Publication-ready figures, connected to your data
GraphPad Prism vs. Conspecta
A feature-by-feature comparison.
GraphPad Prism is the desktop standard for statistical graphing in biology, with a deep library of tests, curve fitting, and highly customizable graphs, licensed per seat. It's part of Dotmatics, the scientific-software suite Siemens acquired in 2025. Conspecta builds multi-panel publication figures in the browser from the images, flow data, and tables they came from, with the tests most figures need and their p-value brackets computed on the chart, plus 4PL fits for dose-response and standard curves, free for you and one collaborator.
| Capability | Conspecta | GraphPad Prism |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Any browser, any device. Nothing to install. | Windows and macOS desktop app. |
| Price | Free for you and one collaborator. Academic teams pay a flat per-lab rate. | Per-seat annual subscription. Free trial, no free tier. |
| Chart types | Bar, grouped, proportion, box, histogram, scatter, violin, dot, line, heatmap, paired, waterfall. | The same families plus survival curves, contingency plots, and nested graphs. |
| Where the numbers come from | An image analysis, a flow population, or a data table in the same project. A re-run pushes the new numbers into the panel. | A Prism data table you type or paste into. Re-import when the data changes. |
| Multi-panel layout | Charts, images, and flow plots on one figure. | Graphs and images in a layout. |
| Statistical tests | Welch's t, Mann-Whitney, paired t, Wilcoxon, one- and two-way ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis, with Bonferroni, Holm, or FDR correction and p-value brackets drawn on the figure. | The same tests plus repeated-measures and mixed models, survival analysis, contingency tables, and outlier tests. |
| Curve fitting | Four-parameter logistic fits: dose-response IC50/EC50 with Hill slope and R², and ELISA standard curves that read unknowns back off the curve. | A large library of built-in nonlinear models plus your own equations, with constraints and fit comparison. |
| Export formats | PNG, SVG, TIFF, PDF. | PNG, TIFF, JPG, PDF, EPS. |
| Who can open it | Everyone on the project, in the browser, at the same time. | One person at a time, by passing the .prism file. |
How the workflows differ
Why labs look for a GraphPad Prism alternative
Prism is the standard for a reason, and its model library goes further than anything in a browser. The friction is upstream of the graph. You paste or import numbers into a Prism file, graph them, and end up with a figure that's disconnected from the analysis those numbers came from. When you re-gate a flow sample or re-measure an image, you export again and re-import again. For the figure with a t-test and error bars on it, that round-trip is most of the work.
Figures built from the data they came from
Conspecta builds the figure straight from the source. A panel can be a flow plot, a measured image, or a chart from a data table, and each one links back to the analysis behind it. You compose multi-panel figures in the browser and export them as PNG, SVG, TIFF, or PDF at journal resolution, without a separate graphing app.
Fewer round-trips when the data changes
The clearest difference shows up when the data moves. In Prism, a changed measurement means exporting the new numbers and rebuilding the graph. In Conspecta, the panel is tied to the analysis, so when you re-run it the figure reflects it. There's no re-export, no re-import, and less chance of a figure built from a stale copy of the data. Prism is the figures-and-stats end of the Dotmatics suite, and the tools that feed it, like OMIQ and FCS Express for flow, are separate products, so the data still travels there by export.
In practice that means the figure and the analysis stay in step. You aren't keeping a separate file of numbers in sync with the experiment by hand, so a corrected sample doesn't leave an old plot behind in the manuscript.
What switching actually looks like
Moving over is mostly a one-time step. You build your figures from the images, flow, and tables already in your project, with nothing to install. Figures export as PNG, SVG, TIFF, or PDF, ready to drop into a manuscript or slide. If one curve needs a model beyond 4PL, fit it in Prism and bring the numbers into a Conspecta table for the figure.
GraphPad Prism vs. Conspecta: the bottom line
Switch to Conspecta if
- You want multi-panel figures built from your images, flow data, and tables
- You want charts that update when the underlying analysis changes
- You want figures free for you and one collaborator, with nothing to install
- You want figures and the data behind them in one shared workspace
- You're tired of re-exporting and re-importing every time the data changes
Stay on GraphPad Prism if
- You fit models beyond 4PL: enzyme kinetics, binding, decay, or an equation of your own
- You need survival analysis, repeated-measures or mixed models, or ROC and contingency tests
- Your lab is standardized on Prism and its project files
- You need a fully offline desktop tool
Or read the figures guide.
GraphPad Prism and all other product names and trademarks on this page belong to their respective owners. Conspecta is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by them. This comparison is written by Conspecta, and we have tried to be fair, including where GraphPad Prism does things we do not. Pricing, packaging, and feature details about GraphPad Prism were last checked in July 2026 and may have changed since. Check their site for current details.
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