SOFA Statistics is a free, open-source desktop package for routine statistical analysis and reporting. It combines a graphical interface with support for common tests, data imports and database connections, charts, HTML tables, and exported Python scripts for repeatable reports. It is best suited to people whose methods and reporting needs fit that focused scope—not as an automatic replacement for specialist statistical software.
What SOFA Statistics is designed to do
SOFA stands for Statistics Open For All. Its official description presents it as a user-friendly analysis and reporting package for researchers, students, data analysts, and others who want to understand their data. The emphasis is on common analyses and learning through use. See the official features page and FAQ.
In practice, that makes SOFA a focused tool for routine work: prepare or connect to data, run supported analyses, and produce tables and charts for reports. Its feature list is not evidence that every specialized method or workflow is supported, so check your required analysis before moving an established project into it.
Data sources, analysis, and reporting
Bring in or connect to data
The official feature page lists direct connections to MySQL, Microsoft Access, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and Microsoft SQL Server. It also lists imports from Excel, ODS, CSV, and tab-separated files, plus Excel export. SOFA describes tools for filtering and recoding data, which can help prepare a dataset for analysis.
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Run common statistical procedures
Listed descriptive measures include counts, sums, means, medians, quartiles, standard deviation, minima, maxima, and range. Listed tests and associations include Pearson chi-square, independent and paired t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Mann–Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed ranks, Kruskal–Wallis H, and Pearson and Spearman correlation.
This list gives a useful starting point, not a guarantee that a particular study’s design or assumptions are handled as needed. Confirm that the exact method, options, and outputs you require are available; the FAQ says SOFA deliberately concentrates on analyses used most often.
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- This guide is a perfect overview for the topics covered in introductory statistics courses.
Produce tables, charts, and repeatable reports
The package can produce tabular results as HTML, which the feature page says can be placed on a website or intranet. Listed charts include bar, pie, line, area, histogram, scatterplot, and box-and-whisker charts. SOFA also includes worked examples for several tests and can export Python scripts for routine report automation. That is a way to support repeatable reporting, not a claim that SOFA is a full programming environment.
Check whether SOFA fits your workflow
Evaluate the package against the work you actually need to do rather than choosing it on the basis of “free” or “open-source” alone:
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- Required methods: Match your planned analyses to the supported procedures and check for specialist methods or options your project needs.
- Data access: Determine whether your source is one of the listed database connections or file formats, and whether import or export fits your process.
- Reporting: Check whether HTML tables, the listed chart types, and exported Python scripts suit your audience and repeatability requirements.
- Operating system: Verify that the installer available for your platform is compatible with your current operating system and installation requirements.
These are the practical trade-offs behind the FAQ’s question, “Why use SOFA and not another program?” Its stated strengths include working with existing data, free/open use, shareable reports, report automation, and a focus on common analyses. If a required method, supported input, reporting feature, or compatible installer is missing, compare another package before committing to a workflow.
Platforms, versions, and installation notes
On the official downloads page, as accessed September 30, 2026, the listed versions were Windows 1.5.4, Ubuntu/Debian Linux 1.5.7, source archive 1.5.7, and Mac 1.4.6. The page said version 1.5.x was not yet available for Mac. These are the versions listed on that date, not a guarantee of what is available now.
The downloads page includes operating-system guidance that may age and notes that dependencies can change. Before installation, review its current instructions and verify compatibility with your system. The FAQ says Windows installation requires administrator permission; after installation, the program can be run from a non-administrator account. The official user guide contents also provides installation and workflow topics.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.License and citing SOFA in a report
The official feature and download pages identify SOFA Statistics as licensed under AGPL-3.0. Naming the license does not resolve every redistribution or modified-deployment question; consult the license and obtain appropriate advice for your particular use.
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The FAQ suggests this wording for a publication: “Statistics were performed using SOFA Statistics version x.y.z”. Replace “x.y.z” with the version you actually used. It says you may optionally add “Paton-Simpson & Associates Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.” The FAQ does not give a publication year for this citation wording.
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