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Comparison · Analytics

ggmagnify vs weird

A side-by-side editorial comparison of ggmagnify and weird — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.

Shared themes:data-visualizationr-package

ggmagnify vs weird: at a glance

Featureggmagnifyweird
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesggplot2, data-visualization, inset-plots, r-packageanomaly-detection, r-package, distributional, robust-statistics
Last editorial update1h ago6h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is ggmagnify?

A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.

ggmagnify draws magnified insets of a region of a ggplot, with projection lines connecting the inset to its source area. The visible releases are all small refinements to how that inset looks — corner radius, fill between projection lines — plus one fix for inset themes being overridden. There are only three entries, so the picture is necessarily partial.

Read the full ggmagnify trajectory →

What is weird?

weird rebuilt itself on distributional objects, and now the anomaly tooling composes with everything else.

An R package for anomaly detection and unusual-observation diagnostics, at four releases with a long gap between the 2024 patch and the 2026 major line. The current shape is set by 2.0.0, which refactored the package onto distributional objects and renamed its central concept from density_scores() to surprisals(). Since then the work has been filling that structure in: surprisals for more model classes, faster bandwidth and probability calculations, and new visual diagnostics.

Read the full weird trajectory →

ggmagnify vs weird: editorial side-by-side

G
ggmagnify
ANALYTICS
0.0

A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.

◆ Current state

ggmagnify draws magnified insets of a region of a ggplot, with projection lines connecting the inset to its source area. The visible releases are all small refinements to how that inset looks — corner radius, fill between projection lines — plus one fix for inset themes being overridden. There are only three entries, so the picture is necessarily partial.

◆ Where it's heading

Work concentrates on the visual finish of the inset rather than on new capability, which is what a package with one job should look like. Two feature releases a week apart in early 2024 suggest a short burst of attention rather than sustained development, and the feed goes quiet after mid-2024.

◆ Prediction

Too few entries to call a direction with confidence; continued small styling arguments would be consistent with what is visible.

W
weird
ANALYTICS
0.0

weird rebuilt itself on distributional objects, and now the anomaly tooling composes with everything else.

◆ Current state

An R package for anomaly detection and unusual-observation diagnostics, at four releases with a long gap between the 2024 patch and the 2026 major line. The current shape is set by 2.0.0, which refactored the package onto distributional objects and renamed its central concept from density_scores() to surprisals(). Since then the work has been filling that structure in: surprisals for more model classes, faster bandwidth and probability calculations, and new visual diagnostics.

◆ Where it's heading

The refactor onto a shared distribution representation is the decision everything else follows from. It let 2.1.0 add hdr() and parameters() methods for kde objects rather than bespoke accessors, and it let 3.0.0 bring in dist_mclust() to turn a Gaussian mixture model into the same object type — so a mixture, a kernel density estimate and a fitted distribution all flow through one interface. The 3.0.0 additions lean visual and multivariate: outlier maps plotting score distance against orthogonal distance, biplot projections with variable axes overlaid, and an augment() method for robust PCA objects. Dependencies have been shed steadily along the way — lookout, interpolation — while mvscale() moved out and then back in.

◆ Prediction

Expect surprisals() coverage to keep extending to further model classes, and the multivariate and robust-PCA diagnostics introduced in 3.0.0 to gain the same distributional-object treatment as the univariate side.

Alternatives to ggmagnify and weird

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 ggmagnify or weird.

See all ggmagnify alternatives → · See all weird alternatives →

Recent activity from ggmagnify and weird

Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.

  1. 1mo agoweirdOutlier maps, biplot projections, and Gaussian mixtures as distributional objects
  2. 3mo agoweirdsurprisals() reaches glm objects; lookout dependency dropped
  3. 6mo agoweirdPackage refactored onto distributional objects; density_scores becomes surprisals
  4. 2y agoggmagnifyFixes inset theme override on supplied plots
  5. 2y agoweirdWine reviews dataset replaced with a fetch function
  6. 2y agoggmagnifyAdds fill between projection lines
  7. 2y agoggmagnifyAdds corner radius for target and inset

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between ggmagnify and weird?

Both compete on the same themes — data-visualization, r-package — within Analytics. ggmagnify and weird 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 ggmagnify better than weird?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ggmagnify and weird 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 ggmagnify?

Top ggmagnify alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ggmagnify alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ggmagnify for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to weird?

Top weird alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "weird alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/weird-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.