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Comparison · Analytics

gtsummary vs rstatix

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

gtsummary vs rstatix: at a glance

Featuregtsummaryrstatix
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.02.5
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesclinical-tables, analysis-results-data, regression-summaries, reproducible-reportingstatistics, r, effect sizes, confidence intervals
Last editorial update1h ago3h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is gtsummary?

gtsummary is quietly rebuilding itself around analysis results data, one table verb at a time.

gtsummary builds publication-ready summary, regression and survival tables for clinical and epidemiological work. Across this window it has grown in two directions at once: table composition primitives — splitting tables by rows and columns, stacking with labeled IDs, nested strata stacks, flexible merge columns — and a steadily deepening ARD layer, where tbl_ard_* functions, gather_ard() and the hierarchical table family expose the underlying analysis results data as a first-class object.

Read the full gtsummary trajectory →

What is rstatix?

rstatix hit 1.0 by unrounding every p-value it has ever returned

rstatix is the pipe-friendly test wrapper behind most ggpubr annotation workflows — t-tests, Wilcoxon, ANOVA, post-hoc comparisons, effect sizes, all returning tidy data frames. After three quiet years of CRAN-compat patching, it shipped 1.0.0 and 1.1.0 three weeks apart in mid-2026. Both releases push in the same direction: interval estimates and full-precision output for numbers the package previously rounded or omitted.

Read the full rstatix trajectory →

gtsummary vs rstatix: editorial side-by-side

G
gtsummary
ANALYTICS
0.0

gtsummary is quietly rebuilding itself around analysis results data, one table verb at a time.

◆ Current state

gtsummary builds publication-ready summary, regression and survival tables for clinical and epidemiological work. Across this window it has grown in two directions at once: table composition primitives — splitting tables by rows and columns, stacking with labeled IDs, nested strata stacks, flexible merge columns — and a steadily deepening ARD layer, where tbl_ard_* functions, gather_ard() and the hierarchical table family expose the underlying analysis results data as a first-class object.

◆ Where it's heading

The ARD work is the through-line. Table IDs exist so gather_ard() can return a named list; hierarchical tables gained per-level sorting and targeted filtering; ARD inputs are pre-processed so sorting applies to non-standard shapes. The package is becoming a structured-results engine that happens to render tables, rather than a renderer alone. Alongside that, 2.2.0 restored data pre-processing that 2.0 had removed after the reduced functionality hurt users — a maintainer willing to reverse a major-version decision.

◆ Prediction

Expect the hierarchical and ARD functions, introduced as a preview without a full deprecation cycle, to keep stabilizing toward a settled API rather than new table types appearing.

R
rstatix
ANALYTICS
2.5

rstatix hit 1.0 by unrounding every p-value it has ever returned

◆ Current state

rstatix is the pipe-friendly test wrapper behind most ggpubr annotation workflows — t-tests, Wilcoxon, ANOVA, post-hoc comparisons, effect sizes, all returning tidy data frames. After three quiet years of CRAN-compat patching, it shipped 1.0.0 and 1.1.0 three weeks apart in mid-2026. Both releases push in the same direction: interval estimates and full-precision output for numbers the package previously rounded or omitted.

◆ Where it's heading

The work is about matching what dedicated effect-size packages give you without taking on their dependencies. Confidence intervals for partial eta squared and for Cohen's d are both computed in base R from noncentral distributions and both check against effectsize; compact letter displays are computed in base R against multcompView. The pattern is deliberate — reproduce the reference implementation, add no imports. Alongside that, the package has started correcting statistical hygiene it got wrong for years, most visibly by no longer rounding p-values before adjusting them.

◆ Prediction

The analytic-interval machinery now exists for eta squared and Cohen's d; the untouched effect sizes in the package — eta squared for nonparametric tests, Cramer's V, rank-biserial correlation — are the obvious next targets for the same base-R noncentral treatment.

Alternatives to gtsummary and rstatix

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 gtsummary or rstatix.

See all gtsummary alternatives → · See all rstatix alternatives →

Recent activity from gtsummary and rstatix

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

  1. 22d agorstatixrstatix 1.1.0 gives Cohen's d a deterministic confidence interval
  2. 1mo agorstatixrstatix 1.0.0 stops rounding p-values before adjusting them
  3. 2mo agogtsummaryTheme elements no longer evaluated by default
  4. 8mo agogtsummaryARD strata functions and finer theme control
  5. 9mo agorstatixrstatix 0.7.3
  6. 11mo agogtsummaryPer-level hierarchical sorting and labeled stacking
  7. 1y agogtsummaryTable splitting, ID labeling, and add_difference_row
  8. 1y agogtsummaryData pre-processing restored after the 2.0 removal
  9. 1y agogtsummarytbl_merge gains explicit merge columns
  10. 3y agorstatixrstatix 0.7.2
  11. 3y agorstatixrstatix 0.7.1
  12. 5y agorstatixrstatix 0.7.0

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gtsummary and rstatix?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. rstatix is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.

Is gtsummary better than rstatix?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. rstatix is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 2.5 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to gtsummary?

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

What are the best alternatives to rstatix?

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