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Comparison · Analytics
EpiNow2 vs filtro
A side-by-side editorial comparison of EpiNow2 and filtro — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
EpiNow2 vs filtro: at a glance
What is EpiNow2?
EpiNow2 unified its model interface, then went back to deepen the estimators behind it
EpiNow2 estimates reproduction numbers, infections and delay distributions from incomplete epidemiological reporting data. 1.8.0 was the structural turning point: every main modelling function now returns a consistent S3 object with `fit`, `args` and `observations`, reachable through shared accessors. The releases either side of it work on estimator quality — accumulation of irregularly reported data in 1.7.0, and a substantial expansion of `estimate_truncation()` in 1.9.0.
What is filtro?
filtro moves to S7 and multiplies its feature-scoring methods in a single release.
filtro supplies feature-selection filter scores for the tidymodels stack. Version 0.2.0 adds five scoring methods — correlation, random forest importance, information gain, ROC AUC and cross tabulation — and moves the package from S3 to S7. It also gains a ranking layer: show_best_score_* and rank_best_score_* helpers for a single score, plus desirability-function helpers for optimising across several scores at once.
EpiNow2 vs filtro: editorial side-by-side
EpiNow2
0.0ANALYTICS
EpiNow2 unified its model interface, then went back to deepen the estimators behind it
◆ Current state
EpiNow2 estimates reproduction numbers, infections and delay distributions from incomplete epidemiological reporting data. 1.8.0 was the structural turning point: every main modelling function now returns a consistent S3 object with `fit`, `args` and `observations`, reachable through shared accessors. The releases either side of it work on estimator quality — accumulation of irregularly reported data in 1.7.0, and a substantial expansion of `estimate_truncation()` in 1.9.0.
◆ Where it's heading
The package spent this window paying down interface debt and is now extending from the tidier base. Options that existed only for `estimate_infections()` have been propagated outward: `estimate_truncation()` gained the full `dist_spec` delay families, `obs_opts()` observation model selection between Poisson and negative binomial, and the `likelihood` and `return_likelihood` settings that make prior-only fits and loo-compatible output possible. Hardcoded assumptions are being replaced by specifiable ones in the same motion — the truncation model's additive noise term was a fixed `sigma ~ normal(0, 1)` prior and is now a `dist_spec` argument.
◆ Prediction
Expect the remaining modelling functions to keep converging on the shared options interface, since the last two releases have each moved another function onto it. A new `estimate_dist()` for interval-censored linelist data suggests delay estimation is the area still gaining surface.
filtro
0.0ANALYTICS
filtro moves to S7 and multiplies its feature-scoring methods in a single release.
◆ Current state
filtro supplies feature-selection filter scores for the tidymodels stack. Version 0.2.0 adds five scoring methods — correlation, random forest importance, information gain, ROC AUC and cross tabulation — and moves the package from S3 to S7. It also gains a ranking layer: show_best_score_* and rank_best_score_* helpers for a single score, plus desirability-function helpers for optimising across several scores at once.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is being built out on two axes at once — the catalogue of scores, and the machinery for choosing between them. The desirability functions are the more telling half, since they assume users will filter on several criteria rather than one. Adopting S7 while still pre-1.0 suggests the object model is being settled before the API is frozen.
◆ Prediction
Expect more scoring methods on the same S7 interface and a 1.0 release once the score and ranking APIs stop moving; the ranking helpers' naming is the most likely thing to change first.
Alternatives to EpiNow2 and filtro
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 EpiNow2 or filtro.
kernelshap
kernelshap makes permutation SHAP practical past eight features, then fixes the kernel weights it had wrong.
modeltime.resample
modeltime.resample exists to keep backtesting working as tidymodels shifts underneath it.
modeltime.ensemble
modeltime.ensemble wakes after four years, and the work is all tune 2.0 compatibility.
shapviz
shapviz refines its SHAP plots release by release while chasing ggplot2's moving target.
hstats
hstats settled into maintenance after its 1.0 restructuring, with model coverage the only thing still growing.
See all EpiNow2 alternatives → · See all filtro alternatives →
Recent activity from EpiNow2 and filtro
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agoEpiNow2estimate_truncation gains full delay and observation options
- 6mo agoEpiNow2Unified return objects and shared accessors across all models ⚡
- 11mo agofiltroFive new filter scores and the move to S7 ⚡
- 11mo agofiltroDevelopment build: score transformation handling
- 1y agoEpiNow2Patch for an upstream rstan issue
- 1y agoEpiNow2Accumulation for irregularly reported data; unified priors
- 1y agoEpiNow2Matern kernel spectral density fix and GP prior revert
- 1y agoEpiNow2Gaussian Process model improvements and explicit defaults
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between EpiNow2 and filtro?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. EpiNow2 and filtro 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 EpiNow2 better than filtro?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. EpiNow2 and filtro 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 EpiNow2?
Top EpiNow2 alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "EpiNow2 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/epinow2 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to filtro?
Top filtro alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "filtro alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/filtro-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.