IBM SPSS Statistics vs SAS Visual Statistics
IBM SPSS Statistics
ibm.comSAS Visual Statistics
sas.comSide by side
| Figure | IBM SPSS Statistics | SAS Visual Statistics |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $79/mo | — |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | Yes |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | — | Yes |
| Windows | Yes | — |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| API | Yes | — |
| Self-hosted | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 18 | 1 |
| Spec score · Statistical Analysis Software | 9.3 (#1) | 8.2 (#27) |
| Deployment | desktop | SAS Viya supports cloud, hybrid and on-premises deployment environments. |
| Founded | 1911 | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Armonk, New York, United States | Cary, North Carolina, USA |
| Purpose | IBM describes SPSS Statistics as a statistical analysis platform for extracting insights from data using statistical testing, predictive modeling, regression, forecasting, data preparation and automated analysis. | SAS Visual Statistics on SAS Viya provides interactive statistical visualizations and analytical modeling from raw data to strategic action. |
| Python integration | IBM supplies a Python integration plug-in with access to SPSS data, dictionaries, procedures, output and user-interface objects. | Native Python Pandas DataFrame integration lets programmers upload DataFrames to CAS and retrieve CAS results as DataFrames for use with packages such as Pandas, matplotlib, Plotly and Bokeh. |
| Regression models | Yes | Yes |
| Scripting support | Yes | Yes |
| Statistical tests | Yes | Yes |
Plans
IBM SPSS Statistics
- Base subscription$99 a month
- Custom Tables and Advanced Statistics$79 a month
- Forecasting and Decision Trees$79 a month
- Complex Sampling and Testing$79 a month
- Base EditionPrice not published
- Base EditionPriced on request
- Standard EditionPriced on request
- Standard EditionPrice not published
- Professional EditionPriced on request
- Professional EditionPrice not published
In their own words
IBM SPSS Statistics
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.
SAS Visual Statistics
SAS Visual Statistics is a statistical visualization and modeling product on SAS Viya. It supports analysis from raw data toward strategic action, with visual model building, variable adjustment, and outlier removal; users can see how those changes affect outcomes. Multiple users can collaborate on the same data model, and the environment supports Python, R, or SAS. Listed techniques include clustering, decision trees, linear and logistic regression, generalized linear and additive models, and nonparametric logistic regression.
Imports include SAS data sets, Excel, delimited text, CSV, DTA, JMP, Parquet, and SPSS. Programmers can access the Viya CAS server through SAS Studio, PROC CAS, Python, R, Lua, Java, and public REST APIs. Native Python Pandas DataFrame integration supports sending DataFrames to CAS and retrieving results for use with packages such as Pandas, matplotlib, Plotly, and Bokeh. SAS Cloud Analytic Services processes data in memory and distributes work across cluster nodes. The product is cloud-deployed, paid, and priced on request; no free plan is listed, but a free trial is available.