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Machine Learning · head to head

JMP vs Sigma Computing

JMP logo

JMP

Machine Learning

Desktop statistical and design of experiments software from a SAS subsidiary

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sigma Computing logo

Sigma Computing

Spreadsheets

Spreadsheet-style analytics that queries a cloud data warehouse directly with no extract layer

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only JMP has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: JMP it is a desktop application holding the working table in memory, so a data set that outgrows the workstation has no in-place upgrade path, only a move to a different tool and a different skill set.; Sigma Computing every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • They diverge on capability: JMP covers Custom design of experiments, Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which JMP and Sigma Computing actually diverge.

Attributes where JMP and Sigma Computing differ
AttributeJMPSigma Computing
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsMac, WindowsWeb
CategoryMachine LearningSpreadsheets
Founded1976Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).

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 JMP

  • Custom design of experiments
  • Linked interactive graphics
  • Analysis platforms
  • Quality and process tools
  • Graph Builder
  • JSL scripting
  • Scoring code export
  • Predictive modelling in JMP Pro

Only in Sigma Computing

  • Spreadsheet interface over SQL
  • No extract layer
  • Input tables and write-back
  • Workbooks
  • Embedded analytics
  • Version control and dbt awareness

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

JMP

  • Planning a physical experiment where each run is expensive, and the question is which twelve runs to perform rather than how to model data you already havenot Sigma Computing
  • Process capability and control chart work in a manufacturing quality function that has to produce evidence for a customer or regulatornot Sigma Computing
  • Exploratory analysis by an engineer or scientist who will not write code but needs more than a spreadsheetnot Sigma Computing
  • Semiconductor, chemical and pharmaceutical development groups where JMP is already the shared language for reporting resultsnot Sigma Computing

Sigma Computing

  • A finance or operations team that lives in spreadsheets and needs warehouse-scale data without exporting CSVsnot JMP
  • An organisation that has consolidated on Snowflake or Databricks and wants one governed access layer rather than several desktop toolsnot JMP
  • Planning and scenario work where users need to type assumptions back into governed tables rather than into a local filenot JMP
  • Embedding customer-facing analytics into a product where each tenant must only see their own rowsnot JMP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

JMP

  • It is a desktop application holding the working table in memory, so a data set that outgrows the workstation has no in-place upgrade path, only a move to a different tool and a different skill set.
  • There is no Linux build and no server edition for running analyses, so JMP cannot sit in a scheduled pipeline the way an R or Python script can, and recurring reports depend on a named person running them on a laptop.
  • The predictive modelling capability most buyers mean when they call this machine learning software is in JMP Pro, a separate and more expensive licence, so the base product's price is not the price of the thing being evaluated.
  • JSL is proprietary to JMP, so the scripts, add-ins and automation a group accumulates over a decade do not port anywhere and become sunk cost the moment anyone questions the renewal.
  • Deployment ends at exported scoring code with no registry, monitoring or retraining, so a model that runs in production is maintained by another team in another language and steadily diverges from the version the analyst still has open.

Sigma Computing

  • Every user interaction is a live warehouse query, so compute costs rise with adoption and land on the warehouse invoice rather than the BI line item, which routinely surprises the team that approved the purchase.
  • It cannot work without a supported cloud data warehouse, so an organisation running analytics on an on-premises database or a plain application database has nothing to connect to.
  • Pricing is not published and seats are differentiated by capability, so budgeting requires a sales cycle and a headcount forecast before you can compare it with a tool you could simply buy.
  • Performance is only as good as the warehouse behind it, which means slow or badly modelled tables surface as a slow interface and the fix is a data engineering project, not a Sigma setting.
  • Statistical and scientific visualisation is limited compared with dedicated tools, so anything beyond standard business charting has to be done elsewhere and brought back in.

Pricing, plan by plan

JMP

Free
  • TrialFree
    • 30-day trial
    • Full features
  • JMP$1785/year
    • Core JMP
    • Standard features

Sigma Computing

On request
  • Sigma Computing$undefined/year
    • Quoted per organisation
    • Seat types are differentiated by whether a user views, explores or authors
    • Warehouse compute is billed separately by your cloud data warehouse vendor

Which should you pick?

Choose JMP if

  • You need custom design of experiments.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac, Windows.
  • You also want linked interactive graphics.
JMP review

Choose Sigma Computing if

  • You need spreadsheet interface over sql.
  • You also want no extract layer.
Sigma Computing review

Questions people ask

Is JMP or Sigma Computing better?
Neither clearly leads. JMP starts at Free and Sigma Computing at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, JMP or Sigma Computing?
JMP has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for JMP and On request for Sigma Computing.
Does JMP or Sigma Computing run on more platforms?
JMP runs on Mac, Windows. Sigma Computing runs on Web.
Can I use JMP for free?
Yes. JMP has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Sigma Computing starts at On request.
What is JMP best used for?
JMP is most often used for planning a physical experiment where each run is expensive, and the question is which twelve runs to perform rather than how to model data you already have, process capability and control chart work in a manufacturing quality function that has to produce evidence for a customer or regulator, exploratory analysis by an engineer or scientist who will not write code but needs more than a spreadsheet, semiconductor, chemical and pharmaceutical development groups where jmp is already the shared language for reporting results. Of those, planning a physical experiment where each run is expensive, and the question is which twelve runs to perform rather than how to model data you already have and process capability and control chart work in a manufacturing quality function that has to produce evidence for a customer or regulator are not what Sigma Computing is typically brought in for.
What can JMP do that Sigma Computing cannot?
JMP covers Custom design of experiments, Linked interactive graphics, Analysis platforms, Quality and process tools. Sigma Computing covers Spreadsheet interface over SQL, No extract layer, Input tables and write-back, Workbooks.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

JMP: Is JMP the same thing as SAS?

No. JMP is a separate desktop product from a SAS subsidiary, with its own interface, its own scripting language and its own licence. Knowing SAS does not transfer to it beyond the statistics.

Sigma Computing: Does Sigma store a copy of my data?

No. Queries are executed on your warehouse and results are returned for display, which is why there is no extract refresh to manage.

JMP: Do I need JMP Pro?

If you want cross validation, penalised regression, boosted trees or neural networks, yes. The base edition covers classical statistics, graphics and design of experiments well and stops short of predictive modelling.

Sigma Computing: What does it actually cost?

The vendor does not publish prices. Expect an annual contract priced by seat type, plus a warehouse compute increase you should model separately.

JMP: Does it run on Linux?

No. Windows and macOS only, as an installed application.

Sigma Computing: Can business users break the warehouse?

They can run expensive queries. Warehouse sizing, query limits and materialised tables are the controls, and they need configuring before a wide rollout.

JMP: Can I put a JMP model into production?

Only by exporting the scoring formula as SQL, C, Python or similar and running it in another system. JMP itself does not serve, monitor or retrain models.

Sigma Computing: Is it a replacement for a modelling layer like dbt?

No. Sigma works best on top of modelled tables and is usually deployed alongside dbt rather than instead of it.

JMP: Who actually uses it?

Process and quality engineers, and scientists in R&D, particularly in semiconductor, chemicals, pharmaceutical and medical device work. It is not usually chosen by data engineering or platform teams.

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