metatools
SDTM supplemental-qualifier merging got sturdier, then the package went quiet for two years.
Comparison · Analytics
chromer vs epidemics
A side-by-side editorial comparison of chromer and epidemics — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
chromer vs epidemics: at a glance
What is chromer?
A chromosome-count database client that only ever ships when the upstream API moves.
chromer is a thin R client for the Chromosome Counts Database. Every release in the past three years is maintenance: a new maintainer and licence change in 0.3, test-skipping when the upstream service is down in 0.4, and two separate releases whose entire content is that the database's URL changed again. The current 0.10 points at ccdb.tau.ac.il/services/.
What is epidemics?
epidemics swapped its C++ engine for odin — and quietly inverted how contact matrices must be passed.
epidemics ships composable compartmental model structures — default SEIR-V, Vacamole, diphtheria and Ebola — with classes for populations, interventions and vaccination campaigns. After more than two years without a release, 0.5.0 landed in July 2026 carrying both an engine migration and a breaking input-convention change. Maintainership moved to a new lead back in 0.4.0.
chromer vs epidemics: editorial side-by-side
chromer
0.0ANALYTICS
A chromosome-count database client that only ever ships when the upstream API moves.
◆ Current state
chromer is a thin R client for the Chromosome Counts Database. Every release in the past three years is maintenance: a new maintainer and licence change in 0.3, test-skipping when the upstream service is down in 0.4, and two separate releases whose entire content is that the database's URL changed again. The current 0.10 points at ccdb.tau.ac.il/services/.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is functionally complete and externally driven — its release cadence is a record of the CCDB's hosting history rather than of any development plan. The defensive work in 0.4, which added an internal check for whether the database is down and skips tests accordingly, shows the maintainer treating upstream instability as the permanent condition rather than an incident.
◆ Prediction
The next release will most likely be triggered by another CCDB endpoint or format change; nothing in the history suggests new functionality is planned.
epidemics
3.8ANALYTICS
epidemics swapped its C++ engine for odin — and quietly inverted how contact matrices must be passed.
◆ Current state
epidemics ships composable compartmental model structures — default SEIR-V, Vacamole, diphtheria and Ebola — with classes for populations, interventions and vaccination campaigns. After more than two years without a release, 0.5.0 landed in July 2026 carrying both an engine migration and a breaking input-convention change. Maintainership moved to a new lead back in 0.4.0.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's history is a sequence of deliberate breaking releases: 0.2.0 renamed every model function and vectorised the ODE models, 0.3.0 restructured the Ebola model into two levels and made replicates the default, and 0.5.0 rewrites the compiled core. The direction is toward a smaller, more declarative model definition layer with the numerical work delegated to a dedicated tool.
◆ Prediction
With the default, Vacamole and diphtheria systems now declared in odin, the Ebola model is the obvious remaining candidate for the same treatment.
Alternatives to chromer and epidemics
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 chromer or epidemics.
marquee
marquee is filling in the typographic details — outlines, border types, real font metrics for underlines.
logrx
A clinical-script logger that stopped shipping after its 0.2 line, changelogs made of merged PRs.
lobstr
R's object inspector is losing its view of the internals as CRAN closes off the private C API.
GSODR
A weather-station data client that broke one return type to hand back distances instead of bare IDs.
giscoR
giscoR's 1.0 moved its dataset index into the cache, so new Eurostat releases arrive without a package update.
See all chromer alternatives → · See all epidemics alternatives →
Recent activity from chromer and epidemics
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 25d agoepidemicsODE models migrate to odin; contact matrices must no longer be transposed ⚡
- 1y agochromerChromosome Counts Database endpoint moved again
- 2y agoepidemicsPeak timing and scenario comparison helpers; negative-susceptible bug fixed
- 2y agoepidemicsEbola model accepts vector inputs and defaults to 100 replicates
- 2y agochromerDatabase URL updated after upstream move
- 2y agoepidemicsODE models vectorised; every model function renamed
- 2y agoepidemicsFirst release: four composable compartmental model structures
- 2y agochromerAPI calls switched to https
- 2y agochromerDocumentation tweak for a CRAN check
- 3y agochromerTests skipped when the upstream database is down
- 3y agochromerNew maintainer; licence changes from CC0 to MIT
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between chromer and epidemics?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. epidemics is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 3.8 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 chromer better than epidemics?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. epidemics is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 3.8 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 chromer?
Top chromer alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "chromer alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/chromer for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to epidemics?
Top epidemics alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "epidemics alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/epidemics for the full list with editorial commentary on each.