Yes, it's extremely easy to link to packages in R, and even to include C++ programs to make your R package run faster. Mathematica, on the other hand, is a larg

Yes, it's extremely easy to link to packages in R, and even to include C++ programs to make your R package run faster. Mathematica, on the other hand, is a large proprietary package that involves a bit of effort to install and use. I'm not sure about what statistical features it has, but perhaps they're not as developed as R's.