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Are there FREE Excel alternatives to Minitab?
We get asked this question a lot. Many companies or individuals do not want to incur the expense for Minitab or other costly statistical analysis tools. Another reason this question is often asked is because most people are more comfortable with Microsoft Excel.
The answer is YES!
There is are free Microsoft Excel alternatives to Minitab for statistical analysis. Excel has an add-on called the Data Analysis Tool-pack. Plus there are many templates that have been developed and are available on the web.
This is a reference to Microsoft Excel alternative tools and templates to Minitab statistical analysis that are taught in our Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Black Belt course. Below you will find YouTube videos and websites explaining the different tools.
Free Microsoft Excel Built In Graphs
These statistical analyses are created in MS Excel using tools other than the Data Analysis Tool (i.e., using MS Excel’s different default graphing functions)
- Pareto Chart – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDzBkjo8Qeo
- 2nd Level Pareto Chart (Excel can’t perform this analysis)
- Box and Whiskers Plot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiS-q6euyf8.
- Time Series Plot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl28MOUyYu0
- Scatter Plot – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVA2M7EIx80
Microsoft Excel Data Analysis Tool
These statistical analyses use the MS Excel Data Analysis Tool. We have also included an article explaining the different data analysis tool’s and how to load the MS Excel add-in.
- Installing and Using the MS Excel Data Analysis Tool: https://support.office.com/en-us/article/use-the-analysis-toolpak-to-perform-complex-data-analysis-6c67ccf0-f4a9-487c-8dec-bdb5a2cefab6
- Descriptive Statistics – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY-Fy-lsE6I
- One Sample t-Test – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-ZcqrdTcIQ
- Two Sample t-Test – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN4_1ynREIU
- One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwAn7JTMknA
- Regression Analysis – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87iA8KC2l3s
- Correlation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr64tfZmiGA
Third-Party Templates that work with Excel
I have attached MS Excel templates to perform the statistical analyses functions below in Excel that we teach in our Lean Six Sigma Green Belt course using Minitab. **These tools were not developed nor are maintained by any Six Sigma Development Solution, Inc. employee.
- Chi-Squared Test – “Chi-Squared Test.xlsx”
- Gauge R&R (Crossed) – “Gauge R&R Crossed.xlsx”
- Attribute Agreement Analysis – “Attribute Agreement Analysis.xlsx”
- Process Capability Analysis – “Process Capability Analysis.xlsx”
- Variable Control Charts (IMR and XBarR) – “Variable Control Charts.xlsx”
- P-Chart – “P-Chart.xlsx”
Conclusion
There are free Microsoft Excel alternative tools to Minitab (and other costly) statistical analysis tools. The plus side of these tools is that they have no cost but the downside is their limited functionality.
Hello SSDI, I thought it would be worth mentioning that there is a comprehensive Excel toolkit – which covers everything that Green Belts need and most of the Black Belt tools as well – available here: https://advancedanalyticssolutions.co.uk/data-analysis-toolkit/
It’s not free, but at £180 for a 5-year license it is a tiny fraction of the cost of Minitab, and much easier to use. There are no macros (so no security worries) and people are comfortable with Excel of course.
The website also offers a free 30-day trial to download.
Please let me know if you would like more information!
The organization I’m with uses QI Macros. It’s about $200/license and is an Add In to Excel. Includes all of the charts, graphs and statistical tests noted above and more. Also includes a ton of Lean templates and tools.
Rebecca, Thanks for your comment. QI Macros is also an excellent tool.