Want to jump straight to the answer? The best statistical analysis software for most people is IBM SPSS or Domo.
Statistics and data are crucial for all organizations, no matter what industry you’re in. They provide factual data that can detect trends in the marketplace, analyze the risks of a new project, or assist in finding new ways to outmaneuver your competitors.
Statistical analysis software provides businesses with reliable info to make key decisions, rather than just taking a stab in the dark.
The Top 6 Best Statistical Analysis Software
- IBM SPSS – Best for Robust Capabilities
- Domo – Best for Total Business Intelligence
- JMP – Best for Visual & Interactive Statistical Analysis
- MaxStat – Best for Beginner Statistical Analysis Users
- GraphPad Prism – Best for Scientific Research
- OriginPro – Best for Engineers
Although some of the options listed above may not seem like they’d be a suitable option for you or your industry, we want you to learn about the different features and benefits of each software to build an idea of what you actually need.
Let’s take a deep dive into each of these statistical analysis software options, and then look at the important things to be on the lookout for when you’re doing your own research.
IBM SPSS — Best For Robust Capabilities
IBM SPSS is one of the clear leaders in the market of statistical analysis software. It’s a powerful platform that delivers a robust set of features for a wide range of organizations and individuals such as businesses, scientists, researchers, students, and healthcare professionals.
Data derived from this software has helped organizations increase revenue, outmaneuver competitors, conduct research, and make data-driven decisions.
What we love about SPSS is that not only can it perform high-end statistical functions, but it also has an easy-to-use graphical interface.
One would assume that with such sophisticated software comes a steep learning curve. But with SPSS, that is not the case. It’s one of the most user-friendly statistical software options out there.
SPSS is also a clear leader in the market when it comes to the range of data procedures you can run from the menu. This means you have a greater variety of tests that you can perform with a few clicks without knowing or understanding complicated statistical test coding.
The key features of the SPSS Base Edition software are:
- Advanced data preparation
- Descriptive statistics
- Linear regression (predictive analytics)
- Visual graphing and reporting
- Basic hypothesis testing
Another great thing about SPSS is that their different pricing plans make it a very scalable option. As the plan price increases, it unlocks additional capabilities for you to use alongside your business’s growth.
So, whether you’re a startup looking to gain insight into your competitors, or a large corporation needing to input loads of data into this software, there is a plan for you.
Subscription pricing starts at $99 per user per month, and you can pay monthly or annually. They also have a 30-day free trial, perfect for testing the software’s capabilities before you commit.
Domo — Best for Total Business Intelligence
Domo is a little different from the other software listed here. They aim to be a complete operating system for business intelligence. And from what we’ve seen so far, they are doing an excellent job of it.
They claim to digitally connect your people, data, and systems, empowering them to collaborate better. Which, in turn, encourages better decision-making and efficiency in business.
A standout feature of this software?
It’s cloud-based, which means you can start urgent statistical analyses on the fly from your smartphone. Furthermore, this software is so quick that raw data analysis that would usually take weeks can be completed in as little as days or even hours.
Some features you have access to with Domo are:
- Integrate and illuminate your existing data with thousands of dataset integrations available
- Filter statistical analysis results through your organization for empowerment and action through all levels
- Forecasting and pattern recognition for estimating key business outcomes
- Get recommendations on resource allocation with combinatorial optimization
- Precise cash flow modeling for financial health awareness
It’s pretty clear by this set of features that Domo is not your usual statistical analysis software, which is exactly why we wanted to include it in our top recommendations. It’s new, innovative, and all about using real-time statistics and data to drive your business.
Domo is suitable to use for a range of industries, including retail, media and entertainment, manufacturing, finance, and more.
You will need to contact Domo for pricing as it is tailored based on the features you require. You can also try it for free here.
JMP — Best for Visual & Interactive Statistical Analysis
When it comes to producing a wide range of visual statistics that will wow your stakeholders and key decision-makers, JMP has got you covered.
Using this software, you will be able to communicate results with key parties easily. Not only can you present it in a beautiful, visual way, but you can also create interactive reports and profiles to allow the data to speak directly to the user.
This is particularly useful when the findings might be quite complex, and you need to communicate the results with someone who may not have an affinity with statistical methods.
If you can’t get this information directly in front of key stakeholders in person, this software offers quick-view dashboards to store critical information with easy access.
Noteworthy statistical capabilities of this software include:
- Linear regression models
- Categorical data presented in a variety of formats
- Build simple decision trees
- Build neural networks within JMP with hidden nodes
- Easily process unstructured text data
A highlight for us about this software is definitely the interactive data presentation features. Sometimes results presented interactively can speak way louder than those given as raw numbers, tables, or graphs.
Pricing is not readily available on their website, but sources suggest once your 30-day free trial is over, your subscription will be around $130 per month, depending on the number of users.
MaxStat — Best For Beginner Statistical Analysis Users
Not all businesses have someone in their team experienced in statistical analysis, and if your mind is boggling with all the tools and options mentioned here, you’re not alone!
But don’t give up hope just yet. We have the perfect recommendation for you.
MaxStat is an easy-to-use, affordable, and intuitive statistical analysis software specifically marketed to those with no statistical experience. As long as you know what to do with the results it provides, MaxStat will do the rest for you!
The best part about this software is that you have access to over 100 statistical tests, and you’ll have your results within three steps. It almost sounds too good to be true, right?
Some key features of MaxStat include:
- Guidance through statistical analysis and scientific graphing
- Results are easy to understand and interpret
- Display results in over 30 high-quality graph options
- Forecasting and visualization tools
- Tons of basic statistical tests such as sample size, median, percentiles, and skewness
- Hypothesis testing
- Regression analysis
A standout of this software for those new to statistical analysis software is MaxStat’s robust online help center. It is filled with useful documentation and video tutorials to get users started quickly and confidently.
You can try a 14-day free trial to get you started. If you were to use MaxStat for non-commercial use, there is an entirely free Lite version.
GraphPad Prism — Best for Scientific Research
GraphPad Prism is easily the most popular solution for science-based statistics and analysis software. After all, it was founded and designed by a scientist, with the intention of it being able to keep up with his endless research and statistical analyses.
GraphPad Prism offers a wide range of statistical analysis functions and is used across various industries such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, life sciences, healthcare, technology, and telecommunications.
Although it is designed for scientific use, it can be applied to other industries, as there is no coding knowledge required.
Some features you can expect to find with GraphPad Prism include:
- One-click regression analysis
- Organize data effectively based on the analyses you want to run
- Extensive library of analyses labeled in clear language (no statistical jargon here!)
- Follow a checklist of requirements to ensure you’ve chosen the right test to run
- Customizable graphs that can be exported in publication-friendly format
The headache-saving highlight of this software is that any changes you make to the data sets as you work automatically updates the results and graphs in real-time. This means you don’t have to worry about whether or not you produced the test on the most up-to-date information.
Another thing that we love about GraphPad Prism is the extensive support provided to all users. Support is extended through a robust resource center filled with detailed guides, answers to frequently asked questions, and video tutorials. If you’re still having troubles with something, you can contact their dedicated help desk via email.
Pricing starts from $276/year for corporate use. But if you only need it for a short-term project, they also offer a monthly subscription from $40/month.
You can try GraphPad Prism for 30-days for free!
OriginPro — Best for Engineers
OriginPro is a cloud-based statistical analysis and graphing software used by academic institutions, government organizations, nonprofits, and businesses.
However, it is most favored by and designed for engineers and scientists.
OriginPro provides engineers the tools for peak fitting, surface fitting, statistics, and signal processing. These capabilities reportedly make their lives and jobs easier and more simplified when it comes to big projects.
It also has the ability to perform mathematical operations, area calculation, non-parametric tests, and custom graphs of multiple types such as piper diagram, means plot, heatmap, and image stack profile. You can also save these tests as templates for future use instead of creating them all over again.
The only thing we don’t love about OriginPro is their outdated website. But you can’t always judge a book by its cover, and by all accounts, the reviews of this software make it a top recommendation for this sector.
Pricing is not readily available on the website. However, you can try OriginPro for free before you get in touch with sales regarding pricing.
How To Find the Best Statistical Analysis Software for You
With so many statistical analysis tools, which is the right one for you?
Statistical analysis software is designed to target a specific industry, like scientific research, healthcare, business, or human behavior. But you can use them in other sectors as well.
Use the below methodology to hone in on the best option for you.
Easy to Understand Results
Your software of choice should present data results so that anyone involved in your business — staff, colleagues, and stakeholders — can process what they’re seeing easily, quickly, and with little guidance.
The best statistical analysis software offers a range of graphical interpretations and visual features that make it easy to interpret the data at a glance. It’s crucial to know the variety of ways that results can be presented before you make an investment.
Range of Statistical Tests
There is an endless amount of tests you can do with data to gain a statistical analysis.
With this in mind, there are two key things to consider:
Does the software run the gamut of statistical tests you need? How easy is it to run this range of tests?
For example, if the software offers every statistical test under the sun, but you have to learn complex coding just to get the test off the ground, it’s probably going to cause more of a headache than those additional test results are worth.
Simplicity and usability are key here.
Integrations
Usually, integrations are not something we highlight as a factor in your decision. But not all statistical analysis software offers a wide range of integrations, which could be problematic. If the integrations library is narrow, your needs won’t be met.
Imagine choosing a statistical analysis software, then learning it won’t extract any data from your existing business software. Now you have to enter all the data manually. This a waste of valuable time, renders your new software useless, wastes resources.
Look for lots of flexibility in data extraction and data importing options so there is no room for human error.
The Top Statistical Analysis Software in Summary
Our top picks for the best statistical analysis software to suit just about any business needs are IBM SPSS, Domo, and JMP. But if you’re looking for a more cost-effective option or one with a very low learning curve, you should also strongly consider MaxStat.
We always recommend that you do your due diligence in testing out a few free trials to see which one best fits your needs.