Software · head to head
Seldon vs IBM SPSS
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Seldon production deployment requires a Kubernetes cluster, whether managed such as GKE, EKS or AKS, or on-premises such as OpenShift; IBM SPSS add-on packages are priced separately from the base subscription, and the promotional 45% discount on them excludes renewals
- They diverge on capability: Seldon covers Model serving, IBM SPSS covers Statistical analysis.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Seldon and IBM SPSS 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 Seldon
- Model serving
- A/B testing
- Canary deployments
- Outlier detection
- Model explainability
- Kubernetes
- Istio
- Prometheus
Only in IBM SPSS
- Statistical analysis
- Predictive modeling
- Data visualization
- Survey analysis
- Decision trees
- Python
- R
- Excel
Both cover
- Linux support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Seldon
- Serving and routing machine learning models on Kubernetesnot IBM SPSS
- Building multi-step inference pipelines with A/B tests and explainersnot IBM SPSS
IBM SPSS
- Statistical testing and regression analysis for academic and market researchnot Seldon
- Predictive modelling and forecasting without writing codenot Seldon
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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
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
Pricing, plan by plan
Seldon
Free- Seldon CoreFree
- Open source
- Kubernetes deployment
- Model serving
- Seldon DeployFree
- Enterprise features
- GUI
- Monitoring
IBM SPSS
Free- TrialFree
- 14-day trial
- Full features
- Base$99/month
- Core statistics
- Data management
Which should you pick?
Choose Seldon if
- You need model serving.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Linux.
- You also want a/b testing.
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.
Questions people ask
- Is Seldon or IBM SPSS better?
- Neither clearly leads. Seldon starts at Free and IBM SPSS at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Seldon or IBM SPSS?
- Seldon starts at Free and IBM SPSS at Free.
- Does Seldon or IBM SPSS run on more platforms?
- Seldon runs on Linux. IBM SPSS runs on Linux, Mac, Windows.
- Can I use Seldon for free?
- Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
- What is Seldon best used for?
- Seldon is most often used for serving and routing machine learning models on kubernetes, building multi-step inference pipelines with a/b tests and explainers. Of those, serving and routing machine learning models on kubernetes and building multi-step inference pipelines with a/b tests and explainers are not what IBM SPSS is typically brought in for.
- What can Seldon do that IBM SPSS cannot?
- Seldon covers Model serving, A/B testing, Canary deployments, Outlier detection. IBM SPSS covers Statistical analysis, Predictive modeling, Data visualization, Survey analysis. Both handle Linux support.