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Comparison · Infra & APIs

inlabru vs transltr

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

Shared themes:r-package

inlabru vs transltr: at a glance

Featureinlabrutransltr
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score2.50.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesbayesian-modelling, spatial-statistics, r-package, api-consolidationlocalization, internationalization, r-package, cran
Last editorial update8h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is inlabru?

A Bayesian spatial modelling package rebuilding its foundations one breaking release at a time

inlabru wraps INLA for spatial, point-process and latent-Gaussian models in R. It is mid-modernisation: since 2.12.0 cut the sp stack, each release has renamed part of the public surface, standardised how external packages attach custom mappers, or replaced internal machinery. 2.15.0 is the latest step, pairing a new predictor evaluation and linearisation implementation with broom's tidy(), glance() and augment() methods and four non-zero-truncated observation families.

Read the full inlabru trajectory →

What is transltr?

A new R localization package that reached CRAN and immediately downgraded itself to experimental.

transltr is a young package for supporting many languages in R, built around Text and Translator classes. Its entire public history is four release candidates over four weeks in early 2025 — there are no final tags, so the RC is the release event here. Two of the four exist only to satisfy CRAN reviewers.

Read the full transltr trajectory →

inlabru vs transltr: editorial side-by-side

I
inlabru
INFRA · APIS
2.5

A Bayesian spatial modelling package rebuilding its foundations one breaking release at a time

◆ Current state

inlabru wraps INLA for spatial, point-process and latent-Gaussian models in R. It is mid-modernisation: since 2.12.0 cut the sp stack, each release has renamed part of the public surface, standardised how external packages attach custom mappers, or replaced internal machinery. 2.15.0 is the latest step, pairing a new predictor evaluation and linearisation implementation with broom's tidy(), glance() and augment() methods and four non-zero-truncated observation families.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc is consolidation of the extension surface rather than expansion of the model catalogue. Every release adds mappers or families with one hand and removes a dependency, a re-export or a deprecated path with the other — plyr in 2.15.0, fmesher's Depends entry in 2.14.1, sp and ggmap in 2.12.0. The compatibility flag bru_compat_pre_2_14_enable and the temporary fm_int/fm_pixels re-exports show a maintainer sequencing breaks across releases instead of landing them together.

◆ Prediction

The 2.14 compatibility flag is still defaulting to TRUE and the fmesher re-exports are described in the entries as temporary, so the next obvious move is a release that flips bru_compat_pre_2_14_enable off and drops those re-exports.

T
transltr
INFRA · APIS
0.0

A new R localization package that reached CRAN and immediately downgraded itself to experimental.

◆ Current state

transltr is a young package for supporting many languages in R, built around Text and Translator classes. Its entire public history is four release candidates over four weeks in early 2025 — there are no final tags, so the RC is the release event here. Two of the four exist only to satisfy CRAN reviewers.

◆ Where it's heading

The arc is unusually candid about instability. The first release shipped with an explicit instruction to treat it as beta until 1.0.0, and 0.1.0 then went further, reverting the package's lifecycle badge from a firmer status back to experimental because the maintainer had broken more than intended — naming the Text and Translator methods as the parts still likely to move. Test coverage is repeatedly cited as the thing holding the package together while the interface is not yet fixed.

◆ Prediction

The self-declared plan is a 1.0.0 that settles the Text and Translator method signatures; until then expect further breaking changes, and the release notes will most likely keep pointing at NEWS.md rather than summarising them.

Alternatives to inlabru and transltr

Other Infra & APIs 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 inlabru or transltr.

See all inlabru alternatives → · See all transltr alternatives →

Recent activity from inlabru and transltr

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

  1. 23d agoinlabruPredictor linearisation rewritten; broom tidiers, truncated families
  2. 3mo agoinlabruBugfix release: factor contrasts, raster extraction, error classes
  3. 5mo agoinlabruNew mappers, standardised cgeneric support, bru_obs storage refactor
  4. 1y agoinlabruMapper classes shortened to bm_*, experimental predictor aggregation
  5. 1y agotransltrCustom DESCRIPTION field removed for CRAN resubmission
  6. 1y agotransltrPackage reverts to experimental after unplanned breaking changes
  7. 1y agotransltrCRAN review compliance: examples trimmed and benchmarked
  8. 1y agotransltrFirst release of the R localization package
  9. 1y agoinlabruDrops sp and ggmap for an sf-native spatial stack

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between inlabru and transltr?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. inlabru 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 inlabru better than transltr?

Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. inlabru 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.

What are the best alternatives to inlabru?

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

What are the best alternatives to transltr?

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