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IBM SPSS Statistics vs IBM Watson Studio comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
6.6
IBM SPSS Statistics boosts efficiency and decision-making, providing user-friendly data analysis and a 50% estimated ROI.
Sentiment score
7.0
Organizations saw positive ROI from IBM Watson Studio due to improved efficiency, scalability, sales, and reduced staffing needs.
The product offers a significant return on investment through its scalability and integration capabilities.
My customers have seen returns on investment through increased efficiency, automated calculations, improved accuracy in pricing, and reduced staffing needs due to the automation.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
IBM SPSS Statistics support experiences vary; some report satisfaction, others cite delays, with reliance on forums and self-help.
Sentiment score
7.2
IBM Watson Studio customer service is praised for efficiency and responsiveness, though support quality varies by subscription plan and community resources.
The community access is weak, which limits the ability to engage in discussions and find documentation and examples of similar cases effectively.
The support quality depends on the SLA or the contract terms.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.4
IBM SPSS Statistics excels with moderate data, but struggles with Big Data due to licensing and resource limitations.
Sentiment score
7.5
IBM Watson Studio is scalable with excellent integration, but its resource intensity may increase costs for extensive scaling.
Watson Studio is very scalable.
I rate IBM Watson Studio seven out of ten for scalability because while it scales, it requires significant resources to do so, making it expensive compared to some competitors.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
IBM SPSS Statistics is stable and reliable with occasional minor bugs, requiring adequate RAM for optimal performance.
Sentiment score
7.4
IBM Watson Studio is praised for stability and reliability, comparable to or better than competitors, with effective optimization for large tasks.
Expertise in optimization is necessary to manage such issues effectively.
 

Room For Improvement

IBM SPSS users seek improvements in cost, visualization, documentation, training, user interface, automation, and integration for enhanced usability.
IBM Watson Studio needs a more intuitive interface, better support, and reduced setup complexity for wider adoption.
I'm unsure if SPSS has a commercial offering for big servers, unlike KNIME, which does.
The platform is associated with a complicated setup process and demands heavy hardware, making it expensive to scale.
One area that could be improved is the backup and restoration of the database and the overall database configuration.
 

Setup Cost

IBM SPSS Statistics is often seen as expensive, with complex licensing, but offers discounts for educational institutions and annual enterprise licenses.
IBM Watson Studio's pricing varies, offering a free light edition, yet considered expensive by some, especially in Africa.
IBM Watson Studio is considered rather expensive, with a rating of six or seven.
 

Valuable Features

IBM SPSS Statistics offers robust analysis, user-friendly interface, and customizable features for effective data exploration and reporting.
IBM Watson Studio excels in automation, predictive analytics, and integration, offering comprehensive AI capabilities for diverse data-driven tasks.
I mainly used it for cross tabs, correlation, regression, chi-squared tests, and similar analyses often seen in published papers.
This capability saves a significant amount of time by automating processes that typically involve manual work, such as data cleaning, feature engineering, and predictive analytics.
It integrates well with other platforms and offers good scalability.
 

Categories and Ranking

IBM SPSS Statistics
Ranking in Data Science Platforms
8th
Average Rating
8.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
38
Ranking in other categories
Data Mining (3rd)
IBM Watson Studio
Ranking in Data Science Platforms
12th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
15
Ranking in other categories
AI Development Platforms (10th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of IBM SPSS Statistics is 2.8%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Watson Studio is 2.1%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Data Science Platforms
 

Featured Reviews

Laurence Moseley - PeerSpot reviewer
Delivers reliable results for academic research and keeps you close to your data.
SPSS is perfectly adequate if all you want are some results. If you only need the results, you do not require the trail of evidence on how you obtained those results. I mainly used it for cross tabs, correlation, regression, chi-squared tests, and similar analyses often seen in published papers; I used it for my papers as well. For wider uses I find Knime keeps me in touch with my data, however much I transform them.
Abilio Duarte - PeerSpot reviewer
A highly robust and well-documented platform that simplifies the complex world of AI
The main challenge lies in visibility and ease of use. Providing training sessions can be immensely helpful in helping users navigate and understand the tool's potential. This approach would empower users to explore and make the most of the tools and technologies at their disposal. Another area where IBM could enhance its offering is by providing more visibility to end users regarding the vast potential that Watson offers.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
17%
Computer Software Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
8%
Financial Services Firm
15%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Educational Organization
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM SPSS Statistics?
The software offers consistency across multiple research projects helping us with predictive analytics capabilities.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM SPSS Statistics?
SPSS is horrendously expensiver. On a laptop Knime is free of charge (Windows, Mac, Linux)
What needs improvement with IBM SPSS Statistics?
Better guidance both in producing programs and interpreting their output.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Watson Studio?
IBM Watson Studio is considered rather expensive, with a rating of six or seven. The pricing could be optimized relative to the features and capabilities of the product.
What needs improvement with IBM Watson Studio?
IBM Watson Studio, while powerful, lacks user-friendliness. It is not easy to use, particularly for medium or small enterprises or less experienced staff. Another aspect that requires improvement i...
 

Also Known As

SPSS Statistics
Watson Studio, IBM Data Science Experience, Data Science Experience, DSx
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

LDB Group, RightShip, Tennessee Highway Patrol, Capgemini Consulting, TEAC Corporation, Ironside, nViso SA, Razorsight, Si.mobil, University Hospitals of Leicester, CROOZ Inc., GFS Fundraising Solutions, Nedbank Ltd., IDS-TILDA
GroupM, Accenture, Fifth Third Bank
Find out what your peers are saying about IBM SPSS Statistics vs. IBM Watson Studio and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.