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Comparison · Analytics
EpiNow2 vs RMVMR
A side-by-side editorial comparison of EpiNow2 and RMVMR — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
EpiNow2 vs RMVMR: 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 RMVMR?
RMVMR is being tidied in lockstep with MVMR, the package it wraps
RMVMR provides radial multivariable Mendelian randomization — radial IVW estimation and plots layered over the MVMR package's conditional instrument-strength machinery. It has no independent release schedule: versions arrive alongside MVMR's, pin a minimum MVMR version, and fix defects in the seam between the two. Its most recent release landed the same day as new versions of MVMR and OneSampleMR.
EpiNow2 vs RMVMR: 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.
RMVMR
0.0ANALYTICS
RMVMR is being tidied in lockstep with MVMR, the package it wraps
◆ Current state
RMVMR provides radial multivariable Mendelian randomization — radial IVW estimation and plots layered over the MVMR package's conditional instrument-strength machinery. It has no independent release schedule: versions arrive alongside MVMR's, pin a minimum MVMR version, and fix defects in the seam between the two. Its most recent release landed the same day as new versions of MVMR and OneSampleMR.
◆ Where it's heading
The work is code hygiene with results held fixed. ivw_rmvmr() now fits the radial IVW model explicitly rather than inheriting variables left over from the orientation loop, an undocumented data element carrying unused intermediate frames is gone, and plot_rmvmr() stops recomputing univariate radial analyses it already has — roughly halving the RadialMR calls with identical output. Each note is explicit that coefficients, standard errors and degrees of freedom are unchanged, which is a deliberate contrast with MVMR's own 2026 releases, where several fixes did change reported values.
◆ Prediction
Because the package pins MVMR versions rather than vendoring behaviour, the next release most likely follows MVMR's next correctness fix; nothing in the notes points to independent feature work.
Alternatives to EpiNow2 and RMVMR
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 RMVMR.
fastplyr
A fast dplyr stand-in that keeps finding new places to skip work entirely.
trias
Belgium's invasive-species indicator toolkit is in steady refinement, one plotting edge case at a time.
icesSAG
The ICES stock assessment client took upload away in 2024 and spent two years giving it back.
dggridR
A discrete global grid generator grew cell traversal and became a usable spatial index.
vegan
Community ecology's standard toolkit is retiring the functions a generation of scripts was built on.
See all EpiNow2 alternatives → · See all RMVMR alternatives →
Recent activity from EpiNow2 and RMVMR
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agoRMVMRRMVMR fixes a gencov error and halves redundant radial calls
- 1mo agoEpiNow2estimate_truncation gains full delay and observation options
- 3mo agoRMVMRRMVMR 0.4.4
- 4mo agoRMVMRRMVMR 0.4.3
- 5mo agoRMVMRRMVMR now requires MVMR 0.4.3 or later
- 6mo agoEpiNow2Unified return objects and shared accessors across all models ⚡
- 1y agoRMVMRRMVMR 0.4.1
- 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 RMVMR?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. EpiNow2 and RMVMR 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 RMVMR?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. EpiNow2 and RMVMR 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 RMVMR?
Top RMVMR alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "RMVMR alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rmvmr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.