SPMx Software Library

Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) is the leading open source software package for analysing neuroimaging data for cognitive and clinical neuroscience. The SPMx Software Library provides access to most of SPM’s source code and algorithms, for situations where the terms of SPM’s standard open source license (GPLv2) cannot be fulfilled.

Which version of SPM should I use for my project?

You have two options:

• SPM, which is available from Github.

• The SPMx Software Library, available here.

The standard Github version of SPM is free to use in any setting (commercial or academic), so long as any derivative works that are created also comply with the terms of the GPL v2 license. One requirement of this license is that if you create software that re-uses SPM’s source code, then you must share your own source code under the GPL v2 license, which is not always possible in a commercial setting.

Alternatively, if you wish to re-use SPM code and distribute it without fulling the requirements of GPLv2, then the SPMx Software Library may be for you. It is a non-functional version of SPM that enables re-use of SPM source code without the requirement to share your own code.

Does the SPMx Software Library include all of SPM?

No, certain parts of SPM are excluded due to licensing incompatibility. That includes Fieldtrip, the MATLAB Batch interface, parts of the SPM for M/EEG and other toolboxes. The SPMx Software Library is therefore not a functional version of SPM, and is provided only to enable re-use of source code (written in MATLAB and C).

Is support provided?

No, support is not provided, but generally help can be found via the community of SPM users and developers. See the SPM website for further details.

SPMx Software Library – author list

An up-to-date list of authors of the SPM software package, on which SPMx is based, can be found at https://github.com/spm/spm/blob/main/AUTHORS.txt . 

Note that due to licensing restrictions, not all SPM authors’ work is included in SPMx .