Fourteen analysis and simulation platforms, and what we actually do in each.
Every platform below is one we work in daily. Which one suits your study depends on your design, your sample and what your discipline expects — and that is a conversation worth having before you buy a licence.
| Platform | Used for | What we do in it |
|---|---|---|
| SPSS | Quantitative analysis | Descriptives, reliability, EFA, regression, ANOVA/MANOVA, non-parametric tests, mediation via PROCESS. Output plus syntax handed over. |
| SmartPLS | PLS-SEM | Measurement and structural model assessment, AVE, CR, HTMT, bootstrapping, mediation and moderation, MGA, IPMA and PLSpredict. |
| AMOS | CB-SEM | Confirmatory factor analysis, model fit improvement, structural models, invariance testing, path diagrams you can edit. |
| STATA | Econometrics | Panel data, fixed and random effects, instrumental variables, time series, robust standard errors, reproducible do-files. |
| EViews | Time series | Unit root tests, ARDL, VAR/VECM, cointegration, GARCH family, forecasting with diagnostics. |
| R | Statistics & graphics | Custom modelling, meta-analysis, bibliometrix, ggplot2 figures at publication quality, fully commented scripts. |
| Python | Data science & ML | pandas, scikit-learn, statsmodels, TensorFlow and PyTorch. Notebooks handed over, commented line by line. |
| MATLAB & Simulink | Modelling | Numerical modelling, control systems, signal and image processing, optimisation, Simulink block models. |
| Minitab | Quality & DoE | Design of experiments, Taguchi, response surface methodology, control charts, capability analysis. |
| JASP & jamovi | Open-source stats | Frequentist and Bayesian analysis with transparent, reproducible output — useful when reviewers ask for Bayes factors. |
| NVivo | Qualitative | Coding frameworks, thematic analysis, matrix queries, inter-coder agreement, audit trail. |
| ATLAS.ti | Qualitative | Grounded theory coding, networks, co-occurrence analysis, memo management. |
| MAXQDA | Mixed methods | Mixed-methods integration, visual tools, document comparison and joint displays. |
| ANSYS & COMSOL | Simulation | FEA, CFD, thermal, modal and vibration analysis, multiphysics coupling, grid-independence studies. |
All software, database and publisher names are trademarks of their respective owners. They are named here descriptively to say what we work in. No endorsement, affiliation or partnership is claimed or implied.
PLS-SEM or CB-SEM is not a software preference — it depends on your sample size, whether your model is reflective or formative, and whether your aim is prediction or theory testing. Choosing wrongly is one of the more expensive mistakes available to a research scholar.
Send us your model and objectives and we will tell you which approach fits, and why, before you commit to anything.
Ask about your modelSend your topic, your dataset or one draft chapter. We will tell you honestly what it needs — before you pay anything. The first consultation is free.