IBM SPSS Statistics vs MathWorks Matlab comparison

IBM and MathWorks are both solutions in the Data Science Platforms category. IBM is ranked #9 with an average rating of 9.0, while MathWorks is ranked #15 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM holds a 4.3% mindshare in Data Science Platforms, compared to MathWorks’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 88% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of MathWorks users who would recommend it.

IBM SPSS Statistics

Read 39 IBM SPSS Statistics reviews

2,996 Views
2,487 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

MathWorks Matlab

Read 5 MathWorks Matlab reviews

692 Views
664 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM SPSS Statistics

MathWorks Matlab

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

IBM SPSS Statistics and MathWorks Matlab are software solutions in data analysis and computational tasks. While IBM SPSS has an edge in accessibility regarding pricing and support, Matlab's comprehensive features provide significant advantages in complex analysis.

Features: IBM SPSS Statistics includes intuitive analysis, user-friendly operation, and robust output for straightforward tasks. MathWorks Matlab provides a powerful computational engine, advanced algorithmic functions, and extensive customization for complex numerical tasks.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: MathWorks Matlab offers flexible deployment across various platforms with extensive integration support and comprehensive documentation. IBM SPSS Statistics also provides flexible deployment and is often praised for more immediate support and quicker technical resolutions.

Pricing and ROI: IBM SPSS Statistics generally has a lower initial setup cost and steady ROI, focusing on efficient statistical analysis. MathWorks Matlab's setup cost reflects its advanced capabilities, offering significant ROI in data-intensive environments.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

IBM SPSS Statistics

Ranking in Data Science Platforms

9th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Mining (2nd), AI Data Analysis (15th), AI Research (2nd)

MathWorks Matlab

Ranking in Data Science Platforms

15th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

5.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of IBM SPSS Statistics is 4.3%, up from 2.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MathWorks Matlab is 1.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Science Platforms Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM SPSS Statistics	4.3%
MathWorks Matlab	1.5%
Other	94.2%

Data Science Platforms

Featured Reviews

Laurence Moseley

Emeritus Professor of Health Services Research at University of South Wales

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.

Read full review

Prof. Dr. Rudolf Bisping

Business Owner at SASS GmbH

Versatile system empowers users with advanced algorithm development and seamless integration capabilities

The application is pretty good, and I don't really complain. For my purposes, MathWorks Matlab is perfect because it's very versatile; it is not out-of-the-box of course, and you have to program everything yourself. If you are experienced enough, you can do many things which other programs, for instance, SPSS, cannot do, as you need to program it—it's a fourth-generation programming language. In the future of MathWorks Matlab, I would appreciate the addition of many AI features, as there are a lot of machine learning capabilities and many AI features in the visual scene, although I don't need those because I use this feature data and don't work on pictures or images. However, you can work on images and can then do deep learning and that stuff, which is one of the real strengths of MathWorks Matlab.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"You can find a complete algorithm in the solution and use it. You don't need to write your own algorithms for predictive analytics. That's the most valuable feature and the main one we use."

"The most valuable features are the small learning curve and its ability to hold a lot of data."

"in terms of the simplicity, I think the SPSS basic can handle it."

"The software offers consistency across multiple research projects helping us with predictive analytics capabilities."

"It has helped our analyst unit deliver work with more transparency and confidence, given that we can always view the dataset in totality, after each step of data transformation."

"The most valuable feature of IBM SPSS Statistics is all the functionality it provides. Additionally, it is simple to do the five-way analysis that you can into multidimensional setup space. It's the multidimensional space facility that is most useful."

"The most valuable features mainly include factor analysis, correlation analysis, and geographic analysis."

"IBM SPSS Statistics depends on AI."

More IBM SPSS Statistics pros

"The platform's most valuable feature is its field-specific packages, which make it very easy to use."

"The tool's most valuable feature is the Simulink environment. This feature provides an incredible capability to visually represent the system behavior before creating the code. It allows you to see the flow and interactions of the system, which is extremely beneficial for software development. With this visual representation, you can better understand the system's behavior, make necessary adjustments, and ensure maintenance and updates. This capability is why I love working with the product."

"Making digital twins saves significant time; checking something in simulation is more cost-effective—for instance, with marine engines, we typically need about 10 years of checking to find misfires, but with MathWorks Matlab, we can complete it in one month."

"Personally for me, because I do a lot of development, I like that it is easy to test mathematical algorithms with several matrix calculations. It's perfect for that."

"What I appreciate about MathWorks Matlab is that it is the most versatile program system I know; there are so many toolboxes which I don't need, as I mostly work with statistics, but it's amazing how many functions there are."

Cons

"The solution needs more planning tools and capabilities."

"The solution could improve by providing a visual network for predictions and a self-organizing map for clustering."

"SPSS is a tool that's been around since the late 60s, and it's the universal worldwide standard for quantitative social science data analysis. That said, it does seem a bit strange to me that the graphical output functions are so clunky after all these years. The output of charts and graphs that SPSS produces is hideous."

"IBM SPSS Statistics could improve the visual outputs where you are producing, for example, a graph for a company board of directors, or an advert."

"I recently moved away from SPSS and started using KNIME since it is particularly easier for students."

"Better documentation on how to use macros."

"SPSS slows down the computer or the laptop if the data is huge; then you need a faster computer."

"The design of the experience can be improved."

More IBM SPSS Statistics cons

"It is not out-of-the-box of course, and you have to program everything yourself."

"One area where the product could improve is in the ease of learning."

"In the area of improvement, sometimes there are issues with the speed of MathWorks Matlab, particularly in the Simulink environment. The tool's latest versions can be slow to open, taking significant time to load. Additionally, saving data and integrating models can also be time-consuming processes."

"To make use of the GPU, you have to have an Nvidia card. What I would want it to do is to run in Next Generation with Intel or AMD, and not just with Nvidia."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"If it requires lot of data processing, maybe switching to IBM SPSS Clementine would be better for the buyer."

"The pricing of the modeler is high and can reduce the utility of the product for those who can not afford to adopt it."

"It's quite expensive, but they do a special deal for universities."

"I rate the tool's pricing a five out of ten."

"We think that IBM SPSS is expensive for this function."

"While the pricing of the product may be higher, the accompanying service and features justify the investment."

"Our licence is on a yearly renewal basis. While pricing is not the primary concern in our evaluation, as products are assessed by whether they can meet our user needs and expertise, the cost can be a limiting factor in the number of licences we procure."

"SPSS is an expensive piece of software because it's incredibly complex and has been refined over decades, but I would say it's fairly priced."

More IBM SPSS Statistics pricing and cost advice

"We have a single user license. Support and add-ons are an extra fee."

"The pricing for the software itself is reasonable, and I didn't encounter any additional costs beyond the initial purchase or license."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

14%

Comms Service Provider

Government

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	19

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	1
Large Enterprise	4

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM SPSS Statistics?

I think the price of the solution is very reasonable. The cost depends; you have the option for subscription or you can purchase the license. Most of our customers are paying every year for a type ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM SPSS Statistics?

I have faced some challenges with IBM SPSS Statistics; you need to know what you're doing because it's not very user-friendly. It's not something a person can come and intuitively work with. The ba...

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What do you like most about MathWorks Matlab?

The tool's most valuable feature is the Simulink environment. This feature provides an incredible capability to visually represent the system behavior before creating the code. It allows you to see...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MathWorks Matlab?

Regarding the pricing part and licensing cost for MathWorks Matlab, it is not cheap, but it depends on the functions you need. You don't need all of them; you may just require a few and then it's r...

See all answers

What needs improvement with MathWorks Matlab?

See all answers

Comparisons

IBM SPSS Modeler vs IBM SPSS Statistics

Compared 47% of the time

Weka vs IBM SPSS Statistics

Compared 4% of the time

KNIME Business Hub vs IBM SPSS Statistics

Compared 4% of the time

Anaconda Business vs IBM SPSS Statistics

Compared 4% of the time

Microsoft Azure Machine Learning Studio vs IBM SPSS Statistics

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM SPSS Statistics Competitors

Anaconda Business vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 15% of the time

Amazon SageMaker vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 15% of the time

SAS Enterprise Miner vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 11% of the time

KNIME Business Hub vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 8% of the time

IBM Watson Studio vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 8% of the time

More MathWorks Matlab Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Statistics

December 2025

Download IBM SPSS Statistics product report

Buyer's Guide

MathWorks Matlab

December 2025

Download MathWorks Matlab product report

Also Known As

SPSS Statistics

No data available

Overview

IBM SPSS Statistics is a powerful data mining solution that is designed to aid business leaders in making important business decisions. It is designed so that it can be effectively utilized by organizations across a wide range of fields. SPSS Statistics allows users to leverage machine learning algorithms so that they can mine and analyze data in the most effective way possible.

IBM SPSS Statistics Benefits

Some of the ways that organizations can benefit by choosing to deploy IBM SPSS Statistics include:

Ease of use. SPSS Statistics enables users to simply and intuitively take control of their statistical needs. The solution is designed so that analysts who do not know how to code can easily make full use of the various tools and capabilities that SPSS Statistics has to offer. Its command language is so straightforward that it does not require users to undergo special training before they use it.

Comprehensive and flexible build. SPSS Statistics is designed to be both a comprehensive and highly flexible analytics solution. It enables users to utilize a variety of integrations that make it easy for users to add features that they might feel they are missing.

Automation. SPSS Statistics makes it simple for users to automate basic tasks that they might otherwise devote too much time worrying about. Tasks like calculation or data gathering can be delegated to the system while more conceptual tasks like data analysis are given to an organization’s analysts to handle.

IBM SPSS Statistics Features

Intuitive user interface. SPSS Statistics enables users to deploy an intuitive interface that makes the process of system management simple. Among the other components of this interface is a drag-and-drop feature that makes analysis and management possible for anyone who wants to use it.

Advanced data visualizations. Analysts that employ SPSS Statistics gain access to tools that empower them to create and export data visualizations. These visualizations can be formatted in many different ways depending on what the user needs.

Local data storage. SPSS Statistics has the ability to securely store data on a user’s computer. This enables them to add layers of security that would not necessarily be present if the data was stored in the cloud.

Reviews from Real Users

IBM SPSS Statistics is a highly effective solution that stands out when compared to many of its competitors. Two major advantages it offers are the wealth of functionalities that it provides and its high level of accessibility.

An Emeritus Professor of Health Services Research at a university writes, "The most valuable feature of IBM SPSS Statistics is all the functionality it provides. Additionally, it is simple to do the five-way analysis that you can in a multidimensional setup space. It's the multidimensional space facility that is most useful."

A Director of Systems Management & MIS Operations at a university, says, “The SPSS interface is very accessible and user-friendly. It's really easy to get information from it. I've shared it with experts and beginners, and everyone can navigate it.”

IBM

Information not available

MathWorks

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

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab

December 2025

Free Report: IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab

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