Pure Data (Pd) is a visual programming language developed by Miller Puckette in the 1990s for creating interactive computer music and multimedia works. While Puckette is the main author of the program, Pd is an open-source project with a large developer base working on new extensions. It is released under BSD-3-Clause. It runs on Linux, MacOS, iOS, Android and Windows. Ports exist for FreeBSD and IRIX.
Pd is very similar in scope and design to Puckette's original Max program, developed while he was at IRCAM, and is to some degree interoperable with Max/MSP, the commercial successor to the Max language. They may be collectively discussed as members of the Patcher family of languages.
With the addition of the Graphics Environment for Multimedia (GEM) external, and externals designed to work with it (like Pure Data Packet / PiDiP for Linux, Mac OS X), framestein for Windows, GridFlow (as n-dimensional matrix processing, for Linux, Mac OS X, Windows), it is possible to create and manipulate video, OpenGL graphics, images, etc., in realtime with many possibilities for interactivity with audio, external sensors, and more.
What is Pure Data?
Pure Data by Miller Puckette is open-source Windows software in the ides & code editors category. It ranks 22nd by popularity among ides & code editors in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 1996. It is written in C. Besides Windows, it is available for macOS and Linux.
Installation and requirements
The publisher provides EXE installers for 64-bit Windows. The main installer is 13.0 MB. A silent install is possible with the installer’s documented switches.
Updates and version history
The current version is 0.57-0, released on October 5, 2026. The version history goes back to March 30, 2021: 13 releases, all linked to the official files. That is about 2.4 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 9,691 times. The source code on GitHub (pure-data/pure-data) has 2,114 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 20 of our languages. Similar programs include OpenCode, RStudio and Node.js (LTS).
Project description on GitHub: “Pure Data - a free real-time computer music system”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Updated in the last two months
- Small download (13.0 MB)
- Also runs on macOS and Linux
- Mature project (since 1996)
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: Pure Data is an open-source ides & code editor tool for 64-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is Pure Data safe to download?
- The file is served by msp.ucsd.edu, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
6C1DC1DE251A9E130B8229165EF5932B54F89672376A78ED5FD650C6945439A8· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link answered when we last checked it (October 22, 2026)
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the pure-data/pure-data repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No binaries in the repository9
- Licence declared9
- Code review6
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 13 versions ›13 versions over 6 years · about 2.4 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.57-0Latest | October 5, 2026 | 13.0 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.56-5 | June 19, 2026 | 12.9 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.56-4 | June 15, 2026 | 12.9 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.56-3 | June 1, 2026 | 12.9 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.56-2 | November 11, 2025 | 12.7 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.56-1 | August 25, 2025 | 12.7 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.56-0 | July 31, 2025 | 12.7 MB | 64-bit EXE |
| 0.55-2 | November 20, 2024 | 12.1 MB | 64-bit EXE |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id MillerPuckette.PureData -echoco install puredata -yscoop install extras/pure-datapd-0.57-0.windows-installer.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
flatpak install flathub info.puredata.PdInformation
- Publisher
- Miller Puckette
- Category
- IDEs & code editors
- Licence
- Standard Improved BSD License
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/pure-data/pure-data
- Written in
- C
- Content rating
- All ages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE
- Other platforms
- macOS, Linux
- Version
- 0.57-0
- Released
- October 5, 2026
- First release
- 1996
- Added to the catalogue
- March 30, 2021
- Versions listed
- 13
- Updates / year
- 2.4
- Chocolatey downloads
- 9,691
- GitHub stars
- 2,114
- GitHub forks
- 292
- Website
- puredata.info
- winget ID
- MillerPuckette.PureData
- Chocolatey package
- puredata
- Scoop package
- extras/pure-data
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Pure Data free?
Yes. Pure Data is open-source software under the Standard Improved BSD License licence.
Is Pure Data safe to download?
The download comes from msp.ucsd.edu, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Pure Data with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Pure Data be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Pure Data run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Pure Data?
The versions page lists all 13 versions with links to their official installer files, back to March 30, 2021.
What are alternatives to Pure Data?
OpenCode, RStudio, Node.js (LTS), Apache NetBeans and VSCodium. The alternatives page compares them.
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