glymotif
A glycan motif matcher trading convenience wrappers for speed, strictness and explicit specs.
Comparison · Analytics
ibdsim2 vs ribd
A side-by-side editorial comparison of ibdsim2 and ribd — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
Shared themes:statistical-geneticspedigree-analysisr-packages
ibdsim2 vs ribd: at a glance
What is ibdsim2?
A pedigree IBD simulator that absorbed its own web app and now optimises for dense marker panels.
ibdsim2 simulates identity-by-descent sharing along chromosomes for arbitrary pedigrees, in both autosomal and X-chromosomal form, with downstream tools for segment statistics, pattern finding and distribution plots. Since 2.1.0 the Shiny front end lives inside the package and launches via launchApp() rather than sitting in a separate repository. The latest release is performance work, with profileSimIBD() substantially sped up for dense marker panels and ibdsim() skipping recombination in pedigree branches that cannot affect the result.
What is ribd?
The pedsuite's coefficient engine: broadening what it computes, then making the plots publishable.
ribd computes relatedness coefficients from pedigrees, covering kinship, inbreeding, kappa, condensed and detailed identity coefficients, and two-locus versions of several of these, in autosomal and X-chromosomal form. The IBD triangle is now drawable in base graphics, ggplot2 or plotly, with an optional inset pedigree, and custom relationships can be placed on it. The most recent release is dominated by correctness work, fixing pair ordering and row alignment in coefficient tables and edge cases for pedigree lists, unrelated individuals and self-pairs.
ibdsim2 vs ribd: editorial side-by-side
ibdsim2
2.5ANALYTICS
A pedigree IBD simulator that absorbed its own web app and now optimises for dense marker panels.
◆ Current state
ibdsim2 simulates identity-by-descent sharing along chromosomes for arbitrary pedigrees, in both autosomal and X-chromosomal form, with downstream tools for segment statistics, pattern finding and distribution plots. Since 2.1.0 the Shiny front end lives inside the package and launches via launchApp() rather than sitting in a separate repository. The latest release is performance work, with profileSimIBD() substantially sped up for dense marker panels and ibdsim() skipping recombination in pedigree branches that cannot affect the result.
◆ Where it's heading
Two long-running threads. One is the app as a first-class part of the package, which has been getting input validation, dependency checks and plotting fixes release after release, treating a research GUI as software to be maintained rather than a demo. The other is numerical care: the built-in recombination map was rebuilt in 2.3.0 with better chromosome endpoints and a thinning algorithm that cut it from about 38,000 points to 14,000 without losing accuracy, and IBD segment merging has been made consistent across the realised-coefficient functions. The maintainer flags repeatedly that seeded results may differ across versions, which is the right disclosure for a simulator used in published analyses.
◆ Prediction
The recent work points at further speed on dense panels and continued hardening of app input handling, both of which have appeared in each of the last several releases. Nothing here signals a new modelling capability on the way.
ribd
2.5ANALYTICS
The pedsuite's coefficient engine: broadening what it computes, then making the plots publishable.
◆ Current state
ribd computes relatedness coefficients from pedigrees, covering kinship, inbreeding, kappa, condensed and detailed identity coefficients, and two-locus versions of several of these, in autosomal and X-chromosomal form. The IBD triangle is now drawable in base graphics, ggplot2 or plotly, with an optional inset pedigree, and custom relationships can be placed on it. The most recent release is dominated by correctness work, fixing pair ordering and row alignment in coefficient tables and edge cases for pedigree lists, unrelated individuals and self-pairs.
◆ Where it's heading
The arc runs from generality to presentation to precision. Early releases replaced narrow functions with general ones, most visibly when gKinship() absorbed generalisedKinship() and identityCoefs() superseded the separate autosomal and X-chromosomal identity functions in favour of an Xchrom argument. The middle stretch turned the IBD triangle into a proper plotting surface across three graphics systems. The current phase reads as consolidation, with the newest release listing six bug fixes against four features, several of them alignment errors in output tables, which is where a coefficient library most needs to be exactly right.
◆ Prediction
The two new internal functions in the latest release, inbreedingContributions() and ancestralKinship(), are the kind of thing that surfaces publicly a release or two later, so expect them to become exported decomposition tools. The correctness push through pedigree lists and edge cases suggests the near-term focus stays on hardening rather than new coefficient families.
Alternatives to ibdsim2 and ribd
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 ibdsim2 or ribd.
glyrepr
The type system the rest of the glycan stack is built on, being hardened one breaking change at a time.
glyanno
Glycan annotation stops depending on the database having seen the structure before.
glydraw
SNFG glycan cartoons stopped being pictures and became ggplot2 geoms, guides and axis labels.
glyenzy
Glycan biosynthesis as a traceable enzyme graph, now including sulfation and gaps it can bridge.
KLINK
Forensic kinship testing with linked STR markers, now peer-reviewed and taking data from anywhere.
See all ibdsim2 alternatives → · See all ribd alternatives →
Recent activity from ibdsim2 and ribd
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 11d agoibdsim2profileSimIBD() sped up for dense marker panels; segment merging fixed
- 12d agoribdCustom relationships on the IBD triangle; six alignment and edge-case fixes
- 8mo agoibdsim2Segment-distribution merge argument, and function-valued parameters
- 1y agoibdsim2Built-in decode19 recombination map rebuilt, cutting 38k points to 14k
- 1y agoibdsim2Consistent IBD segment merging across the realised-coefficient functions
- 1y agoribdkappaIBD() can skip across-component pairs on large pedigrees
- 1y agoibdsim2Built-in pedigree labels revised; extra inbred examples added
- 1y agoibdsim2The Shiny front end moves into the package and gains X-chromosomal simulation ⚡
- 2y agoribdIBD triangle plots gain ggplot2 and plotly backends, plus inset pedigrees
- 3y agoribdTriangle line clipping, automatic plot margins, citation info
- 3y agoribdTwo-locus functions overhauled; twoLocusInbreeding and ELR added
- 4y agoribdIdentity coefficients unified behind identityCoefs() and an Xchrom argument
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ibdsim2 and ribd?
Both compete on the same themes — statistical-genetics, pedigree-analysis, r-packages — within Analytics. ibdsim2 and ribd are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 2.5 vs 2.5, 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 ibdsim2 better than ribd?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. ibdsim2 and ribd are shipping at a similar cadence (velocity 2.5 vs 2.5, 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 ibdsim2?
Top ibdsim2 alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ibdsim2 alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ibdsim2 for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to ribd?
Top ribd alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "ribd alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/ribd for the full list with editorial commentary on each.