# Good Freeware or Very Cheap Program for Stats & Graphs ? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 15, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776 "2006-05-15T00:57:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/1 "2006-05-15T00:57:44Z")
Hi. I have a favorite stats package: Minitab, but it costs something like $1,000. I don’t have Excel; however, I find that it really is a hassle for data manipulation & statistics. (Plus, I don’t have the money for it anyway.) I got OpenOffice, but it’s spreadsheet is not very good, IMO. Excel does treat me well when it comes to creating graphs & stuff. Minitab is pretty easy, but the graphs don’t give such good options, IMO, and OpenOffice just sucks: after an hour of frustration, I could’t even _create_ a graph, let alone one I like. Does anybody know of a cheap, or preferably freeware, stats package that is super-easy to use, like Minitab; reasonably powerful (not necessarily as powerful as Minitab); and has an easy-to-use, crisp, functional, and attractive graphics component? If so, will you please point me in the correct direction? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/2 "2006-05-15T15:20:39Z")
There are a couple [here](http://freestatistics.altervista.org/math.php) that claim to be “Excel clones”. Not clear if they have the power to do the level of stuff you need to. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/3 "2006-05-15T15:48:40Z")
google “R for Windows” for a GNU package called ‘R’ that has a ton of the functionality of S+. Looks like a couple leads turn up if you google GNU minitab, but I’m sure if they’re what you’re looking for. Anyway, R is a powerful, free piece of software. I don’t know Minitab. . .like if it’s user friendly or anything. ‘R’ isn’t necessarily easy, but if you’ve used S+, it is. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/4 "2006-05-15T16:11:56Z")
You might try [www.statcrunch.com](http://www.statcrunch.com) I used it for a class and it was free to me. ---
**Author:** ![herownself](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8baadc/32.png) [@herownself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/herownself)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/5 "2006-05-15T16:27:31Z")
I’ll second R. It’s not necessarily simple, but it’s quite powerful. There are books available to help you through the learning curve, as well as on-line user’s groups. FWIW, I’m an epidemiologist, which means that I count as a statistician to everyone but a statistician. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2006, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/6 "2006-05-15T16:44:21Z")
Minitab does a student license for $99 or something. Might be worth registering for a fun class just for the licenses. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/good-freeware-or-very-cheap-program-for-stats-graphs/356776/7 "2006-05-18T00:15:01Z")
Hey! Thanks!