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bayestools vs susier

A side-by-side editorial comparison of bayestools and susier — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:r-package

bayestools vs susier: at a glance

Featurebayestoolssusier
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesr-package, bayesian, jags, priorsr-package, statistical-genetics, fine-mapping, cpp-bindings
Last editorial update1h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is bayestools?

The JAGS toolkit under RoBMA, shipping the standardization machinery its downstream rewrite needed

BayesTools provides the shared JAGS fitting, prior and summary infrastructure that the author's meta-analysis packages build on. The 0.2.x line filled in modeling primitives — prior_mixture() and mixed-posterior objects in 0.2.18, expression-valued priors and lme4-style uncorrelated random effects in 0.2.20, then a run of small diagnostic fixes for mixture and spike-and-slab priors. Version 0.3.0 in May 2026 adds automatic standardization of continuous predictors, default priors for unspecified factor and continuous terms, and functions to transform prior and posterior samples back to the original scale.

Read the full bayestools trajectory →

What is susier?

Fine-mapping workhorse susieR spends its releases hunting null-effect trimming bugs

susieR implements the Sum of Single Effects regression model for variable selection and fine-mapping, widely used in statistical genetics. The recent releases are a tight run of correctness work concentrated in one area: null effect trimming. Version 0.15.55 fixed trimming under the Servin-Stephens residual variance method, 0.15.56 fixed it again for non-uniform prior weights fourteen minutes later, 0.15.57 corrected an ELBO null space term for RSS with X and a matrix symmetry check, and 0.15.58 addressed an alpha0/beta0 issue. Version 0.16.0 migrates the C++ bindings from Rcpp to cpp11 with cpp11armadillo.

Read the full susier trajectory →

bayestools vs susier: editorial side-by-side

B
bayestools
ANALYTICS
0.0

The JAGS toolkit under RoBMA, shipping the standardization machinery its downstream rewrite needed

◆ Current state

BayesTools provides the shared JAGS fitting, prior and summary infrastructure that the author's meta-analysis packages build on. The 0.2.x line filled in modeling primitives — prior_mixture() and mixed-posterior objects in 0.2.18, expression-valued priors and lme4-style uncorrelated random effects in 0.2.20, then a run of small diagnostic fixes for mixture and spike-and-slab priors. Version 0.3.0 in May 2026 adds automatic standardization of continuous predictors, default priors for unspecified factor and continuous terms, and functions to transform prior and posterior samples back to the original scale.

◆ Where it's heading

This package's releases are best read against what depends on them. The 0.2.x fixes track features appearing in RoBMA one version later, and 0.3.0 landed a single day before RoBMA 4.0.0 — the standardization and sample-transformation functions are the substrate that rewrite needed. The direction of the work is toward sensible defaults: default priors by predictor type, automatic standardization for sampling stability, and transformation back to interpretable scale so the convenience does not cost the user their units.

◆ Prediction

Given how tightly its releases track downstream needs, the next version is most likely driven by gaps surfacing in RoBMA 4.0.x rather than by independent feature work.

S
susier
ANALYTICS
0.0

Fine-mapping workhorse susieR spends its releases hunting null-effect trimming bugs

◆ Current state

susieR implements the Sum of Single Effects regression model for variable selection and fine-mapping, widely used in statistical genetics. The recent releases are a tight run of correctness work concentrated in one area: null effect trimming. Version 0.15.55 fixed trimming under the Servin-Stephens residual variance method, 0.15.56 fixed it again for non-uniform prior weights fourteen minutes later, 0.15.57 corrected an ELBO null space term for RSS with X and a matrix symmetry check, and 0.15.58 addressed an alpha0/beta0 issue. Version 0.16.0 migrates the C++ bindings from Rcpp to cpp11 with cpp11armadillo.

◆ Where it's heading

The version-number churn understates how narrow this work is — four consecutive releases touching the same trimming and residual-variance machinery suggests one area where the implementation and the intended behavior had drifted apart. The 0.16.0 binding migration is the only structural change, and it is invisible to users while mattering for build portability and long-term maintenance. Development is clearly active, with automated release tooling and dependency bumps flowing through the same stream.

◆ Prediction

With the binding migration just landed, near-term releases are likely to address fallout from it alongside continued fixes in the same trimming and residual-variance code.

Alternatives to bayestools and susier

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 bayestools or susier.

See all bayestools alternatives → · See all susier alternatives →

Recent activity from bayestools and susier

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 3mo agobayestoolsAdds automatic predictor standardization and type-based default priors
  2. 3mo agosusierMigrates C++ bindings from Rcpp to cpp11 and cpp11armadillo
  3. 3mo agosusierFixes alpha0/beta0 handling under Servin-Stephens
  4. 4mo agosusierCorrects the null space ELBO term for RSS with X
  5. 5mo agosusierFixes null effect trimming with non-uniform prior weights
  6. 5mo agosusierFixes null effect trimming under Servin-Stephens estimation
  7. 8mo agobayestoolsBayesTools 0.2.23
  8. 8mo agobayestoolsBayesTools 0.2.22
  9. 11mo agobayestoolsBayesTools 0.2.21
  10. 1y agobayestoolsBayesTools 0.2.20
  11. 1y agobayestoolsBayesTools 0.2.19

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between bayestools and susier?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. bayestools and susier 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 bayestools better than susier?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. bayestools and susier 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 bayestools?

Top bayestools alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "bayestools alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/bayestools for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to susier?

Top susier alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "susier alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/susier for the full list with editorial commentary on each.