cIRT
A choice-based IRT model published once in 2019 and kept compiling ever since
Comparison · Analytics
fmtr vs popbayes
A side-by-side editorial comparison of fmtr and popbayes — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:r-package
fmtr vs popbayes: at a glance
What is fmtr?
Rebuilding SAS's formatting layer in R, one format specification at a time
fmtr applies formats to R data the way SAS applies them: named format catalogues, format lists, and an fapply() that maps a specification onto a vector. It is part of a family of packages that reconstruct SAS reporting idioms in R, and it shares infrastructure with them — labels.data.frame() was moved out to the common package, which fmtr now depends on. The recent releases have been closing specific gaps against SAS's own format vocabulary.
What is popbayes?
A wildlife population-trend package in low-maintenance mode.
popbayes fits Bayesian trends to animal population count series that mix ground counts, aerial counts and expert estimates. The visible history is short and slow: three releases across four years, with the most recent, 1.3, swapping usethis for cli in error messages and tidying the website. The substantive work in the window is 1.1, which reorganised how format_data() handles a dataset.
fmtr vs popbayes: editorial side-by-side
fmtr
0.0ANALYTICS
Rebuilding SAS's formatting layer in R, one format specification at a time
◆ Current state
fmtr applies formats to R data the way SAS applies them: named format catalogues, format lists, and an fapply() that maps a specification onto a vector. It is part of a family of packages that reconstruct SAS reporting idioms in R, and it shares infrastructure with them — labels.data.frame() was moved out to the common package, which fmtr now depends on. The recent releases have been closing specific gaps against SAS's own format vocabulary.
◆ Where it's heading
The direction is parity, pursued in small increments. Quarter format codes were added because base R has none; the SAS best. format was reimplemented, then hardened against the variations people actually write; statistical summary helpers like fmt_mean_sd() and fmt_mean_stderr() cover the cell contents clinical tables need. The structural work is largely behind it, including the breaking 2022 move that handed labelling to a sibling package, so what remains is vocabulary coverage.
◆ Prediction
The pattern of adding a SAS format, then a release to handle its variants, suggests the next releases continue filling in format codes and summary helpers rather than changing how formats are applied.
popbayes
0.0ANALYTICS
A wildlife population-trend package in low-maintenance mode.
◆ Current state
popbayes fits Bayesian trends to animal population count series that mix ground counts, aerial counts and expert estimates. The visible history is short and slow: three releases across four years, with the most recent, 1.3, swapping usethis for cli in error messages and tidying the website. The substantive work in the window is 1.1, which reorganised how format_data() handles a dataset.
◆ Where it's heading
Development has settled into maintenance carried largely by outside contributors, with the current release consisting of a dependency swap and message fixes from two different contributors. The one release with real design work, 1.1, moved format_data() from operating on a whole dataset to operating per count series, letting different series of the same species carry different conversion assumptions. Nothing since has changed the modelling surface.
◆ Prediction
The entries do not support a confident prediction beyond further contributor-driven maintenance; there is no visible signal of new modelling work.
Alternatives to fmtr and popbayes
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 fmtr or popbayes.
MetaboAnalystR
The R engine behind MetaboAnalyst closes the gap from raw spectra to biological interpretation
betaselectr
Standardised coefficients for models where standardising everything is wrong — but the feed only links out
SSN2
Stream-network spatial models learning to run on data that no longer fits in memory
BiocManager
Bioconductor's installer, frozen at 1.30.x and tuned almost entirely through environment variables
dcurves
Decision curve analysis, settled since 2022 and now moving only when its neighbours do
See all fmtr alternatives → · See all popbayes alternatives →
Recent activity from fmtr and popbayes
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agopopbayespopbayes 1.3
- 10mo agofmtrMean and standard error helper, plus best-format variants
- 11mo agofmtrSAS best. format reimplemented in fapply()
- 2y agofmtrQuarter format codes %q and %Q added
- 2y agofmtrFormat lists become readable and writable files
- 2y agofmtrDocumentation and examples expanded
- 2y agofmtrvalue() can return results as a factor
- 3y agopopbayespopbayes 1.2
- 4y agopopbayespopbayes 1.1
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between fmtr and popbayes?
Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Analytics. fmtr and popbayes 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 fmtr better than popbayes?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. fmtr and popbayes 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 fmtr?
Top fmtr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "fmtr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/fmtr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to popbayes?
Top popbayes alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "popbayes alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/popbayes for the full list with editorial commentary on each.