rnaturalearth
rnaturalearth finished its sp exit and is now optimising how the data actually arrives.
Comparison · Analytics
parameters vs patchwork
A side-by-side editorial comparison of parameters and patchwork — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
parameters vs patchwork: at a glance
What is parameters?
easystats' parameters package absorbs one more model class every few weeks
parameters extracts and formats coefficients from an enormous range of R model objects, and its releases read as a running ledger of that range expanding — lavaan and lavaan.mi, survey, lcmm, glmmTMB, fixest, marginaleffects, ordinal. Recent versions ship roughly monthly with a mix of new support, new arguments, and fixes for label handling and standard errors. The most consequential recent change is behavioral: post-hoc standardization no longer standardizes the intercept, setting it and its inferential statistics to NA.
What is patchwork?
patchwork stopped being a ggplot composer and became a page composer.
patchwork assembles plots into compositions with arithmetic operators, and the 1.x line has steadily hardened that grammar: guide and axis collection, free() to exempt a plot from alignment, inset_element() for overlays, and list-like behaviour so lapply() and length() work on a patchwork. Version 1.3.0 added native gt table support. The two releases since are a load-time warning fix and a compatibility pass for the next ggplot2 release.
parameters vs patchwork: editorial side-by-side
parameters
0.0ANALYTICS
easystats' parameters package absorbs one more model class every few weeks
◆ Current state
parameters extracts and formats coefficients from an enormous range of R model objects, and its releases read as a running ledger of that range expanding — lavaan and lavaan.mi, survey, lcmm, glmmTMB, fixest, marginaleffects, ordinal. Recent versions ship roughly monthly with a mix of new support, new arguments, and fixes for label handling and standard errors. The most consequential recent change is behavioral: post-hoc standardization no longer standardizes the intercept, setting it and its inferential statistics to NA.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's job is to be the universal adapter for model output, so its roadmap is effectively set by what the R modelling ecosystem produces. Two threads are visible beyond coverage: getting standard errors right for awkward cases such as frailty terms and robust vcov matrices, and getting labels right when factors are converted on the fly or character variables appear in a formula. Interoperability inside easystats keeps tightening, with equivalence_test() gaining methods for modelbased objects.
◆ Prediction
Given the cadence, the next release will most likely add another model class alongside label and standard-error fixes rather than change how the package works.
patchwork
0.0ANALYTICS
patchwork stopped being a ggplot composer and became a page composer.
◆ Current state
patchwork assembles plots into compositions with arithmetic operators, and the 1.x line has steadily hardened that grammar: guide and axis collection, free() to exempt a plot from alignment, inset_element() for overlays, and list-like behaviour so lapply() and length() work on a patchwork. Version 1.3.0 added native gt table support. The two releases since are a load-time warning fix and a compatibility pass for the next ggplot2 release.
◆ Where it's heading
The centre of gravity is shifting from alignment mechanics to composition scope. Early releases were almost entirely bug fixes against grid and ggplot2 internals — strip placement, fixed aspect ratios, guide merging. Recent ones add object types and escape hatches instead. Between feature cycles the package is in maintenance defined by ggplot2's release calendar, which is what 1.3.1 is in its entirety.
◆ Prediction
Expect wrap_table() to grow beyond gt to other table objects, and expect the next substantive release to be triggered by a ggplot2 internals change rather than by a patchwork roadmap.
Alternatives to parameters and patchwork
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 parameters or patchwork.
writexl
writexl spent nine years refusing to do formatting, then shipped all of it in 2.0.0.
rgbif
rgbif is steadily pushing users off paged searching and onto real downloads.
rstanarm
rstanarm is community-maintained now, tracking Stan and lme4 rather than adding models.
taxa
taxa started a ground-up rewrite in 2021 and has published almost nothing since.
rotl
rotl's whole release history is keeping name matching honest against a moving taxonomy.
See all parameters alternatives → · See all patchwork alternatives →
Recent activity from parameters and patchwork
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 1mo agoparametersparameters 0.29.2 extends lavaan support and fixes label dropping
- 2mo agoparametersparameters 0.29.1 adds a cluster argument and fixes vcov handling
- 3mo agoparametersparameters 0.29.0 stops standardizing the intercept in post-hoc methods
- 8mo agoparametersparameters 0.28.3 adds Kenward-Roger and Satterthwaite for glmmTMB
- 11mo agoparametersparameters 0.28.2 updates tests for the latest fixest release
- 11mo agoparametersparameters 0.28.1 adds robust standard errors for glmmTMB
- 11mo agopatchworkFix spurious load-time warnings
- 1y agopatchworkCompatibility pass for the next ggplot2 release
- 1y agopatchworkgt tables become first-class patchwork objects ⚡
- 2y agopatchworkAxis collection and free() arrive
- 3y agopatchworkPatchworks behave like lists; NULL becomes a no-op
- 3y agopatchworkClearer error when plotting space is too small
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between parameters and patchwork?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. parameters and patchwork 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 parameters better than patchwork?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. parameters and patchwork 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 parameters?
Top parameters alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "parameters alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/parameters-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to patchwork?
Top patchwork alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "patchwork alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/patchwork for the full list with editorial commentary on each.