OR-Tools vs. Hexaly

Compare OR-Tools vs. Hexaly on problems like Routing, Scheduling, Sequencing, Packing, Clustering, Assignment, and more. The two solvers are compared to the state of the art on key performance metrics like speed and scalability.

OR-Tools vs. Hexaly

What is the difference between Hexaly and OR-Tools?

OR-Tools is a suite of mathematical optimization libraries developed by Google Research. The two main solvers in OR-Tools are: the Vehicle Routing (VRP) solver and the Constraint Programming (CP-SAT) solver. These solvers are limited to combinatorial problems only since they didn’t support continuous variables.

Hexaly is a global optimization solver. Based on nonlinear and set modeling constructs, Hexaly leverages algorithmic techniques from the research than traditional solvers cannot leverage out of the box, like Column Generation and Local Search.

Is the Hexaly suite of products similar to OR-Tools?

OR-Tools is a collection of different solvers with different modeling APIs, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Hexaly’s core product is Hexaly Optimizer, a global and unified mathematical solver. Any optimization problem can be modeled and solved with Hexaly Optimizer. Because solving is not the only challenge faced by developers, Hexaly offers a complete platform to prototype, develop, and deploy optimization apps in the cloud in weeks, not months: Hexaly Studio, Modeler, and Cloud.

Do I have to avoid or approximate continuous variables and expressions when modeling with Hexaly, as I do with OR-Tools?

Hexaly’s modeling formalism is very general, nonlinear and set-oriented. Hexaly supports discrete and continuous variables and expressions. You model your business problems using common mathematical operators like Min, Max, And, Or, If-Then-Else. You can write polynomial, exponential, logarithmic, and trigonometric expressions.

Hexaly supports Black-Box Optimization: you can define your own math operator as a piece of code; this way you can easily mix Simulation or Machine Learning with Mathematical Optimization.

For discrete problems, you can use Set, List, Interval variables and related algebraic operators to model compactly, on the contrary to the traditional Boolean or integer modeling approach.

Also, Hexaly natively supports lexicographic-ordered multiobjective optimization.

Does Hexaly outperform OR-Tools on all types of optimization problems?

We don’t claim Hexaly outperforms OR-Tools on all problems. We have chosen problems related to Supply Chain and Workforce Management that are of interest to enterprises and for which solid scientific literature and results can be found publicly. Benchmarking requires a lot of time to be done seriously. This is a work in progress; new benchmarks will be published in the coming months related to different business domains.

Are my OR-Tools models compatible with Hexaly?

Hexaly is more than a traditional Constraint Programming (CP) solver. This is an hybrid between Mixed-Integer Programming (MIP), Non-Linear Programming (NLP), and Constraint Programming (CP). Its richer, higher-level modeling interface is nonlinear and set-oriented. To benefit from the speed and scalability gains exposed in the benchmark above, you must remodel your problem by following Hexaly’s best modeling practices. This is easy: you can find many Hexaly modeling examples online and our team will be happy to help if you have any questions.

As a result, Hexaly is not compatible with traditional MILP, NLP, and CP solvers. We recognize this is a significant drawback, but changing the traditional modeling interfaces was the only way to build a much better solver. Nevertheless, Hexaly offers very friendly and intuitive Python, Java, C#, and C++ modeling APIs compatible with any hardware, operating system, and cloud environment.

How does Hexaly’s technical support compare to OR-Tools?

OR-Tools comes with no professional support. At Hexaly, the support is done by the people who develop Hexaly Optimizer. In addition to mastering the solver technicalities, Hexaly’s developers regularly have to solve industrial optimization problems in business contexts. As a result, they know very well how to model and solve business problems to make business users happy. They will guide you in the Hexaly documentation, answer your questions, and review your Hexaly model so to ensure it matches Hexaly best modeling practices and delivers the best performance.

Is Hexaly free like OR-Tools?

Hexaly is not free like OR-Tools. We are an independent company and must pay the talented 40 people working every day to make the solver better. The Hexaly team is on a mission to democratize mathematical optimization, as a science and technology, so any organization can optimize its operations and anyone can do more with less. Therefore, contrarily to any other solver vendor, Hexaly offers an Unlimited license for a flat annual or quarterly price. Moreover, our prices are discounted for startups and SMEs and we offer all Hexaly products free of charge to students and academics. Check our pricing page for more details and contact us to answer any specific questions.

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Testimonials

Are you in need of a powerful optimization solver to tackle complex problems like VRP, TSP, scheduling, and packing? Look no further than Hexaly! I’ve been using it daily, and it’s been an absolute game-changer. It’s not just lightning-fast and user-friendly—it’s incredibly flexible and can easily adapt to your specific needs. With its intuitive Studio, you can design use cases in under 20 lines of code. If you're searching for the fastest, most efficient optimization solver on the market, I wholeheartedly recommend Hexaly. Try it out and experience the results for yourself!

Christophe Pennetier Vice President of AI Science & Research, Quincus

Building a bridge between Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) techniques and Operations Research demanded an optimization solver that could seamlessly combine ease of use with powerful performance. Hexaly Optimizer exceeded all expectations. Its intuitive and elegant mathematical formalism, coupled with lightning-fast, transparent algorithms, provided us with the ideal platform for designing optimized system architectures that met multi-perspective constraints. What truly stands out is how Hexaly's team guided us through the implementation of complex constraints, ensuring everything was tailored to our specific needs. I am truly grateful for their expertise and unwavering support throughout the project, making Hexaly Optimizer an essential tool in our success.

Dominique Ernadote MBSE Senior Expert, Airbus Defence & Space

Hexaly revolutionizes the way we complete our patient transport missions, combining efficiency and precision to deliver exceptional schedules. Not only does it save us invaluable time—allowing us to focus on high-impact tasks—but it also enhances our tactical reasoning and medium-term resource planning. With Hexaly, we’re equipped to make smarter decisions and achieve greater results.

Adnane Kassamaly Chief Digital Officer, Keolis Sante

We developed the Pasco supply chain optimization model using Hexaly in just a few days, and the results have exceeded all expectations. Hexaly Optimizer delivered outstanding solutions, as praised by Pasco planners, in only a few minutes of run time—even with tens of millions of variables involved. Initially, we could not have imagined solving such a complex problem so efficiently, especially since industry-standard MILP solvers like CPLEX, Xpress, and Gurobi struggled to handle the problem in hours. Thanks to Hexaly's incredible speed and scalability, we now know that even the most challenging optimization tasks are within reach. The performance and capabilities of Hexaly Optimizer have truly transformed our approach to supply chain optimization.

Shinichi Kuroda Project Director, Pasco Shikishima

Preparing Fret SNCF train drivers’ schedules is an intricate challenge, balancing numerous operational and regulatory constraints. Tackling such a highly combinatorial problem required a solver capable of mastering this complexity while delivering high-quality solutions quickly. Hexaly Optimizer proved to be the best tool on the market for the job. It empowers us to generate optimized schedules annually and adapt them seamlessly to evolving requirements, ensuring efficiency and compliance in an ever-changing environment.

Vincent Chmielarski Head of Operations Research, Fret SNCF

I have worked with Hexaly on several large-scale optimization projects in highly dynamic environments, and it has consistently proven to be instrumental in delivering high-quality solutions within minutes, meeting the critical need for dynamic re-planning. The unique expressiveness of Hexaly’s modeling API, combined with the highly knowledgeable support team, makes Hexaly my go-to choice for tackling complex optimization problems. Their ability to adapt and respond quickly has been invaluable in ensuring our success across various challenging projects.

Tommy Clausen, Ph.D. OR Specialist, cVation

The speed, scalability, and unique nonlinear modeling features of Hexaly have enabled us to tackle a variety of problems that MILP solvers like Gurobi and Cplex couldn’t effectively solve. Hexaly Optimizer’s performance has far exceeded our expectations, especially in areas such as traveling salesman (TSP), vehicle routing (VRP), assignment and matching, and facility location problems. With Hexaly, we successfully optimized the entire supply chain network for our customer Argel, achieving an impressive 12% reduction in OPEX. The thorough and responsive support from Nikolas, Senior Optimization Scientist at Hexaly, has been invaluable in helping us make rapid progress on our projects. We are extremely impressed by Hexaly’s capabilities and the substantial impact it has had on our business.

Renaud Lacour Supply Chain Modeling Expert, Newton.Vaureal Consulting

Solving our complex routing problem became a breeze with Hexaly. Its high-level declarative language made tackling multiple constraints intuitive and straightforward. The lightning-fast performance of Hexaly Optimizer didn’t just speed up solving times—it unlocked the ability to run powerful what-if analyses, giving us deeper insights for fleet management decisions. Even the unpredictable, stochastic nature of the problem was no match, as we could simulate hundreds of scenarios in just minutes. Hexaly turned a challenging task into an opportunity for smarter, faster, and more confident decision-making.

Pierre Laur Volunteered Optimization Scientist, Les Restos du Coeur

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