Forecast Pro vs Weka

Forecast Pro creates statistically based business forecasts for use in broader planning systems. Its automatic best-pick algorithm considers seasonal patterns, trends, business cycles, promotional activity, and other factors. Users can forecast at multiple hierarchy levels while working with units, dollars, and other measures at once. Adjustments can be made at any level, with comments and override reports documenting and reconciling changes. The software archives prior forecasts so users can compare them with actual results and review forecast value added across process steps. Data can move through Excel, CSV, text files, or ODBC, and the maker says the product integrates with ERP, MRP, and BI systems. Forecast Pro runs on Windows and can be installed on a client machine or server, including Citrix or Windows Server. The SDK is also available as a Linux shared library, with.NET and Java interfaces. Professional starts at $199 a month, billed annually, with a 12-month minimum. A free trial provides all features for 21 days and ends automatically.

Weka is open-source machine-learning software for building and evaluating models, with support for forecasting and time-series modeling. It is available free under the GNU General Public License, with Weka 3.8 as the stable release and 3.9 as the development version. The stable branch receives fixes and feature updates intended to preserve compatibility; development builds may introduce breaking changes. Weka provides a Java API, Javadoc for its API and command-line parameters, and can also be used through Jupyter notebooks. Official releases require Java 8 or later. Downloads are listed for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux, with Intel and ARM options. Both branches include a package manager for community extensions, though installing packages requires internet access. The software includes built-in help and a comprehensive manual, with additional assistance through documentation, mailing list archives, forums, and a mailing list. Distributed derivative works must use the GPL; commercial projects needing Weka code in a non-GPL program may be able to obtain a suitable license. Models serialized in version 3.7 are incompatible with 3.8, and the migrator has an exception for RandomForest.