jSDM
Joint species distribution models in Gibbs-sampled C++, quiet since 2023.
Comparison · Infra & APIs
PINstimation vs PowerTOST
A side-by-side editorial comparison of PINstimation and PowerTOST — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
PINstimation vs PowerTOST: at a glance
What is PINstimation?
A market-microstructure toolkit that keeps adding estimators as the papers land.
PINstimation estimates probability-of-informed-trading models — PIN, multilayer PIN, adjusted PIN and VPIN — from trade and quote data, and handles the trade classification and aggregation that feeds them. The current 0.2.0 adds ivpin(), a maximum-likelihood variant of VPIN from Ke and Lin (2017). The package's early history is compressed into a single hour of backfilled tags in October 2022, so version order there does not track release order.
What is PowerTOST?
A bioequivalence sample-size workhorse whose news is which regulator it now covers
PowerTOST computes power and sample size for bioequivalence and its changelog reads as a record of regulatory divergence more than statistical development. Version 1.5-3 added the Gulf Co-operation Council as a regulator setting; 1.5-4 and 1.5-6 stripped 'FDA' out of the narrow-therapeutic-index function names once China's CDE began requiring the same evaluation. The most recent release, 1.5-7, is a single fix to how nvec() splits a total sample size across sequences.
PINstimation vs PowerTOST: editorial side-by-side
PINstimation
0.0INFRA · APIS
A market-microstructure toolkit that keeps adding estimators as the papers land.
◆ Current state
PINstimation estimates probability-of-informed-trading models — PIN, multilayer PIN, adjusted PIN and VPIN — from trade and quote data, and handles the trade classification and aggregation that feeds them. The current 0.2.0 adds ivpin(), a maximum-likelihood variant of VPIN from Ke and Lin (2017). The package's early history is compressed into a single hour of backfilled tags in October 2022, so version order there does not track release order.
◆ Where it's heading
Each release tracks the literature: a Bayesian PIN estimator from Griffin et al., an improved VPIN from Ke and Lin, initial-parameter generation realigned to Ersan and Ghachem. The other steady thread is data handling — matrix inputs so the estimators compose with rolling windows, user-specified aggregation frequencies, and now quote leads as well as lags. The three-year gap between 0.1.2 and 0.2.0 makes this a slow, publication-paced package rather than an actively developed one.
◆ Prediction
On this pattern the next release adds whatever estimator the authors publish next, since two of the three feature releases here implement a specific paper. Nothing in the entries points to a change in the package's structure.
PowerTOST
0.0INFRA · APIS
A bioequivalence sample-size workhorse whose news is which regulator it now covers
◆ Current state
PowerTOST computes power and sample size for bioequivalence and its changelog reads as a record of regulatory divergence more than statistical development. Version 1.5-3 added the Gulf Co-operation Council as a regulator setting; 1.5-4 and 1.5-6 stripped 'FDA' out of the narrow-therapeutic-index function names once China's CDE began requiring the same evaluation. The most recent release, 1.5-7, is a single fix to how nvec() splits a total sample size across sequences.
◆ Where it's heading
The package is in long maintenance with a widening regulatory surface: the statistical methods are settled, and releases arrive when an agency publishes a framework that can be expressed as a settings variant of an existing method. Function naming has been deliberately decoupled from any single agency, with the deprecated FDA-suffixed aliases carried for years before removal. Cadence has slowed to roughly one release every eighteen months.
◆ Prediction
The next release is most likely another regulator setting or a small fix; on the deprecation notice already given, the power.NTIDFDA()-style aliases are the obvious removal candidate.
Alternatives to PINstimation and PowerTOST
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 PINstimation or PowerTOST.
rsofun
An ecosystem model starts tracking carbon isotopes and land-use change.
usmap
Ten years in, US mapping splits its data out and finally adds Puerto Rico.
trackeR
Fitness-tracking analysis in slow maintenance, still absorbing upstream breakage.
states
State-panel tooling holding steady since its 2020 data and ergonomics release.
multimark
Five years of compiler and CRAN fixes on a capture-recapture package.
See all PINstimation alternatives → · See all PowerTOST alternatives →
Recent activity from PINstimation and PowerTOST
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 8mo agoPINstimationPINstimation 0.2.0
- 10mo agoPowerTOSTFix for splitting total sample size across sequences
- 2y agoPowerTOSTNTID functions renamed off the FDA acronym; GCC guidance in vignettes
- 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.1.2
- 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.1.1
- 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.0.1-beta
- 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.1.0
- 4y agoPowerTOSTpower.NTID() aliases added; FDA-suffixed names deprecated
- 5y agoPowerTOSTGulf Co-operation Council added as a regulator setting
- 5y agoPowerTOSTMaintenance release with vignette and documentation clarifications
- 5y agoPowerTOSTstringsAsFactors fix for older R in a vignette example
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between PINstimation and PowerTOST?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. PINstimation and PowerTOST 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 PINstimation better than PowerTOST?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. PINstimation and PowerTOST 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 Infra & APIs products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to PINstimation?
Top PINstimation alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "PINstimation alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/pinstimation for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to PowerTOST?
Top PowerTOST alternatives in Infra & APIs are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "PowerTOST alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/powertost for the full list with editorial commentary on each.