rjd3highfreq
rjd3highfreq ships whatever the Java side ships, and only occasionally says what that was.
Comparison · Analytics
gtsummary vs tmap
A side-by-side editorial comparison of gtsummary and tmap — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
gtsummary vs tmap: at a glance
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.
What is tmap?
Two years after a from-scratch rewrite, tmap is filling in the layers v4 promised.
tmap draws thematic maps in R across static and interactive modes. The 4.0 rewrite replaced the layer syntax with explicit visual variables, scales, legends and charts, and opened the package to extensions; the 4.x line since has been steady capability fill-in. The 4.4 release adds tm_circles with fixed unit-based radii, a blend argument on every layer, and hitboxes so small objects stay clickable in view mode.
gtsummary vs tmap: editorial side-by-side
gtsummary
0.0ANALYTICS
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.
tmap
0.0ANALYTICS
Two years after a from-scratch rewrite, tmap is filling in the layers v4 promised.
◆ Current state
tmap draws thematic maps in R across static and interactive modes. The 4.0 rewrite replaced the layer syntax with explicit visual variables, scales, legends and charts, and opened the package to extensions; the 4.x line since has been steady capability fill-in. The 4.4 release adds tm_circles with fixed unit-based radii, a blend argument on every layer, and hitboxes so small objects stay clickable in view mode.
◆ Where it's heading
The extension mechanism introduced in 4.0 is where the interesting work is migrating: PMTiles support arrived through a separate experimental tmap.sources package, mode cycling became configurable via tmap_mode_pool() so packages like tmap.mapgl can register themselves, and shiny dispatch methods were added specifically to let other modes integrate. The core package is increasingly a rendering contract that satellite packages plug into.
◆ Prediction
Expect more rendering backends to land as sibling packages rather than in tmap itself, with the core continuing to absorb the dispatch and mode-management plumbing they need.
Alternatives to gtsummary and tmap
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 tmap.
audubon
audubon's release feed is almost entirely Renovate bumping the JavaScript toolchain behind its Japanese text splitter.
affiner
affiner is quietly turning a grid transformation helper into a small computational geometry library.
ageproR
ageproR spent two years chasing a moving file format, then added the recruitment models that justify the effort.
r-ledger
ledger adds a Rust toolchain fallback, so beancount imports work whether or not the Python tooling is installed.
gridpattern
gridpattern keeps widening its catalogue, and the newest patterns finally use the device's own line rendering.
See all gtsummary alternatives → · See all tmap alternatives →
Recent activity from gtsummary and tmap
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agotmapDocumentation-only patch tidying man-page titles
- 1mo agotmaptm_circles, layer blending and clickable small objects
- 2mo agogtsummaryTheme elements no longer evaluated by default
- 8mo agogtsummaryARD strata functions and finer theme control
- 11mo agogtsummaryPer-level hierarchical sorting and labeled stacking
- 1y agogtsummaryTable splitting, ID labeling, and add_difference_row
- 1y agogtsummaryData pre-processing restored after the 2.0 removal
- 1y agogtsummarytbl_merge gains explicit merge columns
- 1y agotmaptmap v4 rewritten from scratch with a new layer syntax ⚡
- 1y agotmapFinal 3.x release before the v4 rewrite
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between gtsummary and tmap?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. gtsummary and tmap 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 gtsummary better than tmap?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. gtsummary and tmap 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 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 tmap?
Top tmap alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "tmap alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/tmap-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.