Price: Part of MacOS
This software was created for the first PowerPC systems to show off their awesome power. They remain in OS X, and can do many useful things. Steve Martin of the University of Melbourne suggested it, adding that you can import sets of points and that it now includes sample files. This only works for graphing functions.
Price: $10
PublishPlot updated: Jan 2026 (checked 10-26)
Available in the Mac App Store. It quickly makes publication-quality plots from tables of data, and was last updated and verified for MacOS Tahoe (26.2). The last feature addition was in 2024.
PublishPlot was created by a former journal editor. It provides error bars, annotations (with labels, arrows, and shapes), easy scaling, customizing any part of the chart, means, standard deviations, and quartiles (with error bars or box-and-whisker graphics), data transformations (including fits and spline interpolations), and simple data editing. All aspects of the plot are sized relative to the plot size itself, rather than with absolute sizes.
The software is quite surprisingly fast on our Mac Mini (Intel and M2), though the user interface takes some getting used to. To be imported, data has to be saved in tab-delimited format and, ideally, altered in a text editor such as BBEdit or Brackets.
Price: variable, $30/year to $120 perpetual; on Apple Store
DataGraph updated July 2025 (checked 10-26).
David Adalsteinsson wrote DataGraph in Cocoa for VisualDataTools.com; it grew out of DataTank and shares underlying graphics code, but is limited to two-dimensional graphing. The design is “simple and powerful,” with publication-quality output. DataGraph reads in CricketGraph files; it creates animations and can be called from Automator or the command line. Newer versions work with R and can handle over 200,000 points.
Listing updated 11/5/24.
ImageTank grew out of DataTank, and is a newer, more modern program from VisualDataTools.com. The software is clearly Mac-focused; it already has a simple command line utility. It can view images and do complex image processing.
Price: $250 (academic $175); crossgrades $125; upgrades $75
Software last updated in 2023, listing updated 10/28/26
Kaleidagraph does data analysis and graphing; published by Synergy Software. Kaleidagraph can easily tabulate, normalize, and combine data sets, compare theoretical expressions with measured data points, and make publication-quality graphs. While the name dates back to the 1990s, it was brought back more recently, but it hasn’t been updated for a while—version 5 was billed as being Mojave-compatible. Synergy says it will run on the M1-M3 chips.
Free student version, $390 perpetual.
Listing updated: 11/12/2018. Software updated: January 2021
MagicPlot is used for scientific and engineering data analysis, graphing, nonlinear curve fitting, and multi-peak fitting. The Pro version program has publication quality customizable plots with multiple axes, text table import with previews, data manipulation, FFT, integration, differentiation, histograms, and other statistics, with multiple undos (some of these features are on the free student version as well).
The software is relatively easy to use and nicely featured, but as a Java program, does not use standard Mac open/close dialogue boxes, so finding files may be hard depending on your file structure. The system is simple enough — fill a table with data, add formulas if desired, choose the type of table you want, and select a large number of options from the dialogue boxes which appear next. It takes a short time to get acquainted but is far easier to learn than many graphing programs; basic statistics are provided. The program can guess the most appropriate fit line, but lets users choose a method if desired.
Price: €289
Last update to software and listing: October 2024
ndCurveMaster is a curve-fitting tool that automates nonlinear regression equations with an unlimited number of inputs. It can do linear, polynomial, and nonlinear curve fitting. It has heuristic techniques and data analysis (ANOVA, p, collinearity detection) with overfitting and multicollinearity tests. Results come quickly to Excel or Python. The 2D version is free, able to use a single independent variable.
Price: $95; upgrade, $55
Software and listing updated October 2024
pro Fit is a data analysis and plotting software package from QuantumSoft. Dave [not me] wrote: "...it has an extensive Applescript dictionary, ability to handle large data sets well (I've done graphs with hundreds of thousands of points), can be extended by writing plug ins or adding formulas that you create, does great curve fitting. I consider it much more feature complete than Kaliedagraph and far more intuitive than Igor Pro. They have excellent customer support, usually getting back to you within 24 hours if you have a bug report or feature request." We have observed that ProFit is frequently updated which indicates it is well supported (2010).
“pro Fit is a Macintosh (Mac OS) application for data/function analysis, plotting, and curve fitting. It is used by scientists and engineers to analyze their measurements and the mathematical models they use to describe them. Scientists or students can define any mathematical function and use it to model their data, finding by linear or nonlinear curve fitting the function parameters that best describe their observations. Moreover, they can use a number of tools for the mathematical and statistical analysis of functions and data sets, and they can produce aesthetically pleasing graphical representations for their scientific reports.”
Version 6.1 changes: now Universal Binary; new tool for multidimensional curve fitting; revamped rendering engine for plots with native Core Graphics, PDF, and PostScript support; additions to the scripting language; more. Version 6.2: Python support, extended fitting, more data processing, higher performance.
Last update 5/2026, listing updated 10/2026
Graphviz is an open source drawing package installed by MacPorts or Homebrew. It has a steep learning curve, and was designed mainly for Linux. This is a very powerful tool but takes a lot of learning.
A highly capable data visualization and discovery package which is very speedy and has a friendly Mac-like interface, JMP is covered on the main page.
Stata, the fine Mac-focused Swiss-army-knife statistics package. Stata details.
Graphical Analysis Price: Free! for Mac and iOS
Pro version available which can collect data, too
Software current when listing updated, 10-2026
From Vernier Solutions, Graphical Analysis creates charts and graphs from sensor data (e.g. sensors purchased from Vernier). It lets you “create and print graphs, data tables, text, FFTs, and histograms. Perform automatic curve fits, and add models with adjustable parameters to your graphs. Calculate statistics, tangents, integrals, and interpolations.” It allows collection from Vernier sensors, which is probably why it's free. Data can be shared with Logger Pro and LabQuest 2 or entered manually. A pro version adds numerous extra features for advanced analysis and sharing of collected data.
Configurations: PPC
Current Version: 4.1
Price: free
gnuplot is the Mac version of the open source scientific plotting software. It is available online from many sources.
Configurations: 10.7 or later
Price: $40 per year, $14 per quarter (Mac App Store)
Updated 2025, listing updated 10/26
From Evan Miller, Magic Apps is a tool for analyzing time-series data on a map. Maps; states and countries change color to match values (numbers or text). Data can be entered manually or imported, with built in templates. KML and ESRI files can be imported. A timeline shows historical averages and totals with a "play" feature to show changes by period; the program has CSV output and math and geography functions.
Runs on Python. Updated June 2026, listing updated Oct. 2026
Matplotlib is a python plotting library that makes publication-quality plots using a syntax familiar to Matlab users. The library uses Numeric for large data sets and a variety of output backends. It was originally written by John D. Hunter, who died of cancer in 2012 at the age of 44, and has been kept up to date.
GraphPad’s Prism is an excellent platform for graphing, providing the usability of graphing software with many advanced statistical capabilities. Numerous graph types are available along with flexible regression curving. See our main Mac statistics software page (listed under GraphPad).
Updated in 2026 for Golden Gate (listing updated 10/2026)
Lance Bland, the developer, wrote: "In addition to all the standard features, Vvidget includes advanced features such as floating ticks, curves that can extend beyond the graph frame or can be truncated and literally hundreds of tunable parameters. 3D types rotate in real time and even the graph labels can be rotated in their own plane, independent of the main graph rotation. Data can be inserted through a list of numbers or by point and click methods." The same developer provides software such as QuadraticLab for other math functions. The software appears to be under very active development.
Grace is a WYSIWYG 2D plotting tool for the X Window System that runs on “practically any version of Unix-like OS.”
Ctioga is no longer available; use Ctioga2.
See our related pages on commercial and free software.
See the dead zone.
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