4.2 Should I use PRIMER or R? (in short)

Use Both!

The take-home message here is: use both! Neither replaces the other. They are good at different things.

When do I use what?

In my own work, I use PRIMER first and foremost for all the stuff that it can do and is really good at, not just because it is easier (which is reason enough), but also because I know I can trust the results. I use R for most other things, and with few exceptions I program and de-bug my own R code. Breaking this down into some concrete recommendations:

Use PRIMER (with PERMANOVA+) for:

Use R for:

I sincerely hope that this contribution will help researchers get the most from their software tools for data analysis. The focus of this exposé has been exclusively on PRIMER and R, as the specific question 'Should I use PRIMER or R?' seems to keep bubbling up. There are clearly a large number of other statistical software options out there (with their own pros and cons) and I would encourage researchers to explore them as well, with an open mind.


Revision #23
Created 9 May 2024 19:51:18 by Marti
Updated 16 May 2024 03:04:29 by Marti