Softwr

Software · head to head

Minitab vs Dask

Minitab logo

Minitab

Software

Statistical software for quality improvement

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Dask logo

Dask

Software

Scalable analytics in Python

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Minitab pricing is by quote only: the pricing page is an inquiry form and publishes no rate, no seat price and no minimum; Dask each Dask task carries between 200 microseconds and 1 millisecond of scheduler overhead, so graphs of millions of tasks add 10 minutes to hours of pure overhead
  • They diverge on capability: Minitab covers Statistical analysis, Dask covers Parallel computing.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Minitab and Dask actually diverge.

Attributes where Minitab and Dask differ
AttributeMinitabDask
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
PlatformsMac, Windows, WebLinux, Mac, Windows
Founded19722015

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 Minitab

  • Statistical analysis
  • Quality tools
  • Regression analysis
  • Control charts
  • Design of experiments
  • Excel
  • Python
  • R

Only in Dask

  • Parallel computing
  • Distributed DataFrames
  • Lazy evaluation
  • Dynamic task scheduling
  • Dashboard
  • NumPy
  • Pandas
  • scikit-learn

Both cover

  • Mac support
  • Windows support

What people use each for

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

Minitab

  • Statistical analysis and hypothesis testing for quality engineeringnot Dask
  • Six Sigma and process improvement studies with control chartsnot Dask
  • Design of experiments and capability analysisnot Dask

Dask

  • Scaling pandas and NumPy workloads beyond a single machine's memorynot Minitab
  • Parallelising custom Python task graphsnot Minitab
  • Processing larger than memory arrays and dataframes on a clusternot Minitab

Where each one falls short

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

Minitab

  • Pricing is by quote only: the pricing page is an inquiry form and publishes no rate, no seat price and no minimum
  • Obtaining a price requires submitting contact details and waiting for a sales representative

Dask

  • Each Dask task carries between 200 microseconds and 1 millisecond of scheduler overhead, so graphs of millions of tasks add 10 minutes to hours of pure overhead
  • Partition sizing is left to the user: chunks must fit several times over in worker memory, and both oversized and undersized chunks are documented failure modes
  • Embedding large locally created DataFrames or Arrays into a Dask computation is documented as a practice to avoid because of network overhead
  • Calling compute repeatedly in a loop rather than batching prevents parallelisation of queries
  • The documentation itself advises trying better algorithms, file formats or sampling before adopting Dask

Pricing, plan by plan

Minitab

Free
  • TrialFree
    • 7-day trial
    • Full features
  • Single User$29/month
    • Full Minitab
    • All features

Dask

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Parallel computing
    • Distributed DataFrames
    • ML integration

Which should you pick?

Choose Minitab if

  • You need statistical analysis.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Mac, Windows, Web.
  • You also want quality tools.
Minitab review

Choose Dask if

  • You need parallel computing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Linux, Mac, Windows.
  • You also want distributed dataframes.
Dask review

Questions people ask

Is Minitab or Dask better?
Neither clearly leads. Minitab starts at Free and Dask at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Minitab or Dask?
Minitab starts at Free and Dask at Free.
Does Minitab or Dask run on more platforms?
Minitab runs on Mac, Windows, Web. Dask runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.
Can I use Minitab for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Minitab best used for?
Minitab is most often used for statistical analysis and hypothesis testing for quality engineering, six sigma and process improvement studies with control charts, design of experiments and capability analysis. Of those, statistical analysis and hypothesis testing for quality engineering and six sigma and process improvement studies with control charts are not what Dask is typically brought in for.
What can Minitab do that Dask cannot?
Minitab covers Statistical analysis, Quality tools, Regression analysis, Control charts. Dask covers Parallel computing, Distributed DataFrames, Lazy evaluation, Dynamic task scheduling. Both handle Mac support, Windows support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Minitab

More on Dask

Keep looking

Other head to heads