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Comparison · Infra & APIs

estimatr vs survivoR

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

Shared themes:r-package

estimatr vs survivoR: at a glance

FeatureestimatrsurvivoR
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themescausal-inference, experiments, robust-standard-errors, econometricsdata-package, r-package, television, reality-tv
Last editorial update31m ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is estimatr?

Fast design-based estimators for experiments, coasting on CRAN patches.

estimatr provides the design-based regression estimators the DeclareDesign ecosystem is built on — robust and cluster-robust standard errors, blocked and clustered randomization inference — implemented for speed rather than generality. The last three releases carry no substantive notes: each is a merge commit for a CRAN patch, one of them accompanied by a typo fix.

Read the full estimatr trajectory →

What is survivoR?

A Survivor data package that keeps turning a TV show into a relational database

survivoR ships Survivor franchise data as R data frames covering the US, Australian, UK and New Zealand versions. Recent releases track broadcast: US48, US49 and US50 arrived across 2.3.6, 2.3.9 and 2.3.12, alongside AU09, AU12 and Australia vs. The World. The 2.3.12 release also reworked castaway_scores into an explicit three-tier structure - standardised residual scores, probabilistic scores bounded on [0,1], and combined scores - and added advantage_timeline as a long-format view of advantage movement.

Read the full survivoR trajectory →

estimatr vs survivoR: editorial side-by-side

E
estimatr
INFRA · APIS
0.0

Fast design-based estimators for experiments, coasting on CRAN patches.

◆ Current state

estimatr provides the design-based regression estimators the DeclareDesign ecosystem is built on — robust and cluster-robust standard errors, blocked and clustered randomization inference — implemented for speed rather than generality. The last three releases carry no substantive notes: each is a merge commit for a CRAN patch, one of them accompanied by a typo fix.

◆ Where it's heading

Direction cannot be read from this feed. The release notes are unedited merge-commit messages, so the only signal is cadence — roughly annual, each release framed as a CRAN patch rather than as feature work. That pattern is consistent with a package whose estimators are considered finished and which now moves only when CRAN policy requires it.

◆ Prediction

On the evidence here the next release is another CRAN compliance patch, but the notes are too thin to support a confident read of what the maintainers are actually working on.

S
survivoR
INFRA · APIS
0.0

A Survivor data package that keeps turning a TV show into a relational database

◆ Current state

survivoR ships Survivor franchise data as R data frames covering the US, Australian, UK and New Zealand versions. Recent releases track broadcast: US48, US49 and US50 arrived across 2.3.6, 2.3.9 and 2.3.12, alongside AU09, AU12 and Australia vs. The World. The 2.3.12 release also reworked castaway_scores into an explicit three-tier structure - standardised residual scores, probabilistic scores bounded on [0,1], and combined scores - and added advantage_timeline as a long-format view of advantage movement.

◆ Where it's heading

The work is less about adding seasons than about making the tables join cleanly. 2.3.1 rebuilt challenge_description and challenge_results around a shared challenge_id, added challenge characteristic flags and result notes, and put logical finalist, winner and jury flags on castaways. Since then the pattern repeats at smaller scale: boot_order as its own table, season_name deprecated everywhere except season_summary, castaways cleaned so people booted twice appear once. Derived analytical columns are being separated from raw records rather than mixed into them.

◆ Prediction

Expect the next release to add the current season's data on the same broadcast-following cadence, with any structural work continuing to split derived scores out of the raw tables.

Alternatives to estimatr and survivoR

Other Infra & APIs 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 estimatr or survivoR.

See all estimatr alternatives → · See all survivoR alternatives →

Recent activity from estimatr and survivoR

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

  1. 2mo agosurvivoRUS50 and AU12 land, castaway scores split into three tiers
  2. 7mo agosurvivoRUS49 data completed and season 50 cast added
  3. 11mo agosurvivoRSurvivor Australia vs. The World added
  4. 1y agosurvivoRboot_order table added and castaways deduplicated
  5. 1y agoestimatrCRAN version 1.0.4
  6. 2y agoestimatrCRAN version 1.0.2
  7. 2y agosurvivoRComplete AU09 data reaches CRAN
  8. 2y agosurvivoRChallenge tables rebuilt around a shared linking key
  9. 3y agoestimatrCRAN version 1.0.0

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between estimatr and survivoR?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. estimatr and survivoR 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 estimatr better than survivoR?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. estimatr and survivoR 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to estimatr?

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

What are the best alternatives to survivoR?

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