- Statistical software at a glance
- Eleven statistics programs to consider
- Point-and-click, code or a spreadsheet add-in?
- Borrow the official test of good statistics
- Questions to ask before you install
- Features that make analysis easier to trust
- When a spreadsheet isn't enough
- My plain advice on choosing statistical software
- Frequently asked questions
The best statistical software depends on how you like to work: a free point-and-click program suits students and teachers, a code-based environment suits analysts who want full control, and an established suite suits research teams that need support. Eleven options follow in no particular order.
Statistics software is where good data goes to become either a clear answer or a confident mistake. The program won't save you from a bad question, but the right one makes a good analysis faster and easier to check.
The eleven programs below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from free open source tools to suites used across universities and industry. Every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If you're building a career around this, my guide to breaking into an entry-level data analyst job may help.
Statistical software at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free app or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| EViews | Econometric and time series software | Forecasting and time series | Yes |
| GraphPad Prism | Statistics and graphing for scientists | Lab scientists, not statisticians | Not stated |
| IBM SPSS Statistics | Statistical analysis software | Testing, regression and forecasting | Trial only |
| jamovi | Open statistical software | Easy, open statistics for teaching | Yes |
| JASP | Free statistics program | Classical and Bayesian analyses | Yes |
| JMP | Statistical discovery software | Engineers improving processes | Not stated |
| NCSS and PASS | Statistical and sample size software | Sample size and power analysis | Trial only |
| PSPP | Free statistics program from GNU | An SPSS-like tool at no charge | Yes |
| Stata | Statistical software for data science | Reproducible academic research | Not stated |
| The R Project | Free statistical computing environment | Code-based analysis and graphics | Yes |
| XLSTAT | Statistics add-in for Excel | Advanced analysis inside Excel | Not stated |
Eleven statistics programs to consider
EViews
Best for: Economists, analysts and students who want time series, forecasting and modelling tools, with a free Student Version Lite.
GraphPad Prism
Best for: Lab scientists who want a statistics tool built for researchers rather than statisticians, with data tables that guide each analysis.
IBM SPSS Statistics
Best for: Researchers and analysts who want statistical testing, regression and forecasting, with an AI assistant that explains the output.
jamovi
Best for: Students and teachers who want easy-to-use open statistical software, with a free cloud guest plan that needs no install.
JASP
Best for: Students and researchers who want a free program offering standard analyses in both their classical and Bayesian form.
JMP
Best for: Scientists and engineers who want to explore data visually and automate repeat analyses for process improvement without coding.
NCSS and PASS
Best for: Clinical and academic researchers who need sample size and power analysis, available alongside the NCSS data analysis program.
PSPP
Best for: Small teams and learners who want a free program for statistical analysis of sampled data that looks very similar to SPSS.
Stata
Best for: Economists, epidemiologists and academics who want accurate, reproducible results from software researchers have relied on for decades.
The R Project
Best for: Analysts comfortable with code who want a free software environment for statistical computing and graphics on any major platform.
XLSTAT
Best for: Excel users who want advanced statistical analysis directly inside their spreadsheets, with no coding required at any stage.
Point-and-click, code or a spreadsheet add-in?
Point-and-click programs let you choose tests from menus, which suits students, teachers and occasional users. Code-based environments such as R give you full control and reproducible scripts, but ask more of you up front. Spreadsheet add-ins bring advanced tests into the tool many teams already use.
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Think about who'll repeat the analysis when the data updates. A script someone can rerun is worth a lot later on.
Borrow the official test of good statistics
The Office for Statistics Regulation says compliance with its Code gives confidence that published government statistics have public value, are high quality and are produced by people and organisations that are trustworthy.
Those three ideas, trust, quality and value, make a good checklist for your own reports, whatever software produces them. Can someone see how you got the result, and does it answer a question that matters?
Questions to ask before you install
- Which tests and models do we need now, and which might we need later?
- Do we want menus, code or both?
- Can we save and rerun an analysis when the data changes?
- What does our university or employer already license?
- How good are the charts for reports and papers?
- Does it read our data files without cleaning them by hand?
Features that make analysis easier to trust
- Saved scripts or logs. Someone can repeat your steps.
- Clear output. Results you can explain to a non-statistician.
- Good charts. Visuals ready for a report or paper.
- Data import. Fewer manual edits, fewer mistakes.
When a spreadsheet isn't enough
Repeated measures, many variables, models beyond a simple average and analyses you'll need to rerun are the usual signs. Once your spreadsheet formulas need a separate document to explain them, it's time for dedicated software.
Do you make statistics software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing statistical software
Students should start with whatever their course teaches, then try one of the free programs in the table to see if it suits them better. Researchers and analysts should pick the tool their field uses for publishing, because reviewers and colleagues will expect it.
Whatever you choose, keep a record of every step, from cleaning to final model. A reproducible analysis is more convincing than a beautiful chart. If you're writing up, my tips for starting a research paper cover the next stage.
Frequently asked questions
What is statistical software?
It's software for analysing data with statistical methods, such as tests, regression, forecasting and charts, so you can draw conclusions from numbers.
Is there free statistical software?
Yes. jamovi, JASP and The R Project are free, and EViews offers a free student version. Check the table for each tool.
Is the R language hard to learn?
R takes longer to learn than a menu-driven program because it's code-based, but it gives you reproducible scripts and a huge range of methods.
What's a free alternative to SPSS?
PSPP describes itself as a free replacement for SPSS that looks very similar to it, and the table lists other free options.
Can I do statistics in Excel?
Yes. XLSTAT is an add-in that brings advanced statistical analysis directly into Excel without coding.
Which statistical software do researchers use?
It varies by field. Economists often use Stata, lab scientists often use GraphPad Prism, and many researchers use the R language or SPSS.
