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Single-cell batch correction that learned to use cell labels, then spent three releases chasing Seurat.
Comparison · Analytics
fastrg vs TidyDensity
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fastrg and TidyDensity — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
fastrg vs TidyDensity: at a glance
What is fastrg?
A fast random-graph sampler that spent 0.3.1 fixing what its parameters actually mean.
fastRG samples from generalized random dot product graphs — stochastic blockmodels, degree-corrected and overlapping variants, directed and undirected — in time proportional to the number of edges rather than nodes squared, which is what makes large sparse networks tractable. Since 0.3.1 the model is constructed and parameterised in one object, with sampling methods taking that object rather than re-specifying edge distribution at sample time.
What is TidyDensity?
A distribution catalogue that grows by one family at a time, and rarely breaks anything.
TidyDensity generates tidy-format random data from statistical distributions, with parameter estimation, AIC calculation, summary tables and automatic plotting for each one. Its releases follow a fixed template — breaking changes, new features, minor fixes — and the breaking section is usually empty. Growth comes distribution by distribution: Bernoulli, Burr, triangular, chi-square, zero-truncated negative binomial and others each arrive with a matching set of param_estimate, aic and stats_tbl helpers.
fastrg vs TidyDensity: editorial side-by-side
fastrg
0.0ANALYTICS
A fast random-graph sampler that spent 0.3.1 fixing what its parameters actually mean.
◆ Current state
fastRG samples from generalized random dot product graphs — stochastic blockmodels, degree-corrected and overlapping variants, directed and undirected — in time proportional to the number of edges rather than nodes squared, which is what makes large sparse networks tractable. Since 0.3.1 the model is constructed and parameterised in one object, with sampling methods taking that object rather than re-specifying edge distribution at sample time.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's development has been about semantic correctness more than speed. The 0.3.1 release moved edge-distribution arguments to the constructors and reinterpreted the mixing matrix S under Bernoulli parameterisation; 0.3.2 then flipped the meaning of X and Y in directed blockmodels so outgoing and incoming factors match the edge convention, and made block sorting conditional rather than unconditional. Both are corrections to what returned values mean, not to how fast they arrive. The 2025 release is CRAN documentation linking only.
◆ Prediction
With parameterisation settled and only a documentation release since 2023, the package reads as feature-complete for its sampling families. Nothing in the entries points to additional model types being queued.
TidyDensity
0.0ANALYTICS
A distribution catalogue that grows by one family at a time, and rarely breaks anything.
◆ Current state
TidyDensity generates tidy-format random data from statistical distributions, with parameter estimation, AIC calculation, summary tables and automatic plotting for each one. Its releases follow a fixed template — breaking changes, new features, minor fixes — and the breaking section is usually empty. Growth comes distribution by distribution: Bernoulli, Burr, triangular, chi-square, zero-truncated negative binomial and others each arrive with a matching set of param_estimate, aic and stats_tbl helpers.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is filling out a matrix rather than changing shape — every new distribution gets the same four or five companion functions, so the surface grows predictably and the design does not. What variation exists comes from utilities that work across distributions: MCMC sampling, bootstrap helpers, time series conversion, distribution comparison. The two genuine breaking changes in this window were both internal reworks, moving generation onto data.table and rewriting quantile normalization for speed.
◆ Prediction
The established pattern of adding a distribution with its full helper set is the most likely continuation. Recent releases have been small, suggesting the catalogue is approaching the distributions its author considers worth covering.
Alternatives to fastrg and TidyDensity
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 fastrg or TidyDensity.
ggtrace
A debugger for ggplot2's internals, hardening its grip as the internals it traces keep moving.
kde1d
A univariate density estimator that added zero-inflated data and reopened its C++ API to do it.
svines
Stationary vine copulas for time series, released in lockstep with the rest of Nagler's vine stack.
gghighlight
A single-purpose ggplot2 extension that has spent six years tracking ggplot2 instead of growing.
rtrek
A Star Trek data package that became a Memory Alpha web client and has been patching scrapers ever since.
See all fastrg alternatives → · See all TidyDensity alternatives →
Recent activity from fastrg and TidyDensity
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 11mo agoTidyDensityquantile_normalize rewritten, changing its output
- 1y agofastrgDocumentation cross-linking fixes for CRAN
- 1y agoTidyDensityDocumentation corrections for two distribution functions
- 2y agoTidyDensityZero-truncated distributions and AIC helpers added in bulk
- 2y agoTidyDensityMCMC sampling and quantile normalization join the utilities
- 2y agoTidyDensityGeneration moves to data.table; native pipe raises the R floor
- 2y agoTidyDensityDistributions convertible to time series objects
- 2y agofastrgDirected blockmodel X and Y factors swapped to match edge direction
- 4y agofastrgfastRG 0.3.1 ⚡
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fastrg and TidyDensity?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. fastrg and TidyDensity 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 fastrg better than TidyDensity?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fastrg and TidyDensity 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 fastrg?
Top fastrg alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fastrg alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fastrg for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to TidyDensity?
Top TidyDensity alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "TidyDensity alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tidydensity for the full list with editorial commentary on each.