paleobuddy
paleobuddy can now simulate trait-dependent diversification, not just birth-death.
Comparison · Analytics
EvoPhylo vs rjwsacruncher
A side-by-side editorial comparison of EvoPhylo and rjwsacruncher — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
EvoPhylo vs rjwsacruncher: at a glance
What is EvoPhylo?
EvoPhylo added BEAST2 alongside MrBayes, then went quiet for two years.
EvoPhylo handles post-processing for Bayesian evolutionary rate and fossilized birth-death analyses, originally against MrBayes output. The 0.3.2 release added BEAST2 support for both FBD functions and rates analysis, making it usable by labs on either platform. Since then there has been one clock-partition fix and, in August 2025, a release whose notes say only that there are updated functions and bug fixes.
What is rjwsacruncher?
A thin R wrapper around a Java seasonal-adjustment tool, slowly absorbing the setup work.
rjwsacruncher drives JDemetra+'s JWSACruncher from R, handling parameter files and batch runs of seasonal adjustment workspaces. Recent releases have shifted from wrapping the executable to managing its installation: 0.2.3 adds a downloader for JDemetra+ itself, a check that a given directory really contains the cruncher binary, and tolerance for users pointing at the executable instead of its bin directory.
EvoPhylo vs rjwsacruncher: editorial side-by-side
EvoPhylo
0.0ANALYTICS
EvoPhylo added BEAST2 alongside MrBayes, then went quiet for two years.
◆ Current state
EvoPhylo handles post-processing for Bayesian evolutionary rate and fossilized birth-death analyses, originally against MrBayes output. The 0.3.2 release added BEAST2 support for both FBD functions and rates analysis, making it usable by labs on either platform. Since then there has been one clock-partition fix and, in August 2025, a release whose notes say only that there are updated functions and bug fixes.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's substantive arc ended with the 0.3.2 publication release, which arrived with peer-review revisions and three first-time contributors — the shape of software built to accompany a paper. What follows is thin: a MrBayes plotting correction in 0.3.3, then a two-year gap and a release with no described contents. The August 2025 entry may contain real work, but the notes give a reader nothing to judge.
◆ Prediction
Without release notes on the latest version there is no observable basis for predicting the next move; the two-year gap before it suggests activity tied to specific research needs rather than a maintenance cadence.
rjwsacruncher
0.0ANALYTICS
A thin R wrapper around a Java seasonal-adjustment tool, slowly absorbing the setup work.
◆ Current state
rjwsacruncher drives JDemetra+'s JWSACruncher from R, handling parameter files and batch runs of seasonal adjustment workspaces. Recent releases have shifted from wrapping the executable to managing its installation: 0.2.3 adds a downloader for JDemetra+ itself, a check that a given directory really contains the cruncher binary, and tolerance for users pointing at the executable instead of its bin directory.
◆ Where it's heading
The work is defensive. Most of each release addresses a way users misconfigure paths or versions — clearer errors, a startup message naming which cruncher version the options select, and a standalone flag on the downloader. The package is absorbing the friction of a Java dependency it does not control.
◆ Prediction
Expect continued compatibility work as JDemetra+ 3.x diverges from 2.x, since the version split is already surfaced as a user-facing option rather than resolved internally.
Alternatives to EvoPhylo and rjwsacruncher
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 EvoPhylo or rjwsacruncher.
geodist
geodist stays dependency-free and fast, and warns you when 'cheap' distances stop being honest.
errors
errors keeps making uncertainty print the way each scientific field expects.
CMAQ
CMAQ went global in v5.5, and has been patching that surface ever since.
enpls
enpls has not changed its statistics since 2016 — only its website, twice.
grex
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
See all EvoPhylo alternatives → · See all rjwsacruncher alternatives →
Recent activity from EvoPhylo and rjwsacruncher
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5mo agorjwsacruncherdownload_jdemetra() and bin-directory validation added
- 11mo agoEvoPhyloEvoPhylo v. 0.3.5
- 1y agorjwsacruncherread_param_file() no longer forces full_series_name to FALSE
- 1y agorjwsacruncherRenaming controls and configurable parameter file names
- 2y agorjwsacruncherParameter-file read/write functions added; cruncher 3.x support
- 3y agoEvoPhyloEvoPhylo 0.3.3 fixes back-rate plots for MrBayes
- 3y agoEvoPhyloEvoPhylo 0.3.2 adds BEAST2 support for FBD and rates
- 7y agorjwsacruncherFirst CRAN release
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between EvoPhylo and rjwsacruncher?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. EvoPhylo and rjwsacruncher 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 EvoPhylo better than rjwsacruncher?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. EvoPhylo and rjwsacruncher 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 EvoPhylo?
Top EvoPhylo alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "EvoPhylo alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/evophylo for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rjwsacruncher?
Top rjwsacruncher alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rjwsacruncher alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rjwsacruncher for the full list with editorial commentary on each.