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Comparison · Infra & APIs

PINstimation vs tidyplots

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

Shared themes:r-package

PINstimation vs tidyplots: at a glance

FeaturePINstimationtidyplots
SectorInfra & APIsInfra & APIs
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesmarket-microstructure, finance, informed-trading, r-packagedata-visualization, r-package, ggplot2, scientific-publishing
Last editorial update1h ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

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.

Read the full PINstimation trajectory →

What is tidyplots?

tidyplots keeps rebuilding its own foundations rather than layering around them.

tidyplots wraps ggplot2 in a pipe-driven API aimed at publication-ready scientific figures, trading grammar-of-graphics flexibility for a shorter path to a finished plot. It is at 0.4.0 after two years of frequent releases, and almost every one carries a breaking change — the most recent moved multi-panel layout off patchwork and onto ggplot2's own faceting. Statistical annotation, colour schemes and size control have each been reworked at least once.

Read the full tidyplots trajectory →

PINstimation vs tidyplots: editorial side-by-side

P
PINstimation
INFRA · APIS
0.0

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.

T
tidyplots
INFRA · APIS
0.0

tidyplots keeps rebuilding its own foundations rather than layering around them.

◆ Current state

tidyplots wraps ggplot2 in a pipe-driven API aimed at publication-ready scientific figures, trading grammar-of-graphics flexibility for a shorter path to a finished plot. It is at 0.4.0 after two years of frequent releases, and almost every one carries a breaking change — the most recent moved multi-panel layout off patchwork and onto ggplot2's own faceting. Statistical annotation, colour schemes and size control have each been reworked at least once.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is converging on ggplot2 rather than abstracting away from it: split_plot() now uses facet_wrap and facet_grid, as_tidyplot() was hard-deprecated on the grounds that converting a ggplot was never a good idea, and releases are timed against upstream ggplot2 versions. The other constant is the statistics surface, which has grown from basic error bars to paired and selected comparisons. Breaking changes are announced plainly and frequently, consistent with a package using 0.x to fix its shape before committing.

◆ Prediction

The patchwork removal is described as something that will eventually break dependent code, so the near-term work is likely completing that migration and settling the split_plot() parameters introduced alongside it. A 1.0 would signal the breaking-change cadence is ending, and nothing here indicates that yet.

Alternatives to PINstimation and tidyplots

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 tidyplots.

See all PINstimation alternatives → · See all tidyplots alternatives →

Recent activity from PINstimation and tidyplots

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

  1. 7mo agotidyplotstidyplots 0.4.0
  2. 8mo agoPINstimationPINstimation 0.2.0
  3. 1y agotidyplotstidyplots 0.3.1
  4. 1y agotidyplotstidyplots 0.2.2
  5. 1y agotidyplotstidyplots 0.2.1
  6. 1y agotidyplotstidyplots 0.2.0
  7. 1y agotidyplotstidyplots 0.1.2
  8. 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.1.2
  9. 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.1.1
  10. 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.0.1-beta
  11. 3y agoPINstimationPINstimation v0.1.0

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between PINstimation and tidyplots?

Both compete on the same themes — r-package — within Infra & APIs. PINstimation and tidyplots 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 tidyplots?

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

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