Software · head to head
IBM SPSS vs Seldon
The short version
- Each has a real cost: IBM SPSS add-on packages are priced separately from the base subscription, and the promotional 45% discount on them excludes renewals; Seldon production deployment requires a Kubernetes cluster, whether managed such as GKE, EKS or AKS, or on-premises such as OpenShift
- They diverge on capability: IBM SPSS covers Statistical analysis, Seldon covers Model serving.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which IBM SPSS and Seldon actually diverge.
Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in IBM SPSS
- Statistical analysis
- Predictive modeling
- Data visualization
- Survey analysis
- Decision trees
- Python
- R
- Excel
Only in Seldon
- Model serving
- A/B testing
- Canary deployments
- Outlier detection
- Model explainability
- Kubernetes
- Istio
- Prometheus
Both cover
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
IBM SPSS
- Statistical testing and regression analysis for academic and market researchnot Seldon
- Predictive modelling and forecasting without writing codenot Seldon
Seldon
- Serving and routing machine learning models on Kubernetesnot IBM SPSS
- Building multi-step inference pipelines with A/B tests and explainersnot IBM SPSS
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
IBM SPSS
- Add-on packages are priced separately from the base subscription, and the promotional 45% discount on them excludes renewals
- Subscription cost renews at the then current price at the end of the first year, so the advertised rate applies to the first term only
- Prices shown are described by IBM as indicative, vary by country and exclude applicable taxes and duties
- Extended access periods of 12 months or more are handled as tailored pricing rather than a published rate
- Advanced statistics, custom tables, decision trees and forecasting are separate add-ons rather than part of the base product
Seldon
- Production deployment requires a Kubernetes cluster, whether managed such as GKE, EKS or AKS, or on-premises such as OpenShift
- The documented components carry both minimum and maximum supported versions, so newer Kubernetes and dependency versions are not automatically supported
- Dataflow Pipelines need an additional component that the docs recommend avoiding installing when pipelines are not used
- The Docker Compose install is offered as a lightweight alternative for environments without Kubernetes rather than as a production path
Pricing, plan by plan
IBM SPSS
Free- TrialFree
- 14-day trial
- Full features
- Base$99/month
- Core statistics
- Data management
Seldon
Free- Seldon CoreFree
- Open source
- Kubernetes deployment
- Model serving
- Seldon DeployFree
- Enterprise features
- GUI
- Monitoring
Which should you pick?
Choose IBM SPSS if
- You need statistical analysis.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
- You also want predictive modeling.
Choose Seldon if
- You need model serving.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want a/b testing.
Questions people ask
- Is IBM SPSS or Seldon better?
- Neither clearly leads. IBM SPSS starts at Free and Seldon at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, IBM SPSS or Seldon?
- IBM SPSS starts at Free and Seldon at Free.
- Does IBM SPSS or Seldon run on more platforms?
- IBM SPSS runs on Linux, Mac, Windows. Seldon runs on Linux.
- Can I use IBM SPSS for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is IBM SPSS best used for?
- IBM SPSS is most often used for statistical testing and regression analysis for academic and market research, predictive modelling and forecasting without writing code. Of those, statistical testing and regression analysis for academic and market research and predictive modelling and forecasting without writing code are not what Seldon is typically brought in for.
- What can IBM SPSS do that Seldon cannot?
- IBM SPSS covers Statistical analysis, Predictive modeling, Data visualization, Survey analysis. Seldon covers Model serving, A/B testing, Canary deployments, Outlier detection. Both handle Linux support.