IBM SPSS Statistics vs MathWorks Matlab comparison

IBM and MathWorks are both solutions in the Data Science Platforms category. IBM is ranked #8 with an average rating of 9.0, while MathWorks is ranked #15 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM holds a 4.0% mindshare in Data Science Platforms, compared to MathWorks’s 1.1% 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

2,852 Views
2,339 Comparison Views

88% willing to recommend

MathWorks Matlab

Read 5 MathWorks Matlab reviews

569 Views
546 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: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab

September 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

8th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Mining (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 October 2025, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of IBM SPSS Statistics is 4.0%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MathWorks Matlab is 1.1%, 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	4.0%
MathWorks Matlab	1.1%
Other	94.9%

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

Ioannis Kalathas

It Consultant/Administrator at International Hellenic University

Creating digital twins significantly reduces time for marine engine diagnostics

MathWorks Matlab has numerous libraries, making it challenging to have a holistic understanding of all of them. I can only speak about the libraries I have used. Additional GUIs and add-ons for MathWorks Matlab would help, especially for users who are not familiar with the software. The cost is a significant concern. While university pricing is reasonable, a cheaper version with fewer libraries would be beneficial. In Greece, we struggle to purchase licenses, and we also use Ansys. There are technical differences in simulation, but the price of MathWorks Matlab is too high for a Greek mechanic to use it. A license with fewer features would be more appropriate.

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

"The solution has numerous valuable features. We particularly like custom tabs. It's very useful. We end up analyzing a lot of software data, so features related to custom tabs are really helpful."

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

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

"The best part is that they have an algorithm handbook, so you can open it up and understand how it works, and if it is useful, this is very important."

"Since we are using the software as a statistical tool, I would say the best aspects of it are the regression and segmentation capabilities. That said, I've used it for all sorts of things."

"The features that I have found most valuable are the Bayesian statistics and descriptive statistics."

"SPSS is perfectly adequate if all you want are some results."

"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."

More IBM SPSS Statistics pros

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

Cons

"Better documentation on how to use macros."

"If there is any self-generation data collection plan (DCP), it would be helpful in gathering data. It would also be useful if there is a function to scale it up to, let's say, UiPath and have it consolidate and integrate into a UiPath solution."

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

"The solution needs to improve forecasting using time series analysis."

"The technical support should be improved."

"One of the areas that should be similar to Minitabs is the use of blogs. The Minitabs blog helps users understand the tools and gives lots of practical examples. Following the SPSS manual is cumbersome. It's a good, exhaustive manual, but it's not practical to use. With Minitabs, you can go to the blogs and find specific articles written about various components and it's very helpful. Without blogs, we find SPSS more complicated."

"Most of the package will give you the fixed value, or the p-value, without an explanation as to whether it it significant or not. Some beginners might need not just the results, but also some explanation for them."

"Needs more statistical modelling functions."

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

"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."

"The price of this solution is a little bit high, which was a problem for my company."

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

"More affordable training for new staff members."

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

"The price of IBM SPSS Statistics could improve."

"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."

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

More IBM SPSS Statistics pricing and cost advice

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

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

University

Computer Software Company

10%

Comms Service Provider

Educational Organization

Manufacturing Company

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.

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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 ...

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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?

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 ev...

See all answers

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Compared 4% of the time

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Compared 2% of the time

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Compared 20% of the time

Amazon SageMaker vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 20% of the time

KNIME Business Hub vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 15% of the time

SAS Enterprise Miner vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 11% of the time

Dataiku vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 10% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Statistics

September 2025

Download IBM SPSS Statistics product report

Buyer's Guide

MathWorks Matlab

September 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

September 2025

Free Report: IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM SPSS Statistics vs. MathWorks Matlab and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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