IBM SPSS Modeler vs MathWorks Matlab comparison

IBM and MathWorks are both solutions in the Data Science Platforms category. IBM is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.0, while MathWorks is ranked #15 with an average rating of 9.0. IBM holds a 2.5% mindshare in Data Science Platforms, compared to MathWorks’s 0.9% mindshare. Additionally, 86% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of MathWorks users who would recommend it.

IBM SPSS Modeler

Read 39 IBM SPSS Modeler reviews

2,280 Views
1,528 Comparison Views

86% willing to recommend

MathWorks Matlab

Read 4 MathWorks Matlab reviews

536 Views
509 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM SPSS Modeler

MathWorks Matlab

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Dec 5, 2024

IBM SPSS Modeler and MathWorks Matlab compete in the field of data analysis and predictive analytics. MathWorks Matlab usually has the advantage due to its comprehensive features, despite IBM SPSS Modeler being more competitively priced and supported.

Features: IBM SPSS Modeler is known for its intuitive workflow, ease of data preparation, and advanced statistical capabilities. MathWorks Matlab is recognized for its powerful computational engine, diverse toolboxes for various applications, and strong data visualization strengths. MathWorks Matlab's extensive features provide an edge in versatility and performance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM SPSS Modeler offers a straightforward deployment process and strong customer support, ensuring efficient implementation. MathWorks Matlab, while having a steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive nature, provides extensive resources and support to assist in deployment. The decision may hinge on whether users prioritize expedited deployment or extensive computational capabilities.

Pricing and ROI: IBM SPSS Modeler generally has a lower initial setup cost and provides a solid return on investment for businesses with specific analytical needs. MathWorks Matlab may require a higher initial investment but offers substantial ROI through its extensive functionalities and adaptability across numerous fields. The choice between the two depends on budget flexibility and long-term analytical requirements.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM SPSS Modeler vs. MathWorks Matlab Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Modeler vs. MathWorks Matlab

June 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

IBM SPSS Modeler

Ranking in Data Science Platforms

17th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Data Mining (4th)

MathWorks Matlab

Ranking in Data Science Platforms

15th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Data Science Platforms category, the mindshare of IBM SPSS Modeler is 2.5%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of MathWorks Matlab is 0.9%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Data Science Platforms

Featured Reviews

PeterHuo

Application Architect at Canada Border Services Agency

Good tool for extracting data from data warehouses, creating streams, and manipulating logic to extract final data

There are performance issues. Extracting data from many combined tables can take hours and occasionally crash the server due to memory leaks. This performance problem bothers people. The performance issue seems to be related to the server. We design streams on the client and submit them to the server, which generates a large SQL statement. There are two potential bottlenecks: one in the server and another in data extraction. I'm unsure about the exact mechanics of data splitting when fetching from the database. When streams become larger, performance bottlenecks may occur in the IBM SPSS Modeler server or the database. Sometimes the server crashes and needs to be restarted to release memory on both sides. I'm not sure exactly where the problem is caused, as I focus on stream design rather than server issues. The problem could be on the IBM SPSS Modeler server and database.

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Ioannis Kalathas

It Consultant/Administrator at International Hellenic University

Creating digital twins significantly reduces time for marine engine diagnostics

MathWorks Matlab has numerous libraries, making it challenging to have a holistic understanding of all of them. I can only speak about the libraries I have used. Additional GUIs and add-ons for MathWorks Matlab would help, especially for users who are not familiar with the software. The cost is a significant concern. While university pricing is reasonable, a cheaper version with fewer libraries would be beneficial. In Greece, we struggle to purchase licenses, and we also use Ansys. There are technical differences in simulation, but the price of MathWorks Matlab is too high for a Greek mechanic to use it. A license with fewer features would be more appropriate.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Our business units' capabilities with SPSS Modeler is high. They no longer waste time on modeling and algorithms, meaning they are not coding any more. For example, segmentation projects now take one to three months, rather than six months to a year, as before."

"I think it is the point and drag features that are the most valuable. You can simply click at the windows, and then pull up the functions."

"It will scale up to anything we need."

"Our go live process has been slightly enhanced compared to the previous programmatic process. There is now a faster time to production from the business end."

"A lot of jobs that are stuck in Excel due to the huge numbers of rows are tackled pretty quickly."

"It is pretty scalable."

"New algorithms are added into every version of Modeler, e.g., SMOTE, random forest, etc. The Derive node is used for the syntax code to derive the data."

"It continues to be a very flexible platform, so that it handles R and Python and other types of technology. It seems to be growing with additional open-source movement out there on different platforms."

More IBM SPSS Modeler pros

"The tool's most valuable feature is the Simulink environment. This feature provides an incredible capability to visually represent the system behavior before creating the code. It allows you to see the flow and interactions of the system, which is extremely beneficial for software development. With this visual representation, you can better understand the system's behavior, make necessary adjustments, and ensure maintenance and updates. This capability is why I love working with the product."

"Personally for me, because I do a lot of development, I like that it is easy to test mathematical algorithms with several matrix calculations. It's perfect for that."

"The platform's most valuable feature is its field-specific packages, which make it very easy to use."

Cons

"It is not integrated with Qlik, Tableau, and Power BI."

"It is very good, but slow. The slowness may be because we have not finalized all the background information in SPSS. It still needs some tweaking."

"I think mapping for geographic data would also be a really great thing to be able to use."

"I would not rate the technical support very well. The technicians have accents. When you do find someone, it is very hard to get somebody able to answer the technical questions."

"When I used it in the office, back in the day, we did have some stability issues. Sometimes it just randomly crashed and we couldn't get good feedback. But when I use it for my own stuff now I don't have any problems."

"When you are not using the product, such as during the pandemic where we had worldwide lockdowns, you still have to pay for the licensing."

"It would be helpful if SPSS supported open-source features, for example, embedding R or Python scripts in SPSS Modeler."

"The forecasting could be a bit easier."

More IBM SPSS Modeler cons

"In the area of improvement, sometimes there are issues with the speed of MathWorks Matlab, particularly in the Simulink environment. The tool's latest versions can be slow to open, taking significant time to load. Additionally, saving data and integrating models can also be time-consuming processes."

"To make use of the GPU, you have to have an Nvidia card. What I would want it to do is to run in Next Generation with Intel or AMD, and not just with Nvidia."

"One area where the product could improve is in the ease of learning."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Having in mind all four tools from Garner’s top quadrant, the pricing of this tool is competitive and it reflects the quality that it offers."

"The scalability was kind of limited by our ability to get other people licenses, and that was usually more of a financial constraint. It's expensive, but it's a good tool."

"It is an expensive product."

"It is a huge increase to time savings."

"I am using the free version of IBM SPSS Modeler, it is the educational edition version."

"Its price is okay for a company, but for personal use, it is considered somewhat expensive."

"It got us a good amount of money with quick and efficient modeling."

"This tool, being an IBM product, is pretty expensive."

More IBM SPSS Modeler pricing and cost advice

"The pricing for the software itself is reasonable, and I didn't encounter any additional costs beyond the initial purchase or license."

"We have a single user license. Support and add-ons are an extra fee."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Educational Organization

11%

Government

University

Real Estate/Law Firm

Comms Service Provider

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM SPSS Modeler?

Compared to other tools, the product works much easier to analyze data without coding.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM SPSS Modeler?

The government has funds and a budget, it's hard to say if it's expensive or cheap. In Canada, they have a yearly budget. They used to encourage people to use the modeler for development. If ten us...

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What needs improvement with IBM SPSS Modeler?

See all answers

What do you like most about MathWorks Matlab?

The tool's most valuable feature is the Simulink environment. This feature provides an incredible capability to visually represent the system behavior before creating the code. It allows you to see...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for MathWorks Matlab?

The pricing for the software itself is reasonable, and I didn't encounter any additional costs beyond the initial purchase or license.

See all answers

What needs improvement with MathWorks Matlab?

One area where the product could improve is in the ease of learning. The syntax can be challenging for first-time programmers or those unfamiliar with specialized languages. Also, while the communi...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 25% of the time

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Compared 22% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

Altair RapidMiner vs IBM SPSS Modeler

Compared 7% of the time

Alteryx vs IBM SPSS Modeler

Compared 6% of the time

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IBM SPSS Statistics vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 21% of the time

Anaconda vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 21% of the time

KNIME vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 16% of the time

Dataiku vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 16% of the time

Amazon SageMaker vs MathWorks Matlab

Compared 15% of the time

More MathWorks Matlab Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Modeler

July 2025

Download IBM SPSS Modeler product report

Buyer's Guide

Data Science Platforms

July 2025

Download MathWorks Matlab product report

Also Known As

SPSS Modeler

No data available

Overview

IBM SPSS Modeler is an extensive predictive analytics platform that is designed to bring predictive intelligence to decisions made by individuals, groups, systems and the enterprise. By providing a range of advanced algorithms and techniques that include text analytics, entity analytics, decision management and optimization, SPSS Modeler can help you consistently make the right decisions from the desktop or within operational systems.

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https://www.ibm.com/products/spss-modeler/pricing

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IBM

Information not available

MathWorks

Sample Customers

Reisebªro Idealtours GmbH, MedeAnalytics, Afni, Israel Electric Corporation, Nedbank Ltd., DigitalGlobe, Vodafone Hungary, Aegon Hungary, Bureau Veritas, Brammer Group, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, InSites Consulting, Fortis Turkey

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Buyer's Guide

IBM SPSS Modeler vs. MathWorks Matlab

June 2025

Free Report: IBM SPSS Modeler vs. MathWorks Matlab

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM SPSS Modeler vs. MathWorks Matlab and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.

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