qqman
The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.
Comparison · Analytics
austraits vs stockplotr
A side-by-side editorial comparison of austraits and stockplotr — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
austraits vs stockplotr: at a glance
What is austraits?
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
austraits is the R access layer for the AusTraits plant trait database, and its release history is almost entirely a record of keeping pace with two upstream systems it does not control: the austraits.build data releases and the Zenodo archive that hosts them. The most recent release adds a version-dispatch layer so the same package can read both v4.x and v5.0.0 data. Three of the four visible tags were backfilled to GitHub within 23 minutes of each other, so version order and publication order do not agree.
What is stockplotr?
A stock-assessment plotting package is growing a table engine to match its figures.
stockplotr generates the figures and, since 0.8.0-beta, the tables that go into NOAA fisheries stock assessment reports. The 0.8.0 release swapped the table backend from flextable to gt and shipped table_landings() as the first table function; 0.9.0 exported it with an interface deliberately mirroring the plot functions. Alongside that, convert_output() moved in from the sister package asar so model output is standardized here rather than upstream.
austraits vs stockplotr: editorial side-by-side
austraits
0.0ANALYTICS
The R client for AusTraits spends its releases chasing the dataset it reads.
◆ Current state
austraits is the R access layer for the AusTraits plant trait database, and its release history is almost entirely a record of keeping pace with two upstream systems it does not control: the austraits.build data releases and the Zenodo archive that hosts them. The most recent release adds a version-dispatch layer so the same package can read both v4.x and v5.0.0 data. Three of the four visible tags were backfilled to GitHub within 23 minutes of each other, so version order and publication order do not agree.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is converging on a stable public vocabulary and a versioned internal. Sites became locations across every join, plot and extract function; the extract_ and print family filled out at 1.0.0; and by 2.2.2 the core functions each carry a switch on the detected data version rather than assuming one schema. The visible cost of that is dependency churn — plotting packages moved to Suggests, which the notes admit can leave core functions unable to run.
◆ Prediction
Given that every release so far has been triggered by an upstream austraits.build or Zenodo change, the next one most likely follows the next data release rather than any independent roadmap. The entries do not indicate new analysis capability being planned in the client itself.
stockplotr
0.0ANALYTICS
A stock-assessment plotting package is growing a table engine to match its figures.
◆ Current state
stockplotr generates the figures and, since 0.8.0-beta, the tables that go into NOAA fisheries stock assessment reports. The 0.8.0 release swapped the table backend from flextable to gt and shipped table_landings() as the first table function; 0.9.0 exported it with an interface deliberately mirroring the plot functions. Alongside that, convert_output() moved in from the sister package asar so model output is standardized here rather than upstream.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is consolidating the whole report-artifact pipeline in one place: standardize model output, then emit both figures and tables from the same long-format frame. Pulling convert_output() out of asar because stockplotr depended on it more heavily is the clearest signal of where the center of gravity now sits. Everything is still tagged beta, and the plot function count is growing faster than the table one.
◆ Prediction
More table_* functions built on the gt foundation are the obvious next step, matching the existing plot_* set; the 0.9.0 notes describe table_landings() as the first of a revamped family rather than a one-off.
Alternatives to austraits and stockplotr
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 austraits or stockplotr.
constants
The R package for CODATA constants rebuilt its symbol table on NIST's naming so future updates stop being hand work.
ggdemetra
A ggplot2 layer for seasonal adjustment output, filling in one plot type at a time.
fossilsim
A fossil-record simulator that quietly grew a trait-evolution engine.
tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
tern.mmrm
An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.
See all austraits alternatives → · See all stockplotr alternatives →
Recent activity from austraits and stockplotr
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5mo agostockplotrtable_landings() exported with a plot-like interface
- 6mo agostockplotrTable engine moved to gt; first table function ships ⚡
- 7mo agostockplotrconvert_output() migrated in from asar
- 8mo agostockplotrFour new assessment figures; process_data() auto-indexing
- 2y agoaustraitsSupport for AusTraits 5.0.0 data and the rebuilt Zenodo API
- 3y agoaustraitsextract_taxa, lookup_trait and print methods arrive
- 3y agoaustraitsVignette build and extract_ function polish
- 3y agoaustraitssite becomes location across the API; AusTraits 3.0.2+ support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between austraits and stockplotr?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. austraits and stockplotr are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is austraits better than stockplotr?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. austraits and stockplotr are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 0.0 vs 0.0, both within Sparkpulse's "active" band). For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to austraits?
Top austraits alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "austraits alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/austraits-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to stockplotr?
Top stockplotr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "stockplotr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/stockplotr-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.