randomwalk
randomwalk spent every release getting an R simulation to run in the browser, not on a server.
Comparison · Analytics
fect vs singlercapture
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fect and singlercapture — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
fect vs singlercapture: at a glance
What is fect?
A counterfactual estimator turning itself into a platform for multiple estimands
fect implements counterfactual estimators for panel data with treatment effects — imputation-based fixed effects, interactive fixed effects, matrix completion. The 2026 releases move fast and bundle heavily: 2.1.0 rewrote complex fixed effect handling, 2.2.0 unified cross-validation under a single cv.method parameter and replaced method='gsynth' with an explicit time.component.from switch, 2.4.1 introduced a post-hoc estimand API, and 2.4.5 added group.fe for coarsened fixed effects plus a $sample slot exposing which cells entered estimation.
What is singlercapture?
singleRcapture reached 1.0.0 with no release notes at all — the arc has to be read backwards.
A package for single-source capture-recapture population size estimation: zero-truncated Poisson, geometric and negative binomial regression, Chao and Zelterman mixture models, analytic and bootstrap variance estimation, all behind estimatePopsize(). The 0.2.x line professionalised it — an offset argument, parallel bootstrap and dfbeta, faster semiparametric sampling, a singleRStaticCountData subclass explicitly created so a companion package could fit models from countreg and VGAM, then interaction-term and anova fixes. The 1.0.0 release carries nothing but a link to the compare view.
fect vs singlercapture: editorial side-by-side
fect
0.0ANALYTICS
A counterfactual estimator turning itself into a platform for multiple estimands
◆ Current state
fect implements counterfactual estimators for panel data with treatment effects — imputation-based fixed effects, interactive fixed effects, matrix completion. The 2026 releases move fast and bundle heavily: 2.1.0 rewrote complex fixed effect handling, 2.2.0 unified cross-validation under a single cv.method parameter and replaced method='gsynth' with an explicit time.component.from switch, 2.4.1 introduced a post-hoc estimand API, and 2.4.5 added group.fe for coarsened fixed effects plus a $sample slot exposing which cells entered estimation.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is separation of estimation from interpretation. Where the package once returned one effect from one fit, estimand() now dispatches typed estimands — ATT, cumulative ATT, APTT, log ATT — from any imputation fit, with effect() and att.cumu() soft-deprecated but byte-identical pending 3.0.0. Alongside that runs a transparency thread: the $sample matrix, out-of-sample comparison via fect_mspe(), and named component sources instead of opaque method aliases. The release notes are unusually precise about which results change and which do not.
◆ Prediction
The soft-deprecation notice names 3.0.0 as the removal point for effect() and att.cumu(), so a major release consolidating on the estimand() dispatcher is the clearly signposted next step.
singlercapture
0.0ANALYTICS
singleRcapture reached 1.0.0 with no release notes at all — the arc has to be read backwards.
◆ Current state
A package for single-source capture-recapture population size estimation: zero-truncated Poisson, geometric and negative binomial regression, Chao and Zelterman mixture models, analytic and bootstrap variance estimation, all behind estimatePopsize(). The 0.2.x line professionalised it — an offset argument, parallel bootstrap and dfbeta, faster semiparametric sampling, a singleRStaticCountData subclass explicitly created so a companion package could fit models from countreg and VGAM, then interaction-term and anova fixes. The 1.0.0 release carries nothing but a link to the compare view.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction visible in 0.2.x is outward: refactoring for maintainability, extending to models fitted elsewhere via a subclass, adding a JSS-paper vignette, and pushing coverage towards 90%. That is a package preparing to be cited and extended rather than one still finding its methods. The 1.0.0 tag presumably marks the end of that stabilisation, but the entry itself gives no evidence either way.
◆ Prediction
Not readable from this feed — the 1.0.0 notes are empty, so whether the major version marks an API freeze or a breaking change cannot be determined from the entries shown.
Alternatives to fect and singlercapture
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 fect or singlercapture.
fastml
fastml added survival modelling and leakage-proof resampling, moving past classification and regression.
abclass
abclass built out angle-based classifiers in 2022, then went quiet except for CRAN upkeep.
churon
churon is spending its entire release history getting a Rust ONNX binding through CRAN.
firatheme
firatheme woke up after four years and started fixing what ggplot2 changed underneath it.
bagyo
bagyo reached CRAN as a Philippine tropical cyclone dataset, with its tags stamped out of order.
See all fect alternatives → · See all singlercapture alternatives →
Recent activity from fect and singlercapture
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 2mo agofectAdds group.fe for coarsened fixed effects and a $sample slot
- 3mo agofectPost-hoc estimand API decouples estimands from the fit ⚡
- 4mo agofectUnified cross-validation and explicit control of time components
- 6mo agosinglercapturesingleRcapture 1.0.0
- 7mo agofectRewrites complex fixed effect handling and fixes speed
- 11mo agofectAdds heterogeneous treatment effect plots and caps default cores
- 1y agosinglercaptureanova and other broken methods fixed
- 1y agosinglercaptureInteraction terms fixed; logLik returns gradients and hessians
- 2y agosinglercaptureSubclass opens population estimation to countreg and VGAM fits
- 4y agosinglercaptureFirst usable release: zero-truncated and mixture estimators
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fect and singlercapture?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. fect and singlercapture 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 fect better than singlercapture?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fect and singlercapture 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 fect?
Top fect alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fect alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fect for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to singlercapture?
Top singlercapture alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "singlercapture alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/singlercapture for the full list with editorial commentary on each.