philentropy

At a glance

• Editor score
  3.0 / 10
• Pricing
  Free plan
• Best for
  R users comparing probability distributions
• Free plan
  Yes
• Paid from
  Free
• Deployment
  Desktop
• Facts checked
  24 Sep 2026

• Where it wins

  • Provides 46 probability-distance and similarity measures.
  • Calculates entropy, mutual information and Jensen–Shannon divergence.
  • Supports R matrices and data frames in scripts.

• Where it doesn't

  • Focused on probability functions, not general statistical analysis.
  • Requires R scripts rather than a hosted statistical application.
  • Deployment is limited to desktop and self-hosted use.

Our verdict on philentropy

For analysts working in R, philentropy is an open-source package for comparing univariate or multivariate probability functions. Its focus is specific: it calculates distances and similarities between probability distributions, plus information-theory measures. The package suits solo users and small teams whose statistical, clustering, classification or machine-learning work involves probability vectors. It is not a general-purpose statistical analysis application.

Its breadth within that focus is the main draw. The package supplies 46 probability-distance and similarity measures, including Euclidean, cosine, Jaccard, Hellinger, Kullback–Leibler and Jensen–Shannon measures. It can create pairwise distance matrices, estimate probability vectors from counts, and calculate Shannon, joint and conditional entropy, mutual information and generalized Jensen–Shannon divergence. Distance-diversity calculations across probability density functions extend the analysis beyond a single comparison. Inputs are R matrices or data frames, and functions can be used in scripts for statistical inference and goodness-of-fit work as well as clustering and classification.

The open-source package has no cost, and its published offering is not organized into paid tiers. Its fit depends on an R-based workflow: it is a desktop and self-hosted package for Windows and macOS, not a hosted application. Documentation is the listed support channel. Choose philentropy when you need a substantial selection of probability distances or information measures inside R; choose a broader statistics platform if you need general analysis capabilities or a hosted interface.

Your product? Our editors can test philentropy in depth and publish a review, labelled as paid · from $149/mo →

philentropy pricing

philentropy fact sheet

Alternatives to philentropy

• RA free, programmable environment for statistical analysis, modeling, visualization, and data import.9.4
• SStataA broad, scriptable desktop environment for professional and reproducible applied analysis.9.3
• IBM SPSS StatisticsA broad desktop statistics suite with testing, modeling, forecasting, reporting, and R/Python integration.9.2

See all philentropy alternatives →

Featured on iTechGuides

philentropy is listed in our Statistical Analysis Software directory. Add the badge to your site — it links back to this page.

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Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

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Last updated 7 Oct 2026 · How we research and update