tern.rbmi
Reference-based multiple imputation tables, shipping only what CRAN checks demand.
Comparison · Analytics
grex vs modeltime.ensemble
A side-by-side editorial comparison of grex and modeltime.ensemble — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
grex vs modeltime.ensemble: at a glance
What is grex?
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
grex converts the deprecated Ensembl gene IDs found in GTEx data into current gene symbols and identifiers, using org.Hs.eg.db as its reference. Its value is entirely in that bundled reference data, so a release either refreshes the mapping or does nothing to it. The 2025 release does nothing to it: GitHub Actions for the docs site, a check-note fix, and a smaller vignette.
What is modeltime.ensemble?
modeltime.ensemble wakes after four years, and the work is all tune 2.0 compatibility.
modeltime.ensemble builds average, weighted and stacked ensembles over modeltime forecast models. After a four-year gap it shipped twice in a fortnight during August and September 2025, both releases devoted to tracking breaking changes in tidymodels' tune package — new resampling column conventions, key uniqueness across resamples, recipe preparation. The tidyverse dependency was dropped in the same pass.
grex vs modeltime.ensemble: editorial side-by-side
grex
0.0ANALYTICS
grex is a lookup table with a version number — it ships when the annotation moves.
◆ Current state
grex converts the deprecated Ensembl gene IDs found in GTEx data into current gene symbols and identifiers, using org.Hs.eg.db as its reference. Its value is entirely in that bundled reference data, so a release either refreshes the mapping or does nothing to it. The 2025 release does nothing to it: GitHub Actions for the docs site, a check-note fix, and a smaller vignette.
◆ Where it's heading
The annotation refreshes stopped. Between 2017 and 2019 the package tracked org.Hs.eg.db through four versions and added the GTEx V7 identifier set; since then the reference has stood still while the releases turned to packaging. That gap matters more here than it would elsewhere — a stale mapping table silently returns outdated symbols rather than failing, so the package's core asset ages invisibly.
◆ Prediction
Nothing in these entries signals a planned data refresh, and the six-year pattern suggests the next release will again be infrastructure. Users needing current annotations should check which org.Hs.eg.db version is bundled rather than assume the version number reflects it.
modeltime.ensemble
0.0ANALYTICS
modeltime.ensemble wakes after four years, and the work is all tune 2.0 compatibility.
◆ Current state
modeltime.ensemble builds average, weighted and stacked ensembles over modeltime forecast models. After a four-year gap it shipped twice in a fortnight during August and September 2025, both releases devoted to tracking breaking changes in tidymodels' tune package — new resampling column conventions, key uniqueness across resamples, recipe preparation. The tidyverse dependency was dropped in the same pass.
◆ Where it's heading
This is a package whose forecasting capability was settled by 2021 — recursive ensembles, per-series calibration — and whose recent life is dictated entirely by upstream tidymodels churn. New contributors did that compatibility work, including one from the tidymodels side. It now requires tune 2.0.0 and modeltime.resample 0.3.0, pinning it to the current tidymodels generation rather than straddling versions.
◆ Prediction
Expect the next release to follow the next tune or modeltime.resample breaking change rather than to introduce new ensembling methods.
Alternatives to grex and modeltime.ensemble
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 grex or modeltime.ensemble.
tern.mmrm
An MMRM tabulation package that has published nothing since its 2024 CRAN releases.
ggmagnify
A single-purpose ggplot2 inset tool, refining the same three arguments.
symengine
An R symbolic-maths binding whose changelog is really the C++ core's release notes.
gtfstools
gtfstools stopped guarding its own object model and started accepting everyone else's.
quantities
The glue package that makes R carry units and uncertainty through the same calculation.
See all grex alternatives → · See all modeltime.ensemble alternatives →
Recent activity from grex and modeltime.ensemble
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 11mo agomodeltime.ensembleRealigned for tune 2.0.0 resampling changes
- 11mo agomodeltime.ensembleDrops the tidyverse dependency ahead of tune 2.0
- 1y agogrexgrex 1.9.1: pkgdown on Actions, smaller vignette
- 5y agomodeltime.ensemblePer-series calibration IDs and parallel refitting
- 5y agomodeltime.ensembleRecursive ensembles for single and panel series ⚡
- 7y agogrexgrex 1.9 refreshes the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.8.2
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.8 adds GTEx V7 IDs, updates to org.Hs.eg.db 3.6.0
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.7 updates the reference to org.Hs.eg.db 3.4.2
- 8y agogrexgrex 1.6 drops Google Fonts from vignettes
- 9y agogrexgrex 1.5 adds a pkgdown site and refreshes the reference
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between grex and modeltime.ensemble?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. grex and modeltime.ensemble 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 grex better than modeltime.ensemble?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. grex and modeltime.ensemble 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 grex?
Top grex alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "grex alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/grex-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to modeltime.ensemble?
Top modeltime.ensemble alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "modeltime.ensemble alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/modeltime-ensemble for the full list with editorial commentary on each.