Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is a widely used method in behavioral and social science research, but its use is limited by software access and specialized desktop software. AnalyVa is a desktop statistical analysis platform (offline, locally installed) based on Electron that provides complete PLS-SEM capabilities, such as reflective model estimation, moderation analysis, and second-stage interaction modeling, without the need for internet connection or programming skills. This tutorial compares AnalyVa with the current reference standard, SmartPLS 4, for three model specifications: (1) a simple four-construct reflective model, (2) an extended moderation model with one multi-item moderator, and (3) a multiple interaction model with three single-item moderators and all higher-order interaction terms. We compare outer loadings, construct reliability and validity, discriminant validity (HTMT and Fornell-Larcker criterion), structural path coefficients, effect sizes (f²), and model fit indices (SRMR and NFI) using an existing data set (n = 344) from the corporate reputation literature. Results show good agreement, with the largest absolute differences being less than .010 for path coefficients and less than .006 for outer loadings for all three models. Systematic divergences in model fit reporting are identified and explained: AnalyVa separately reports saturated and estimated model fit indices—a distinction SmartPLS 4 collapses for simple models. AnalyVa’s Smart Model Health diagnostics flagged an elevated outer VIF in the extended moderation model not surfaced by SmartPLS 4. The results indicate that AnalyVa is a methodologically sound and diagnostically useful desktop alternative to PLS-SEM practitioners.
Bouzar et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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