Commercial and Open-Source Solvers

World-class solvers, seamlessly integrated

AMPL connects you with the world’s leading optimization solvers – commercial and open source – so you can solve large-scale, complex problems with speed and confidence.

Solvers

Engines for your optimization models

Solvers are the engines that drive optimization. With AMPL, you gain a unified modeling interface that works across a wide range of solver technologies – giving you the freedom to prototype with open-source tools, scale with commercial power, and switch between solvers with minimal effort. Whether you’re optimizing financial portfolios, energy systems, logistics networks, or manufacturing schedules, AMPL helps you get the best performance from the best solvers. 

Why Solvers Matter

Choose the right solver. Unlock better performance. Never locked in.

The choice of solver can dramatically impact the speed, scalability, and reliability of your optimization results. AMPL separates modeling from solving – so you can focus on building the right formulation while gaining access to a wide array of solver technologies. 

With AMPL’s solver-independent design, you can:

Solvers

Commercial Solvers for Demanding Applications

The Best Choice for Enterprise & Production Use

AMPL works seamlessly with the world’s most advanced commercial solvers. These engines are built for high-performance applications where speed, reliability, and scalability are critical. From finance to energy and logistics, our commercial solver integrations help organizations solve problems that matter – faster. 

Linear Solvers for AMPL

For large-scale discrete optimization and operational planning.

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Gurobi

A fast and powerful solver for linear and mixed-integer optimization, widely used in industry and research.

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Free trial available

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CPLEX

A high-performance solver for large-scale linear and mixed-integer problems, known for its robust algorithms.

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Free trial available

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Xpress

An advanced solver for complex linear and mixed-integer models, offering strong performance and flexibility.

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Free trial available

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Mosek

A high-performance solver for linear, quadratic, and conic optimization, trusted for financial and large-scale applications.

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Free trial available

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COPT

A fast, modern solver for linear and mixed-integer problems, offering competitive performance with flexible licensing.

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Free trial available

Nonlinear Solvers for AMPL

For smooth optimization problems with continuous variables.

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Artley's Knitro

A leading nonlinear solver designed for large-scale optimization with advanced algorithms.

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Free trial available

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CONOPT

Well-suited for smooth nonlinear problems, commonly used in engineering and economics.

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Free trial available

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LOQO

A primal-dual interior-point solver for nonlinear and quadratic programming.

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Free trial available

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SNOPT

Optimized for large-scale sparse nonlinear programs, particularly in aerospace and engineering

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Free trial available

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MINOS

A reliable solver for constrained nonlinear problems, often used in energy and logistics.

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Free trial available

Global Solvers for AMPL

For non-convex problems and guaranteed global solutions.

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Baron

A powerful global optimization solver for nonconvex problems, ensuring global optimality

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Free trial available

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LGO

A flexible solver for global and local optimization across various problem types.

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Free trial available

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LINDO Global

Handles large-scale global optimization with deterministic and heuristic methods.

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Free trial available

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Octeract

A modern solver designed for high-performance global optimization in complex systems.

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Free trial available

Open Source Solver Options

Powerful open-source solvers - built in

AMPL includes a suite of proven open-source solvers, ready to use out of the box. These tools are ideal for prototyping, academic research, and smaller-scale deployments. With AMPL’s unified modeling interface, you can start with open-source solvers and easily transition to commercial engines as your needs evolve – without rewriting your models. 

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HiGHS

High-performance LP and MIP solver, developed for modern hardware with an open license.

Linear + Mixed Integer

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Included in all licenses

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CBC

Reliable MIP solver with active development and integration in many open-source workflows.

Mixed Integer

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Included in all licenses

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SCIP

Advanced MIP and MINLP solver with strong performance in research-grade problems.

Mixed Integer & Mixed-Integer Nonlinear

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Included in all licenses

Solver Selection & Benchmarking Services

Not sure which solver is right? Let the data decide.

Solver performance isn’t one-size-fits-all – it depends on your model’s structure, size, and constraints. AMPL makes it easy to compare solver performance objectively through our benchmarking tools and expert services. 

Whether you’re choosing between commercial licenses, assessing scalability, or optimizing runtime, we can help you make the right call – grounded in data, not guesswork. 

What we offer:

Solver benchmarking services

Upload your model, and we'll run it across multiple solvers to compare speed, robustness, and solution quality.

Performance tuning & diagnostics

Get expert recommendations on solver settings, presolve strategies, and formulation improvements.

Consulting for solver strategy

Align solver choice with your business needs - balancing cost, performance, licensing, and future growth.

Free Ways to Get Started

Start solving in minutes - no commitment required

Whether you’re exploring solvers for a research project, evaluating performance for production use, or just getting started with optimization, AMPL offers free, low-friction options to help you test and learn. Choose the option that fits your needs. 

Community Edition

Ideal for learning, prototyping, and light applications

  • Use AMPL with open-source solvers like HiGHS, CBC, and SCIP
  • No license key required
  • Free for anyone

Commercial Trial License

Evaluate commercial solvers with full support

  • Access solvers like Gurobi, CPLEX, Xpress, Mosek, Baron and more.
  • Perfect for proof-of-concept, evaluation, or benchmarking
  • Includes support and documentation access

Free Academic Licenses

Full-featured access for students, instructors, and researchers

  • Use commercial solvers like Gurobi, CPLEX and Xpress free. 
  • Supports teaching, theses, and academic research
  • Quick academic verification

Let's find the right solver for you

AMPL gives you the flexibility to work with the best solvers in the world – from open-source engines for exploration to commercial powerhouses for production. Whether you’re just starting out or optimizing mission-critical systems at scale, we’ll help you choose the right tools to get the job done.  

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Resources & learning hub

Our resources provide you with the documentation needed to implement solvers.