Support for interactive graphics is much better in matlab than in R. I hate matlab as a language, but I get jealous when I see how its users can explore data with mouse operations, while I'm busy repeating commands with new values for xlim etc. Matlab also handles multi-panel plots much better than any of the R methods for the task. Generally, R graphics has a 1960s feel. It's fine for publication, but not the best solution for interactive exploration of data.
