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Comparison · Analytics
ageproR vs vellumplot
A side-by-side editorial comparison of ageproR and vellumplot — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
ageproR vs vellumplot: at a glance
What is ageproR?
ageproR spent two years chasing a moving file format, then added the recruitment models that justify the effort.
An R interface for building and validating AGEPRO input files — the configuration format for a fisheries stock projection program used in stock assessments. Releases come every few months and are dominated by one recurring problem: keeping up with the AGEPRO input file format, which has moved between VERSION 4.0 and VERSION 4.25 in both directions across this window. The package spends considerable effort on validation, version detection, and clear error messages when a file does not match.
What is vellumplot?
vellumplot tags its first release with a bet most R grammars don't make: the static figure and the widget are the same object.
A new grammar of graphics built on the vellum vector engine, developing fast — ten releases in roughly three weeks — and now at its first tagged release. The distinguishing architectural claim is that the compiled plot is the scene, so a static export and an interactive widget cannot drift apart, and that it renders without a graphics device because vellum measures text itself. Accessibility is treated as a first-class output rather than an afterthought: tagged PDF with a navigable structure tree and alt text, a plot_lint() check, and colour-vision-deficiency simulation at render time.
ageproR vs vellumplot: editorial side-by-side
ageproR
0.0ANALYTICS
ageproR spent two years chasing a moving file format, then added the recruitment models that justify the effort.
◆ Current state
An R interface for building and validating AGEPRO input files — the configuration format for a fisheries stock projection program used in stock assessments. Releases come every few months and are dominated by one recurring problem: keeping up with the AGEPRO input file format, which has moved between VERSION 4.0 and VERSION 4.25 in both directions across this window. The package spends considerable effort on validation, version detection, and clear error messages when a file does not match.
◆ Where it's heading
The version-format churn is settling. Release 0.7.1 reverted the default back to VERSION 4.0 as a bugfix, and 0.9.0 finally set 4.25 as current while retaining a 4.0 compatibility string and improving the detection messages — a resolution rather than another reversal. With that stabilising, the substantive work has been the recruitment model coverage added in 0.8.0, which brought autocorrelated lognormal error structures into the package for the first time. Naming has been converging too, with output_stock_summary and summary_output_flag renamed to auxiliary variants to match the AGEPRO-GUI specification.
◆ Prediction
Expect the remaining recruitment models to be filled in against the AGEPRO specification, and the version handling to stay on 4.25 now that both formats are supported and validated rather than swapped.
vellumplot
6.3ANALYTICS
vellumplot tags its first release with a bet most R grammars don't make: the static figure and the widget are the same object.
◆ Current state
A new grammar of graphics built on the vellum vector engine, developing fast — ten releases in roughly three weeks — and now at its first tagged release. The distinguishing architectural claim is that the compiled plot is the scene, so a static export and an interactive widget cannot drift apart, and that it renders without a graphics device because vellum measures text itself. Accessibility is treated as a first-class output rather than an afterthought: tagged PDF with a navigable structure tree and alt text, a plot_lint() check, and colour-vision-deficiency simulation at render time.
◆ Where it's heading
The release sequence shows a grammar filling in ggplot2-parity features and specialist marks in parallel. Parity work landed as secondary axes, rich legend titles, and Sankey styling; the specialist end added categorical datashading, image marks, flow maps and edge bundling for dense graphs. Version 0.7.0 shows a willingness to break early — vsunburst() was removed outright in favour of one vhierarchy() constructor covering sunburst, icicle, treemap and circlepack — which is the right time to do it and suggests the API is still being consolidated toward fewer, more general constructors.
◆ Prediction
Expect more consolidation of near-duplicate constructors under type arguments and continued expansion of the declarative interactivity introduced in 0.7.0, now that the first tagged release has fixed a public API surface.
Alternatives to ageproR and vellumplot
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either ageproR or vellumplot.
epiworldR
epiworldR is a thin R shell whose releases track the C++ simulator underneath it
watina
A groundwater database client that has started doing the domain analysis too
inbospatial
A thin R wrapper over Flemish geospatial services, adding one standard at a time
Fluent Bit
Fluent Bit keeps two lines alive while the 5.x branch quietly opens 5.1.
OpenCTI
OpenCTI is rebuilding its connector layer into a marketplace and wiring the platform to XTM Hub
See all ageproR alternatives → · See all vellumplot alternatives →
Recent activity from ageproR and vellumplot
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 14d agovellumplotFirst tagged release: one spec compiles to PNG, SVG, tagged PDF and a widget ⚡
- 19d agovellumplotFlow maps and edge bundling for dense graph plots
- 24d agovellumplotvhierarchy() replaces vsunburst(); declarative interactivity arrives
- 26d agovellumplotSankey crossing minimisation and per-branch sunburst colouring
- 29d agovellumplotSecondary axes land; rich legend titles stop clipping
- 1mo agovellumplotCategorical datashading in one call, plus image marks at data points
- 2mo agoageproRwrite_inp option flag detection fixed after 0.8.0 dependency changes
- 6mo agoageproRAGEPRO VERSION 4.25 becomes the default format, with 4.0 kept compatible
- 1y agoageproRFour recruitment models added, including autocorrelated lognormal error ⚡
- 1y agoageproRagepro_inp_model initialisation aligned with the other model classes
- 1y agoageproRVersion string read from line 1; invalid recruitment data blocks export
- 1y agoageproRInput file format reverted to VERSION 4.0 as a bugfix
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ageproR and vellumplot?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. vellumplot is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is ageproR better than vellumplot?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. vellumplot is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 6.3 vs 0.0), with 1 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to ageproR?
Top ageproR alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ageproR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/agepror-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to vellumplot?
Top vellumplot alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "vellumplot alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/vellumplot for the full list with editorial commentary on each.