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Comparison · Analytics

gtsummary vs TwoSampleMR

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

gtsummary vs TwoSampleMR: at a glance

FeaturegtsummaryTwoSampleMR
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesclinical-tables, analysis-results-data, regression-summaries, reproducible-reportingmendelian-randomization, genetic-epidemiology, correctness-fixes, opengwas
Last editorial update1h ago2h 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 TwoSampleMR?

The flagship Mendelian randomization package is auditing its own estimators, one bootstrap at a time.

TwoSampleMR is the MRC-IEU package for two-sample Mendelian randomization against OpenGWAS. Its 2026 releases are a sustained correctness review rather than feature work: 0.7.9 fixed bootstrap standard errors in mr_mode() and mr_rucker_bootstrap() that had been inflated since v0.6.30, and repaired two Rucker functions that were returning malformed objects. Point estimates were not affected by the bootstrap bug.

Read the full TwoSampleMR trajectory →

gtsummary vs TwoSampleMR: 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.

T
TwoSampleMR
ANALYTICS
0.0

The flagship Mendelian randomization package is auditing its own estimators, one bootstrap at a time.

◆ Current state

TwoSampleMR is the MRC-IEU package for two-sample Mendelian randomization against OpenGWAS. Its 2026 releases are a sustained correctness review rather than feature work: 0.7.9 fixed bootstrap standard errors in mr_mode() and mr_rucker_bootstrap() that had been inflated since v0.6.30, and repaired two Rucker functions that were returning malformed objects. Point estimates were not affected by the bootstrap bug.

◆ Where it's heading

The pattern across these releases is a package being read line by line — a copy-paste weight vector in ldsc_rg(), chunking that produced zero splits for short SNP lists, penalisation recycled across the wrong SNPs, dead code paths removed, and regression tests added behind each fix. Alongside it runs a mechanical modernization pass: seq_len() for loop indices, tidyr in place of reshape2, current ggplot2 idioms, and the OpenGWAS URL migration. Feature work is limited to forest plot presentation.

◆ Prediction

Expect the audit to continue through the remaining bootstrap and jackknife routines, with releases staying in the 0.7.x patch range and each fix arriving with its own regression test.

Alternatives to gtsummary and TwoSampleMR

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 TwoSampleMR.

See all gtsummary alternatives → · See all TwoSampleMR alternatives →

Recent activity from gtsummary and TwoSampleMR

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

  1. 1mo agoTwoSampleMRBootstrap standard errors corrected in mode and Rucker estimators
  2. 2mo agoTwoSampleMRWrong weight vector and chunking fixes across the estimator set
  3. 2mo agoTwoSampleMRDeprecated ggplot2 idioms and dead code removed
  4. 2mo agogtsummaryTheme elements no longer evaluated by default
  5. 3mo agoTwoSampleMROpenGWAS URLs migrated and Wald ratio warnings quieted
  6. 4mo agoTwoSampleMRCategorized forest plots aligned with the published figures
  7. 4mo agoTwoSampleMRFurther internal code optimizations
  8. 8mo agogtsummaryARD strata functions and finer theme control
  9. 11mo agogtsummaryPer-level hierarchical sorting and labeled stacking
  10. 1y agogtsummaryTable splitting, ID labeling, and add_difference_row
  11. 1y agogtsummaryData pre-processing restored after the 2.0 removal
  12. 1y agogtsummarytbl_merge gains explicit merge columns

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between gtsummary and TwoSampleMR?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. gtsummary and TwoSampleMR 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 TwoSampleMR?

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

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