java \| Linux, macOS, Windows \| Demos; training; online community; ask a question; online help; tutorials; consulting services \| {{yes}}: supports both tile maps from free online providers and shapefile-based maps \| {{yes}} \| {{dts\|2024-11-20}}(Version 8.7.7) {{Cite web\|url=https://www.anylogic.com/downloads/\|title= AnyLogic latest version - 8.9.3\|website=www.anylogic.com\|access-date=2024-12-02}}{{Cite web\|title=AnyLogic 8.9.2 and 8.9.3: innovations that drive future progress\|url=https://www.anylogic.com/blog/anylogic-8-9-2-and-8-9-3-innovations-that-drive-future-progress/\|access-date=2024-12-02 }}
{{verth\|va=middle\|Framsticks}} \| 2D/3D simulations of (evolving) multi-agent systems and artificial life \| Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland \| Depends on module: GPL/LGPL/Proprietary \| FramScript (similar to JavaScript) \| Cross-platform \| Email developer; tutorials; manual; FAQ; forums; API; documentation; selected publications; examples \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{dts\|2015-07-14}}[http://www.framsticks.com/files/apps/history.xml History] framsticks.com
{{verth\|va=middle\|GAMA Platform}} \| Modeling and simulation development environment for building spatially explicit agent-based simulations. \| IRD/SU international research unit UMMISCO, France \| {{GPL-lic}} v3.0 \| GAML (GAma Modeling Language) for simulations, Java for extensions \| Windows; Linux; *nix; Mac OS X \| tutorials; manual; FAQ; forums; documentation; selected publications; examples \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{start date and age\|2023\|04\|15}} (version 1.9.1) {{Cite web\|url=https://github.com/gama-platform/gama/releases\|title = Releases · gama-platform/Gama\|website = GitHub}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|MASON}} \| General purpose; social complexity, physical modeling, abstract modeling, AI/machine learning \| George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA \| {{open source}} (Academic Free License) \| Java \| Cross-platform \| Mailing list; documentation; Tutorials; third party extensions; reference papers; API \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{dts\|2019-09-03}} (Version 20){{Cite web\|url=https://github.com/eclab/mason/releases\|title=Releases · eclab/Mason\|website=GitHub}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|NetLogo}} \| Social and natural sciences; Help beginning users get started authoring models \| Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA \| {{GPL-lic}} \| NetLogo \| Cross-platform \| Documentation; FAQ; selected references; tutorials; third party extensions; defect list; mailing lists \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{dts\|2023-11-17}} (Version 6.4.0) {{Cite web\|url=https://github.com/NetLogo/NetLogo/releases\|title = Releases · NetLogo/NetLogo\|website = GitHub}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|Repast}} \| Social and natural sciences \| Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago; Lemont, Illinois, USA \| {{BSD-lic}} \| Java (RepastS, RepastJ); Python (Repast4Py); Visual Basic, .Net, C++, J#, C# (Repast.net) \| Cross-platform \| Documentation; mailing list; defect list; reference papers; external tools; tutorials; FAQ; examples \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{dts\|2024-07-02}} (Version 2.11.0) {{Cite web\|url=https://github.com/Repast/repast.simphony/releases\|title = Releases · Repast/Repast.simphony\|website = GitHub}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|Soar}} \| General purpose AI; human performance modeling; learning (including explanation-based learning) \| John E. Laird, Clare Bates Congdon, Mazin Assanie, Nate Derbinsky and Joseph Xu; Division of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA \| {{BSD-lic}} \| Soar 1 to 5 in Lisp; Soar 6 in C; Java, C++, TCL \| Cross-platform \| Documentation; FAQ; selected publications; defect list; third party extensions; mailing list; contact authors; tutorial; examples; wiki \| {{unk}} \| {{unk}} \| {{dts\|2017-07-28}} (Version 9.6.0) {{Cite web\|url=https://github.com/SoarGroup/Soar/releases\|title=Releases · SoarGroup/Soar\|website=GitHub}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|StarLogo}} \| Social and natural sciences; Educators; for students to model the behavior of decentralized systems; user friendly for K–12 students \| Mitchel Resnick, Eric Klopfer, and others at MIT Media Lab and The MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA, USA \| {{Free}} (closed source) – Clearthought Software License, Version 1.0 \| StarLogo (an extension of Logo) \| Cross-platform \| Mailing list; tutorials; FAQ; bug list; documentation; developer contacts \| {{unk}} \| {{unk}} \| {{dts\|2018-11-27}} {{Cite web\|url=https://www.slnova.org/#info\|title = Welcome}}
{{verth\|va=middle\|Swarm}} \| General purpose agent based \| Swarm Development Group \| {{GPL-lic}} \| Java; Objective-C \| Cross-platform \| Wiki; tutorials; examples; documentation; FAQ; selected publications; mailing lists \| {{unk}} \| {{unk}} \|{{dts\|2005}} {{Cite web\|url=http://www.swarm.org/wiki/Swarm:Stable_release\|title = Swarm:Stable release - Swarm}}

class="wikitable sortable sort-under"

|+ Agent Based Modeling Toolkit Comparison

! Primary Domain

! Supporting Organization

! License

! Programming Language

! Operating System

! User Support

! GIS Capabilities

! 3D Capabilities

! Last Update

| Building agent-based market simulation models for price forecasting of real-world stocks and other securities

| Altreva; Utrecht, Netherlands

| {{Proprietary}}; free evaluation version available for research and experimentation (some limitations but no expiration)

| No programming skills required. An adaptive form of genetic programming is used to create trading rules. Users can select functions to be used in the genetic programming engine.

| Windows

| FAQ, documentation, tutorial, examples, forum, email support

| {{unk}}

| {{yes}} Up to 3 agent properties can be visualized in real-time using 2D graphics and color

| {{dts|2020-07-20}} (Version 1.6.0) {{Cite web|url=https://www.altreva.com/release_notes.html|title=Altreva - Stock market forecasting software using agent-based market simulation models|website=www.altreva.com|accessdate=29 November 2023}}

| Agent-based general purpose; also supports discrete event and system dynamics simulations.

| The AnyLogic Company; Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, USA

| {{Proprietary}}; Free Personal Learning Edition available

| Java

| Linux, macOS, Windows

| Demos; training; online community; ask a question; online help; tutorials; consulting services

| {{yes}}: supports both tile maps from free online providers and shapefile-based maps

| {{yes}}

| {{dts|2024-11-20}}(Version 8.7.7) {{Cite web|url=https://www.anylogic.com/downloads/|title= AnyLogic latest version - 8.9.3|website=www.anylogic.com|access-date=2024-12-02}}{{Cite web|title=AnyLogic 8.9.2 and 8.9.3: innovations that drive future progress|url=https://www.anylogic.com/blog/anylogic-8-9-2-and-8-9-3-innovations-that-drive-future-progress/|access-date=2024-12-02 }}

| 2D/3D simulations of (evolving) multi-agent systems and artificial life

| Poznan University of Technology, Poznan, Poland

| Depends on module: GPL/LGPL/Proprietary

| FramScript (similar to JavaScript)

| Cross-platform

| Email developer; tutorials; manual; FAQ; forums; API; documentation; selected publications; examples

| {{Yes}}

| {{dts|2015-07-14}}[http://www.framsticks.com/files/apps/history.xml History] framsticks.com

| Modeling and simulation development environment for building spatially explicit agent-based simulations.

| IRD/SU international research unit UMMISCO, France

| {{GPL-lic}} v3.0

| GAML (GAma Modeling Language) for simulations, Java for extensions

| Windows; Linux; *nix; Mac OS X

| tutorials; manual; FAQ; forums; documentation; selected publications; examples

| {{Yes}}

| {{start date and age|2023|04|15}} (version 1.9.1) {{Cite web|url=https://github.com/gama-platform/gama/releases|title = Releases · gama-platform/Gama|website = GitHub}}

| General purpose; social complexity, physical modeling, abstract modeling, AI/machine learning

| George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA

| {{open source}}
(Academic Free License)

| Java

| Cross-platform

| Mailing list; documentation; Tutorials; third party extensions; reference papers; API

| {{Yes}}

| {{dts|2019-09-03}} (Version 20){{Cite web|url=https://github.com/eclab/mason/releases|title=Releases · eclab/Mason|website=GitHub}}

| Social and natural sciences; Help beginning users get started authoring models

| Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA

| {{GPL-lic}}

| NetLogo

| Cross-platform

| Documentation; FAQ; selected references; tutorials; third party extensions; defect list; mailing lists

| {{Yes}}

| {{dts|2023-11-17}} (Version 6.4.0) {{Cite web|url=https://github.com/NetLogo/NetLogo/releases|title = Releases · NetLogo/NetLogo|website = GitHub}}

| Social and natural sciences

| Argonne National Laboratory, University of Chicago; Lemont, Illinois, USA

| {{BSD-lic}}

| Java (RepastS, RepastJ); Python (Repast4Py); Visual Basic, .Net, C++, J#, C# (Repast.net)

| Cross-platform

| Documentation; mailing list; defect list; reference papers; external tools; tutorials; FAQ; examples

| {{Yes}}

| {{dts|2024-07-02}} (Version 2.11.0) {{Cite web|url=https://github.com/Repast/repast.simphony/releases|title = Releases · Repast/Repast.simphony|website = GitHub}}

| General purpose AI; human performance modeling; learning (including explanation-based learning)

| John E. Laird, Clare Bates Congdon, Mazin Assanie, Nate Derbinsky and Joseph Xu; Division of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

| {{BSD-lic}}

| Soar 1 to 5 in Lisp; Soar 6 in C; Java, C++, TCL

| Cross-platform

| Documentation; FAQ; selected publications; defect list; third party extensions; mailing list; contact authors; tutorial; examples; wiki

| {{unk}}

| {{dts|2017-07-28}} (Version 9.6.0) {{Cite web|url=https://github.com/SoarGroup/Soar/releases|title=Releases · SoarGroup/Soar|website=GitHub}}

| Social and natural sciences; Educators; for students to model the behavior of decentralized systems; user friendly for K–12 students

| Mitchel Resnick, Eric Klopfer, and others at MIT Media Lab and The MIT Scheller Teacher Education Program, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Cambridge, MA, USA

| {{Free}} (closed source) – Clearthought Software License, Version 1.0

| StarLogo (an extension of Logo)

| Cross-platform

| Mailing list; tutorials; FAQ; bug list; documentation; developer contacts

| {{unk}}

| {{dts|2018-11-27}} {{Cite web|url=https://www.slnova.org/#info|title = Welcome}}

| General purpose agent based

| Swarm Development Group

| {{GPL-lic}}

| Java; Objective-C

| Cross-platform

| Wiki; tutorials; examples; documentation; FAQ; selected publications; mailing lists

| {{unk}}

|{{dts|2005}} {{Cite web|url=http://www.swarm.org/wiki/Swarm:Stable_release|title = Swarm:Stable release - Swarm}}

References

Category:Software comparisons

Category:Simulation software