Mathematica vs GraphPad Prism

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Our analysts compared Mathematica vs GraphPad Prism based on data from our 400+ point analysis of Business Intelligence Tools, user reviews and our own crowdsourced data from our free software selection platform.

Product Basics

Wolfram Mathematica is a technical computing platform that can perform a wide range of computations and algorithms for mathematics and beyond. Primarily designed for research and academia, it enables users to create powerful scripts through a flexible, multi-purpose programming language. It allows users to analyze and visualize data in sophisticated ways and employ methods such as machine learning, data mining and deep learning to model and solve complicated problems.

It is available in the cloud through any web browser or installable on-premises on all desktop environments. Users can purchase licenses as individuals or under group or enterprise pricing for cloud, desktop or both versions.
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Graphpad Prism is a statistics, data analysis and graphing package that simplifies powerful statistics to help users analyze smarter, not harder. Though specialized for scientific research, it doesn’t require its users to have programming knowledge in order to tell stories with their data and create a wide variety of data visualizations with ease.

It can be installed on Windows or Mac devices and is available through a group or personal subscription, which comes with free updates during the subscription term and is billed on an annual basis, or through a perpetual license, which does not include upgrades and guaranteed support for future operating system updates. For short-term projects, individual users can get a monthly subscription. Students can receive a subscription at a discounted rate.
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$1,800 Annually
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$142 Annually
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Product Insights

  • Seamless Integration: The system includes more than 5,000 built-in functions that cover all areas of technical computing and all integrate to work perfectly together so that code runs interactively and instantly within a native environment for its language. 
  • Automate to the Max: Through superfunctions, meta-algorithms and more, users can automate a variety of tasks so that they can work as efficiently as possible.
  • Code Designed to be Learned: Wolfram Language, the proprietary programming language that powers Mathematica, is user-intuitive with English-like functions that make it easy to read, write, learn and program in a way that makes sense and is often shorter than code written in other programming languages.
  • Always Moving Forward: Wolfram continually updates Mathematica with new features and functions that extend the vision and scope of the platform, while maintaining consistent compatibility for over 30 years.
  • Vast Resources: Wolfram provides a host of resources to help users get started with their projects, with more than 150,000 examples and more than 10,000 open-code demonstrations to which they can refer. In addition, access to instant real-world data broadens the spectrum of up-to-date information at users’ disposal.
  • Publication-Ready: Mathematica presents data and insights with beautiful visualizations and publication-quality documents, helping researchers and presenters make their results look their best.
  • Scalability: The platform streamlines workflows for programs and teams of any size, allowing users to scale up or down to address problems or projects as needed. Everything is industrial-strength, capable of handling large-scale problems through parallelism, GPU computing and more.
  • Access Everywhere: Through an interactive online cloud environment, all users need is a web browser or mobile app to compute with Mathematica or interact with Wolfram Notebooks, making it an ideal solution for instant, remote access.
  • Free Trial: Anyone can try Mathematica for free for 15 days. The trial includes both a download of the application to install on a desktop computer and access to the online platform.
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  • Perform the Right Analysis: With clear language and a checklist for each process, Prism helps users select the most suitable statistical analysis from its library while bypassing technical jargon.
  • Helps You Learn As You Go: At almost every step, users can access pages from Prism’s online help. Tutorial data sets help users understand how and why they should perform analyses, how to make graphs and how to interpret the results of their analyses.
  • Focus on Research: Because users can utilize the software and automate processes without coding, it allows them to spend more time researching and less time programming. The software also takes care of updating graphs and results, freeing up even more time for researchers.
  • Publish with Ease: The solution allows users to customize and save default settings to meet their publishing requirements so that they can export publication-quality graphics with one click.
  • Enhance Collaboration: All parts of a Prism project, including the raw data, analyses, results, graphs and layouts, are contained in a single file that users can share with others, who can then follow their work step-by-step and add value to their findings.
  • Educational Resources and Support: Graphpad provides extensive online help guides for doing statistical analyses with Prism, as well as video tutorials and sample data sets that users can practice analyzing with the platform. The vendor also provides online training center options and technical support for the product, offering users the assistance and tools they need to succeed.
  • Free Trial: Interested parties can try the platform with a free 30-day trial with no credit card or commitment necessary.
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  • Wolfram Language: Wolfram’s proprietary computational language allows developers to code with a language that allows both computers and humans to communicate with each other through almost 6,000 built-in functions. Built on a philosophy of knowledge-based programming, it aims to help users automate as much as possible and maximize coherence of design while being universally deployable in any environment.
  • Connect to Everything: Through symbolic expressions, interactions and external connections, the Wolfram Language conveniently connects to a broad spectrum of platforms, languages, databases, protocols, APIs, applications, file formats and devices.
  • Notebook Interface: With structured documents that store text, runnable code, dynamic graphics and more, Wolfram Notebooks provide an environment for technical workflows that supports interactive computation. They empower user literacy in a high-level programming interface through interactive coding, natural language queries and expansive documentation that make the platform accessible to users without coding experience.
  • AlgorithmBase: Not just through industrial-strength algorithms but also meta-algorithms and super functions, which automatically select the optimal algorithms to use in a given situation, users can define their goals or concepts and let the system take over to automatically achieve them, enabling discoveries and experimentation with algorithms. With its robust library of scalable and accurate algorithms, the AlgorithmBase serves as a trustworthy resource for programmers to use to ensure high-quality computations.
  • Data Visualization: Through algorithms, Mathematica can create visually compelling representations of data in the form of 2D and 3D plots, graphs, histograms, word clouds, geographic visualizations and more.
  • Machine Learning: Through highly automated functions that work on many types of data, the platform can carry out a wide range of tasks, including classifying data in categories, predicting values, learning from examples and performing automated time series analysis. 
  • Mathematica Online: Powered by the Wolfram Cloud, users can harness the computational system from directly within their web browsers, with no installation required. Everything automatically saves and stays in the cloud, and users can control who can access their documents through instant sharing, URL links and permissions controls. Seamlessly integrated with the desktop version, it allows users to upload or download notebooks and access the cloud from a computer.
  • Wolfram Knowledgebase: Mathematica and the Wolfram Language has access to the world’s largest and broadest trusted source of computable knowledge, curated by experts and derived from primary sources, including not just the data but also the methods that compute results.
  • Mobile App: The Wolfram Cloud free app for iOS and Android mobile devices allows users to edit, run and deploy programs and access Wolfram notebooks and instant apps through its home-screen-like experience.
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  • Statistical Analysis: Prism offers a comprehensive library of statistical analyses, including nonlinear regression, t-tests, nonparametric comparisons, ANOVA, analysis of contingency tables, survival analysis and more. Users can confirm that they have chosen the appropriate test for their needs with a checklist that helps them understand the required statistical assumptions.
  • One-Click Regression Analysis: Prism allows users to select an equation and it will take care of the rest, including fitting the curve, displaying a table of results and function parameters, drawing the curve and interpolating unknown values.
  • Data Tables: Unlike spreadsheets or many other graphing programs, Prism has eight types of data tables that are specifically formatted for certain analyses, making it easier for users to enter data correctly and perform accurate analyses.
  • Real-Time Updates: When any changes are made to the data and analyses, those changes are reflected in the results, graphs and layouts instantaneously with updates in real time.
  • Customizable Data Visualization: Users can create a wide variety of visual representations of their data, including violin plots, box-whisker, bar graphs, subcolumn graphs, smoothing splines, scatter plots and more. They can also enhance these graphics with customization options that help them tell their data’s story in whatever way they desire; they can choose the type of graph, how the data is arranged, the style of the data points, labels, colors, fonts, look and more.
  • Prism Magic: Users can select one or more Prism graphs and apply a consistent look to the set with one-click simplicity, saving valuable time spent otherwise on standardizing the look of multiple graphics. 
  • Export Graphics: Users can export their graphs in high-quality and customize the file type, resolution, transparency, dimensions, color, space, etc. of their visualizations to meet the requirements of publication. To save time in the future, users can set their default export preferences.
  • Work Automation: Users can reduce the number of tedious steps needed to analyze data by setting up reproducible workflows that can create templates, duplicate families or clone graphs.
  • Tools for Teamwork: Prism allows for enhanced collaboration with other scientists, with all the information in a Prism project, including raw data, analyses, results, graphs and layouts, contained in a single, shareable file. Others can follow along with your work at every step, adding their insight and streamlining your collective research efforts.
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Product Ranking

#47

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#70

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Business Intelligence Tools

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User Sentiment Summary

Excellent User Sentiment 305 reviews
Excellent User Sentiment 202 reviews
92%
of users recommend this product

Mathematica has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 92% when considering 305 user reviews from 2 recognized software review sites.

93%
of users recommend this product

GraphPad Prism has a 'excellent' User Satisfaction Rating of 93% when considering 202 user reviews from 3 recognized software review sites.

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4.6 (51)
4.59 (152)
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4.6 (153)
4.7 (143)
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4.1 (8)

Awards

Mathematica stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

GraphPad Prism stands above the rest by achieving an ‘Excellent’ rating as a User Favorite.

User Favorite Award

Synopsis of User Ratings and Reviews

Symbolic Computation: Mathematica excels at handling and manipulating symbolic expressions, making it ideal for tasks that involve algebra, calculus, and other forms of mathematical analysis. This can be particularly useful for financial modeling, risk analysis, and other business intelligence applications that require complex calculations.
Visualization Capabilities: Mathematica offers a wide range of visualization tools that can be used to create high-quality charts, graphs, and other visual representations of data. These visualizations can be interactive, allowing users to explore data from different perspectives and gain deeper insights. This is essential for effectively communicating complex data to stakeholders in a business setting.
Automation and Scripting: Mathematica allows users to automate tasks and create scripts, which can save time and improve efficiency. This can be particularly useful for repetitive tasks, such as data cleaning and analysis. Automating these tasks can free up time for business intelligence professionals to focus on more strategic initiatives.
Machine Learning and AI: Mathematica includes a wide range of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can be used for tasks such as predictive modeling, classification, and anomaly detection. These capabilities are becoming increasingly important for business intelligence, as they can help organizations to identify trends, make better decisions, and gain a competitive advantage.
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Easy Data Entry: Users appreciate the intuitive interface that makes it simple to input and organize data, even for complex experiments. For example, users can easily import data from spreadsheets or directly enter data into the program.
Powerful Analysis: Prism offers a wide range of statistical tests and graphing options, allowing users to analyze data in depth and visualize results effectively. For example, users can perform t-tests, ANOVA, regression analysis, and more.
Customization: Users can customize graphs and reports to meet their specific needs, ensuring that data is presented clearly and effectively. For example, users can adjust colors, fonts, and labels to create visually appealing and informative graphs.
Collaboration: Prism allows users to share data and results with colleagues, facilitating collaboration and communication. For example, users can export data and graphs in various formats, including PDF, Excel, and PowerPoint.
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Price: Mathematica comes with a hefty price tag, especially for commercial use, which can be a significant barrier for individuals or small businesses.
Learning Curve: The software has a steep learning curve due to its vast functionality and unique syntax, requiring a significant time investment to master.
Closed Ecosystem: Mathematica operates within a closed ecosystem, making it challenging to integrate with other data analysis tools or programming languages commonly used in business intelligence.
Limited Collaboration: Collaboration features are not as robust as those found in other business intelligence platforms, hindering teamwork and knowledge sharing.
Visualization Capabilities: While Mathematica offers visualization tools, they may not be as intuitive or user-friendly as dedicated data visualization software, potentially limiting the ability to create compelling and insightful dashboards.
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Steep Learning Curve: New users often find the interface and features overwhelming, requiring significant time investment to master. This can be a major hurdle for teams with tight deadlines or limited training resources.
Limited Data Handling: Prism struggles with large datasets, making it less suitable for complex analyses involving extensive data manipulation or integration with other tools. This can be a problem for businesses with large-scale data collection and analysis needs.
Lack of Collaboration Features: Prism lacks robust collaboration features, making it difficult for teams to work together on projects. This can be a significant drawback for businesses that rely on collaborative data analysis and reporting.
Costly Licensing: Prism's licensing model can be expensive, especially for larger teams or organizations. This can be a barrier for businesses with limited budgets or those looking for more cost-effective solutions.
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Let's crunch some numbers and see what users have to say about Mathematica! Mathematica has garnered a reputation as a powerful computational tool, particularly in academic and research settings. Users frequently praise its symbolic computation capabilities, allowing them to manipulate and solve complex mathematical expressions and equations with ease. This strength sets Mathematica apart from competitors like MATLAB, which primarily focuses on numerical computation. Mathematica's notebook interface also receives positive feedback for its ability to combine code, visualizations, and text in a single document, facilitating reproducible research and clear communication of findings. However, Mathematica's steep learning curve and high price point are often cited as drawbacks. Users transitioning from other programming languages may find Mathematica's syntax and functional programming paradigm challenging to grasp initially. Additionally, the cost of a Mathematica license can be prohibitive for individual users or small businesses. Overall, Mathematica is best suited for researchers, scientists, and engineers who require a comprehensive tool for symbolic and numerical computation, data analysis, and visualization. Its extensive functionality and ability to handle complex mathematical problems make it an invaluable asset in these fields. However, individuals or organizations with limited budgets or those seeking a more user-friendly option may want to explore alternative software solutions. Keep in mind that software is constantly evolving, so it's always a good idea to check for the latest updates and user reviews to make an informed decision.

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Is GraphPad Prism the real deal or just a statistical mirage? GraphPad Prism is a popular software choice for scientists who need to analyze and visualize their data. Users praise its ease of use, especially for those without a strong statistics background. They appreciate the intuitive interface and the clear explanations provided for each statistical test. The software's ability to generate publication-quality graphs is a major selling point, with users highlighting the wide range of customization options available. For example, one user mentioned using Prism to generate figures for publication in peer-reviewed journals, highlighting its ability to create professional-looking visuals. However, some users have expressed concerns about the software's performance, particularly on older or less powerful computers. One user noted that Prism can be resource-intensive, even on a computer with 8GB of RAM. This can be a significant drawback for researchers who need to analyze large datasets or work on machines with limited resources. Additionally, some users have suggested that the tutorials could be improved, particularly for specific analyses like IC50 calculations. They believe that more real-life examples and detailed explanations would be beneficial. Overall, GraphPad Prism is a powerful tool for scientists who need to analyze and visualize their data. Its ease of use, comprehensive statistical analysis capabilities, and ability to create publication-quality graphs make it a strong choice for researchers. However, its performance on older computers and the potential for improvement in its tutorials are areas that could be addressed in future updates. GraphPad Prism is most suited for scientists who are looking for a user-friendly software that can handle a wide range of statistical analyses and produce high-quality graphs for publications.

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