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cmdstanpy vs silx

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

cmdstanpy vs silx: at a glance

Featurecmdstanpysilx
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesbayesian, stan, mcmc, deprecationssynchrotron, qt, hdf5, scientific plotting
Last editorial update1h ago2h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is cmdstanpy?

CmdStanPy is clearing deprecations ahead of a 2.0 it keeps announcing.

CmdStanPy is at v1.3.0, which added a diagnose method on CmdStanModel, sampler timing information, create_inits() across the stanfit classes, and much faster MCMC CSV parsing. Every release in this window opens with the same notice: the next non-bugfix release will be 2.0 and will remove existing deprecations. In line with that, 1.3.0 drops Python 3.8 and renames the metric argument to inv_metric.

Read the full cmdstanpy trajectory →

What is silx?

silx 3.0 moved its default Qt binding to PySide6 — a migration for everyone embedding it.

silx releases a couple of times a year and reached 3.0.0 in April 2026, which raised the Python floor to 3.10 and switched the default Qt binding to PySide6. The same release reworked the viewer's data views: 3D scatter support, dedicated RGB(A) image views, the composite ImageView split into Plot2dView and ComplexImageView, and NXdata stacks displayed as images. 3.1.0 has since added asinh axis scaling, the twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons.

Read the full silx trajectory →

cmdstanpy vs silx: editorial side-by-side

C
cmdstanpy
ANALYTICS
0.0

CmdStanPy is clearing deprecations ahead of a 2.0 it keeps announcing.

◆ Current state

CmdStanPy is at v1.3.0, which added a diagnose method on CmdStanModel, sampler timing information, create_inits() across the stanfit classes, and much faster MCMC CSV parsing. Every release in this window opens with the same notice: the next non-bugfix release will be 2.0 and will remove existing deprecations. In line with that, 1.3.0 drops Python 3.8 and renames the metric argument to inv_metric.

◆ Where it's heading

The package tracks upstream Stan and prepares for its own break. New inference methods arrive as Stan ships them — Laplace with Stan 2.32, Pathfinder with 2.33 — while the interface work is mostly deprecation staging and CSV input-output performance. The repeated 2.0 warning across two years of releases suggests the cut has been deferred more than once.

◆ Prediction

The notice at the top of every release points to 2.0 as the next non-bugfix version, removing the deprecations staged here including the metric argument.

S
silx
ANALYTICS
2.5

silx 3.0 moved its default Qt binding to PySide6 — a migration for everyone embedding it.

◆ Current state

silx releases a couple of times a year and reached 3.0.0 in April 2026, which raised the Python floor to 3.10 and switched the default Qt binding to PySide6. The same release reworked the viewer's data views: 3D scatter support, dedicated RGB(A) image views, the composite ImageView split into Plot2dView and ComplexImageView, and NXdata stacks displayed as images. 3.1.0 has since added asinh axis scaling, the twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons.

◆ Where it's heading

The project is doing a generational refresh of its GUI layer: modern Qt binding, modules broken out of the composite widgets that had accumulated responsibilities, and the theming work that a desktop application needs to look current. Underneath, the recurring fixes are about HDF5 behavior in real facility environments — file locking, NFS refresh, Windows display paths — which is where a synchrotron toolkit actually gets stressed. Feature growth is concentrated in silx view rather than the library API.

◆ Prediction

Expect the 3.1.x line to keep filling in plotting options and theming, with the PySide6 default flushing out binding-specific bugs from downstream applications over the next few releases.

Alternatives to cmdstanpy and silx

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 cmdstanpy or silx.

See all cmdstanpy alternatives → · See all silx alternatives →

Recent activity from cmdstanpy and silx

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

  1. 2d agosilx3.1.0: asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, dark-theme icons
  2. 3mo agosilx3.0.1: 2026/05/07
  3. 3mo agosilx3.0.0: PySide6 becomes the default Qt binding, Python 3.10 required
  4. 3mo agosilx3.0.0rc1: release candidate for the PySide6 migration
  5. 9mo agocmdstanpydiagnose method, sampler timings and faster CSV parsing
  6. 1y agosilx2.2.2: 2025/04/07
  7. 1y agosilx2.2.0b0: HSDS URL support and a multi-curve comparison window
  8. 2y agocmdstanpyFixes from_csv() for CmdStan 2.35 and later
  9. 2y agocmdstanpyCmdStan 2.35 test fixes and multi-chain profile output
  10. 2y agocmdstanpypyproject.toml build and pathfinder() argument fixes
  11. 2y agocmdstanpyNew Pathfinder arguments and warmup without adaptation
  12. 2y agocmdstanpyLaplace method and Pathfinder exposed from upstream Stan

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between cmdstanpy and silx?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 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 cmdstanpy better than silx?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 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 cmdstanpy?

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

What are the best alternatives to silx?

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