easystats
The easystats meta-package is install tooling wrapped around a relicensed ecosystem.
Comparison · Analytics
cmdstanr vs themis
A side-by-side editorial comparison of cmdstanr and themis — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
cmdstanr vs themis: at a glance
What is cmdstanr?
cmdstanr keeps adding fast approximations beside full HMC, and fighting Windows toolchains.
cmdstanr is the lightweight R interface to CmdStan, shelling out to the Stan binary rather than embedding it. The visible releases pair inference-method expansion, with laplace and pathfinder arriving in 0.7.0, against a continuous effort to make installation work on Windows. The most recent releases are dominated by CmdStan version compatibility and numerical fixes in the loo path.
What is themis?
themis is back to adding real resampling algorithms after a documentation-heavy stretch.
themis supplies recipes steps for handling class imbalance in tidymodels. The 1.0.x line was consumed by documentation accuracy, message translation and internal consistency work. Version 1.1.0 returns to substance with two new under-sampling methods.
cmdstanr vs themis: editorial side-by-side
cmdstanr
0.0ANALYTICS
cmdstanr keeps adding fast approximations beside full HMC, and fighting Windows toolchains.
◆ Current state
cmdstanr is the lightweight R interface to CmdStan, shelling out to the Stan binary rather than embedding it. The visible releases pair inference-method expansion, with laplace and pathfinder arriving in 0.7.0, against a continuous effort to make installation work on Windows. The most recent releases are dominated by CmdStan version compatibility and numerical fixes in the loo path.
◆ Where it's heading
The package tracks CmdStan closely, and its own work concentrates in two places. One is broadening the method surface so approximate inference sits beside sampling on the same object, extended in 0.8.0 by letting a completed fit supply initial values for the next run. The other is cutting installation friction, which reaches its conclusion in 0.9.0 with RTools45 supported and no additional toolchain setup needed on Windows. Dependency trimming, such as dropping RcppEigen for direct Eigen interop, runs alongside both.
◆ Prediction
The cadence is a CmdStan release followed by a compatibility release here, so expect the next to track a newer CmdStan and continue the effective-sample-size numerical work in the loo method.
themis
2.5ANALYTICS
themis is back to adding real resampling algorithms after a documentation-heavy stretch.
◆ Current state
themis supplies recipes steps for handling class imbalance in tidymodels. The 1.0.x line was consumed by documentation accuracy, message translation and internal consistency work. Version 1.1.0 returns to substance with two new under-sampling methods.
◆ Where it's heading
The package grows by adding algorithms rather than restructuring itself. tomek() was rewritten to handle multiple classes and drop the unbalanced dependency, case weights arrived at 1.0.0, and cluster-centroid and condensed-nearest-neighbour under-sampling arrive now — each shipped as both a recipes step and a direct-implementation function.
◆ Prediction
Expect further under- and over-sampling methods in the same paired form, as the package fills out coverage of the standard class-imbalance literature.
Alternatives to cmdstanr and themis
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 cmdstanr or themis.
discrim
discrim settled into a thin engine shim after handing its model definitions to parsnip.
dbparser
dbparser shed its database and CSV writers to become just a DrugBank parser.
desirability2
desirability2 is making multi-metric model selection a first-class tidymodels step.
crosstalk
crosstalk is frozen infrastructure: four releases in five years, mostly CRAN upkeep.
comtradr
comtradr's 1.0 line is a long tail of patches against a brittle UN trade API.
See all cmdstanr alternatives → · See all themis alternatives →
Recent activity from cmdstanr and themis
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 10d agothemisthemis 1.1.0 adds cluster-centroid and CNN under-sampling
- 4mo agocmdstanrRTools45 support; Windows needs no extra toolchain setup
- 4mo agocmdstanrBugfix release: SUNDIALS linking, Windows paths, RTools
- 4mo agocmdstanrCmdStanFit objects usable as initial values; RcppEigen dropped
- 1y agothemisthemis 1.0.3 corrects resampling direction in documentation
- 2y agocmdstanrBugfix release with dedicated hpp generation step
- 2y agocmdstanrLaplace and Pathfinder inference methods added ⚡
- 2y agocmdstanrjacobian argument enabled for optimization; assorted fixes
- 2y agothemisthemis 1.0.2 makes internal consistency and speed changes
- 3y agothemisthemis 1.0.1 fixes upsampling errors when none is needed
- 4y agothemisthemis 1.0.0 adds case weights to up- and down-sampling
- 4y agothemisthemis 0.2.2 rewrites tomek() for multiclass, drops a dependency
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between cmdstanr and themis?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. themis 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 cmdstanr better than themis?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. themis 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 cmdstanr?
Top cmdstanr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "cmdstanr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/cmdstanr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to themis?
Top themis alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "themis alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/themis for the full list with editorial commentary on each.