PAST
Free scientific data analysis from the Natural History Museum in Oslo
Quick Overview
| Company | Natural History Museum, University of Oslo |
|---|---|
| Category | Statistical Software |
| Headquarters | Oslo, Norway |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - Norway (EEA) |
| Data Location | Runs on your own computer; the pages we read do not describe any hosted service |
| Open Source | No |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Desktop install on your own computer |
| Main Features | Data manipulation, plotting, univariate and multivariate statistics, ecological analysis, time series, spatial analysis, morphometrics, stratigraphy |
| Pricing | Free. The PAST page describes it as free software for scientific data analysis. |
| Best For | Ecologists, palaeontologists and geoscientists who need multivariate and ecological methods without a licence |
| Replaces | IBM SPSS Statistics |
Detailed Review
PAST is a small statistics program that the University of Oslo Natural History Museum publishes for scientific data analysis. The PAST page lists Professor Øyvind Hammer as the contact, with the museum address in Oslo, Norway.
The current version on the page is 5.4 from October 2026. We read the PAST page on 5 November 2026; the page is the only source we used for PAST.
Who publishes PAST?
The PAST page names Professor Øyvind Hammer at the Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo as the contact, with the museum at Sars' gate 1, Oslo, Norway. PAST is therefore a university publication in Norway, which is in the EEA.
What does PAST analyse?
PAST lists functions for data manipulation, plotting, univariate and multivariate statistics, ecological analysis, time series, spatial analysis, morphometrics and stratigraphy. These fields come from natural science, so PAST fits ecology and geology more than market research.
IBM SPSS Statistics lists marketing, healthcare and supply chain use cases on its own pages.
Which platforms does PAST support?
PAST works under Windows 11, 10 and 8 and on Macs from macOS 12. The page says the Mac build supports Apple Silicon only, and that its map module does not work.
PAST version 5.4 is distributed as an installer that needs administrator rights, and the page also offers an exe file.
Limitations to Consider
The PAST page does not state a licence, a source code location or a privacy policy in the text we read. The Mac version does not support Intel Macs, and its map module does not work. PAST is built for natural science, so survey, market research and forecasting procedures of IBM SPSS Statistics are not listed. No commercial support plan is described.
Who Should Use PAST
Natural scientists and students who want free multivariate and ecological analysis on Windows or an Apple Silicon Mac. Social scientists will probably prefer JASP.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free of charge
- Strong list of ecological and multivariate functions
- Run by a university museum in Norway
- Windows and Apple Silicon Mac builds
- Current release, version 5.4 in October 2026
Cons
- Licence not stated on the page
- Intel Macs not supported
- Mac map module does not work
- Aimed at natural science, not market research
Alternatives to PAST
Other European statistical software worth comparing before you decide:
See all European statistical software or compare them directly against IBM SPSS Statistics on our alternatives page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The PAST page describes PAST as free software for scientific data analysis.
The Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo in Norway, with Professor Øyvind Hammer as contact.
Yes, from macOS 12. The PAST page says Intel Macs are no longer supported and the map module does not work on the Mac.