mat73
Load MATLAB .mat 7.3 into Python native data types (via h5/hd5/hdf5/h5py)
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to read MATLAB 7.3 .mat files in Python. The package is stable, has low install friction, and solves a specific problem scipy.io.loadmat does not. The GPLv3 copyleft license is a consideration for proprietary projects. The repository remains active with no known vulnerabilities.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires a MATLAB 7.3 .mat file; older .mat versions are not supported by this library.
- Low friction install with two common dependencies (h5py, numpy).
- Repository is active with recent commits and moderate community engagement (177 stars).
License · maintenance · safety
GPL3 (copyleft) — GPLv3 copyleft license means any derivative work or distribution must also be open source under GPLv3 terms—acceptable for internal tools or open projects, but restrictive for proprietary software.
last release 2024-07-24 (751 days) · last repo commit 2026-07-19 · 177 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 77,877 downloads/mo, #14,486 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install mat73
import mat73
data_dict = mat73.loadmat('data.mat')
struct = data_dict['structure']
var = struct[0].var1 # with use_attrdict=True- Whether the gap between last release (2024-07-24) and current date indicates active maintenance or dormancy despite recent repo commits.
- Performance characteristics when loading large .mat files or deeply nested structures.
- Completeness of support for all HDF5 structures that MATLAB 7.3 can generate.
What it is and what it does
mat73 fills a gap left by scipy.io.loadmat, which cannot read MATLAB 7.3 .mat files because they are stored as HDF5 containers. This library wraps h5py and numpy to parse those HDF5 files and reconstruct them as native Python dictionaries, with optional attribute-style access for struct members. It handles standard MATLAB datatypes (numeric arrays, strings, structs as lists of dicts, cells as nested lists, sparse matrices) and can selectively load only specified variables or subtrees to reduce memory overhead.
The package is straightforward to use—a single loadmat() call returns a dictionary—but is narrowly scoped: it only handles MATLAB 7.3 files, does not support proprietary MATLAB types, and cannot write .mat files back. It depends on h5py for HDF5 access and numpy for array representation, both widely available.
Use it for
- Load simulation or experimental data saved from MATLAB into Python for analysis with scientific libraries.
- Extract specific variables from large .mat files without loading the entire file into memory using the only_include parameter.
- Migrate MATLAB-based workflows to Python by reading existing .mat archives as dictionaries.
- Access nested MATLAB struct hierarchies using Python attribute syntax for cleaner code.
- Convert MATLAB sparse matrices into scipy.sparse format for linear algebra operations in Python.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to read MATLAB 7.3 .mat files in Python.
The package is stable, has low install friction, and solves a specific problem scipy.io.loadmat does not. The GPLv3 copyleft license is a consideration for proprietary projects. The repository remains active with no known vulnerabilities.
Install
mat73 on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction install with two common dependencies (h5py, numpy). Repository is active with recent commits and moderate community engagement (177 stars).
Requires a MATLAB 7.3 .mat file; older .mat versions are not supported by this library.
License in practice
GPLv3 copyleft license means any derivative work or distribution must also be open source under GPLv3 terms—acceptable for internal tools or open projects, but restrictive for proprietary software.
Quickstart
pip install mat73
import mat73
data_dict = mat73.loadmat('data.mat')
struct = data_dict['structure']
var = struct[0].var1 # with use_attrdict=TrueVerify before relying
- Whether the gap between last release (2024-07-24) and current date indicates active maintenance or dormancy despite recent repo commits.
- Performance characteristics when loading large .mat files or deeply nested structures.
- Completeness of support for all HDF5 structures that MATLAB 7.3 can generate.
Package facts
| License | GPL3 copyleft |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packagesh5pynumpy |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 751 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 77,877 / month, #14,486 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | License :: OSI Approved :: GNU General Public License v3 (GPLv3)Operating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3 |
Evidence: mat73-0.65-py3-none-any.whl
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