IBM SPSS Statistics vs PAST

IBM SPSS Statistics is desktop software for statistical analysis, data preparation, predictive modeling, forecasting, and automated analysis. Its methods include statistical testing, regression, mediation analysis, multivariate time-series analysis, bootstrapping, decision trees, neural networks, and complex-sample analysis. The AI Output Assistant, powered by watsonx.ai, analyzes selected results and presents plain-language insights. Python and R plug-ins let users work with those languages inside SPSS Statistics. IBM lists subscription, perpetual, campus, and student licenses. The Base subscription is $99 a month per authorized user and includes Statistics Base, data preparation, and bootstrapping. Three other named subscriptions are each $79 a month, with features for custom tables and advanced statistics, forecasting and decision trees, or complex sampling and testing. A 14-day trial requires no credit card to create an account, and there is no free plan. IBM says the desktop software is not supported on Linux; an authorized-user license also cannot run remotely through multi-session environments.

PAST is free desktop software for statistical analysis, available on Windows and macOS. It provides spreadsheet-style data entry, univariate and multivariate statistics, and graphical analysis. The software includes statistical tests, regression models, and scripting support. Data import covers Excel, NEXUS, TPS, NTSYS, FASTA, PHYLIP, Arlequin, BioGraph, RASC, CONOP, and tab-separated text, giving users several ways to bring existing datasets into the application. PAST is offered under a Free plan listed at free, with no separate paid plan listed. Its deployment is desktop rather than web-based. The maker is PAST, associated with Oslo, Norway, and the software was founded in 1999. The combination of spreadsheet entry, statistical methods, scripting, and broad import-format support makes it suited to users who need local analysis of data from varied sources.