StatsDirect
Not-for-profit biostatistics package from Liverpool, free and MIT licensed
Quick Overview
| Company | StatsDirect Ltd |
|---|---|
| Category | Statistical Software |
| Headquarters | England (registered office not shown), United Kingdom |
| Founded | Not stated |
| EU Presence | Yes - United Kingdom |
| Data Location | Runs on your own computer; data, reports and scripts stay with you according to the privacy policy |
| Open Source | MIT licence |
| GDPR Compliant | Yes |
| Self-Hosting | Desktop install on your own computer |
| Main Features | Spreadsheet grid reading and writing Excel workbooks, nonparametric methods, regression, survival analysis, meta-analysis, exact tests, sample size estimation, randomisation, built-in statistics guide, R script continuation |
| Pricing | Free. The StatsDirect site says it is provided free of charge and open source. |
| Best For | Medical researchers and public health teams who need exact methods and a built-in statistics guide |
| Replaces | IBM SPSS Statistics |
Detailed Review
StatsDirect is a biostatistics package whose site says it has been developed since 1987 for biomedicine and public health. The StatsDirect contact page names Professor Iain Buchan of the University of Liverpool as its developer.
StatsDirect Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 17541020, distributes the software. We read the StatsDirect home, specifications, contact and privacy pages on 5 November 2026.
Who publishes StatsDirect?
StatsDirect Ltd, registered in England and Wales with company number 17541020, publishes the software and runs the website, according to its privacy policy. The same policy says the University of Liverpool will soon publish the software, and that the page will then name the new publisher.
The contact page says StatsDirect is developed not-for-profit by Professor Iain Buchan, supported by Leap of Faith Ventures.
Which methods does StatsDirect cover?
The StatsDirect specifications list parametric and nonparametric methods, regression, analysis of variance, survival analysis, meta-analysis, agreement analysis, exact tests on counts and sample size estimation.
Every StatsDirect analysis continues as a short R script, which can be run in the built-in R window or taken to R or RStudio.
What does StatsDirect send over the internet?
The StatsDirect privacy policy says the software has no user accounts and sends no usage information. It checks for a new version at start-up and fetches R from CRAN or the tutor runtime from GitHub only when asked.
The optional AI tutor signs in with your own ChatGPT account, so your questions go to OpenAI.
Limitations to Consider
StatsDirect needs 64-bit Windows 10 or later, and Mac users must run it through Parallels or VMware Fusion. The privacy policy says the University of Liverpool will take over as publisher, so the publisher may change. The optional AI tutor depends on OpenAI. The pages we read give no registered office address for StatsDirect Ltd.
Who Should Use StatsDirect
Biomedical and public health researchers on Windows who want exact methods, a guide that explains results and a free licence. Teams on macOS or Linux should look at JASP instead.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Free and open source under the MIT licence
- Built-in statistics guide and references
- Exact methods for counts and confidence intervals
- Reads and writes Excel workbooks
- No accounts and no usage data from the software
Cons
- Windows only, Mac needs virtualisation
- Publisher is about to change to the University of Liverpool
- AI tutor goes through OpenAI
- Biomedical focus, fewer market-research procedures
Alternatives to StatsDirect
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 StatsDirect site says it is provided free of charge and open source, and the specifications name the MIT licence.
StatsDirect Ltd, registered in England and Wales under company number 17541020, distributes it. The software is developed not-for-profit by Professor Iain Buchan of the University of Liverpool.
Not natively. The specifications say it runs on 64-bit Windows 10 or later, and that Mac users can use Parallels or VMware Fusion.