rnaturalearth
rnaturalearth finished its sp exit and is now optimising how the data actually arrives.
Comparison · Analytics
ggeffects vs taxize
A side-by-side editorial comparison of ggeffects and taxize — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
ggeffects vs taxize: at a glance
What is ggeffects?
ggeffects hands its contrast engine to modelbased and keeps the interface
ggeffects computes and plots marginal effects for a long tail of R model classes. Its recent line has two threads: steadily broadening model support and argument surface, and repeatedly absorbing breaking changes from the packages it computes on top of. In 2.2.0 it stopped absorbing them and delegated test_predictions() and johnson_neyman() to modelbased instead.
What is taxize?
taxize spends its releases absorbing other people's API changes, one dead source at a time.
The most recent work is migration: 0.10.0 replaced the deprecated Global Names Resolver functions with GNA equivalents (`gna_verifier`, `gna_parse`), rewrote `scrapenames` for the new API, and updated its rredlist usage to match that package's own v4 rewrite. 0.10.1 then tuned `gna_verifier`'s batch size to 50. The older entries in the window show the same shape from a different angle: `tnrs()` made defunct because the service died, COL dropped over rate limiting, NatureServe reworked for a new API, and a package-wide parameter rename to `sci` / `com` / `id` / `sci_com` / `sci_id`.
ggeffects vs taxize: editorial side-by-side
ggeffects
0.0ANALYTICS
ggeffects hands its contrast engine to modelbased and keeps the interface
◆ Current state
ggeffects computes and plots marginal effects for a long tail of R model classes. Its recent line has two threads: steadily broadening model support and argument surface, and repeatedly absorbing breaking changes from the packages it computes on top of. In 2.2.0 it stopped absorbing them and delegated test_predictions() and johnson_neyman() to modelbased instead.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is settling into a front-end role — a consistent predict_response() interface over other people's estimation engines — rather than owning the computation itself. The 2.x releases also show a pattern of removing deprecated arguments and clarifying mixed-model semantics, so the interface is being tightened as the backend is outsourced.
◆ Prediction
Expect the features lost in the modelbased handover to return as that package's contrast and slope estimation matures, rather than being reimplemented locally.
taxize
0.0ANALYTICS
taxize spends its releases absorbing other people's API changes, one dead source at a time.
◆ Current state
The most recent work is migration: 0.10.0 replaced the deprecated Global Names Resolver functions with GNA equivalents (`gna_verifier`, `gna_parse`), rewrote `scrapenames` for the new API, and updated its rredlist usage to match that package's own v4 rewrite. 0.10.1 then tuned `gna_verifier`'s batch size to 50. The older entries in the window show the same shape from a different angle: `tnrs()` made defunct because the service died, COL dropped over rate limiting, NatureServe reworked for a new API, and a package-wide parameter rename to `sci` / `com` / `id` / `sci_com` / `sci_id`.
◆ Where it's heading
taxize's job is aggregating a dozen taxonomic databases, so most of its engineering is downstream of decisions it does not control — sources go away, endpoints change, rate limits appear. The visible trend is consolidation: fewer, better-maintained backends rather than broader coverage. Release cadence has thinned to roughly one a year, and the rredlist coupling means it now inherits that package's breaking changes too.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to track another upstream source change rather than add new databases; the deprecated-parameter aliases from the 0.9.97 rename are also overdue for removal.
Alternatives to ggeffects and taxize
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 ggeffects or taxize.
writexl
writexl spent nine years refusing to do formatting, then shipped all of it in 2.0.0.
rgbif
rgbif is steadily pushing users off paged searching and onto real downloads.
rstanarm
rstanarm is community-maintained now, tracking Stan and lme4 rather than adding models.
taxa
taxa started a ground-up rewrite in 2021 and has published almost nothing since.
rotl
rotl's whole release history is keeping name matching honest against a moving taxonomy.
See all ggeffects alternatives → · See all taxize alternatives →
Recent activity from ggeffects and taxize
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 5mo agotaxizetaxize 0.10.1 lowers gna_verifier batch size
- 1y agotaxizetaxize 0.10.0 migrates to GNA and the new rredlist API
- 1y agoggeffectsggeffects delegates contrasts and slopes to modelbased ⚡
- 1y agoggeffectsFive focal terms and formula-based contrast tests
- 1y agoggeffectsMixed-model predictions split type from interval
- 1y agoggeffectsBias correction for back-transformed mixed-model predictions
- 1y agoggeffectsSupport for WeightIt model classes
- 2y agoggeffectsglmgee support and vcov controls for ggemmeans()
- 5y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.99 retires tnrs(), paginates WORMS queries
- 5y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.98 adds NCBI and zoological rank names
- 6y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.97 standardises parameter names package-wide
- 6y agotaxizetaxize 0.9.96 updates NatureServe for its new API
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ggeffects and taxize?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. ggeffects and taxize 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 ggeffects better than taxize?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ggeffects and taxize 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 ggeffects?
Top ggeffects alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ggeffects alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ggeffects for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to taxize?
Top taxize alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "taxize alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/taxize for the full list with editorial commentary on each.