Comparison between SPSS and Stata
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Stata are both statistical software applications for data analysis. They come with special syntax and menu options that make them highly effective in business analytics, economics, psychological research, and many other disciplines. But these two programs have distinctive differences in terms of their functionality that make them unique in their operations and applications. In this post, we discuss the comparison between SPSS and Stata but before we do, let’s learn a little something about the two statistical programs, shall we?
SPSS
SPSS is a statistical software application developed in 1968 by an American multinational corporation, IBM. It includes a comprehensive set of mathematical and statistical tools and easy analysis techniques that enable users to manipulate data and draw actionable conclusions. The program doesn’t have a command-line feature. Instead, it comes with an easy to use graphical user interface that somehow resembles MS Excel, and the user just needs to point and click to get a task done. Don’t get it twisted though! Even if SPSS looks a lot like MS Excel, it has the ability to handle larger and more complex sets of data, making it suitable for operations that Excel is not able to manage. To learn more about SPSS, its layout, and where it is efficiently applicable, liaise with our SPSS assignment help experts.
Stata
Stata is a general purpose statistical software developed in 1985 by William Gould of Stata Corp. It is primarily a data analysis package that provides a solution for data manipulation and retrieval, model visualization, as well as production of useful reports. Stata incorporates both a command line function and a point and click graphical user interface for easier investigation of data. To explore this further with guidance of a professional, connect with our Stata assignment help experts.
Differences between SPSS and Stata
Below is a quick comparison between SPSS and Stata that should help students comprehend these two programs better.
| SPSS | Stata |
| Analysis | |
| Allows users to summarize and display data and give production-ready analyses that can be shared in different formats such as PDF, MS Excel, etc. | Combines endogenous covariates, endogenous treatment models, and sample selection to produce continuous and positive results. |
| Complexity | |
| Can be used to construct complex data models | Is not suitable for constructing very complex data models |
| Applications | |
| Applied in medical and social sciences disciplines | Mostly applied in econometrics |
| User interface | |
| Graphical user interface usually contains an easy-to-explore point and click menus | Graphical user interface contains both a command-line feature and point and click menus |
| Learning | |
| Easier to learn, which makes it beginner friendly | Has a steeper learning curve, as one has to know how to write syntax in a command bar |
If you have an assignment that requires you to illustrate these differences further, feel free to contact our SPSS homework help experts for exclusive assistance. We also have a reliable team of Stata homework help professionals who can assist you on the same.