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qqman vs RadialMR

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

qqman vs RadialMR: at a glance

FeatureqqmanRadialMR
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesgwas, genomics, manhattan-plot, visualizationmendelian-randomization, radial-plots, correctness-audit, statistical-inference
Last editorial update1h ago8h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is qqman?

The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.

qqman does two things: manhattan() and qq() plots for genome-wide association study results. Its six visible releases run from 2014 to a single 2017 packaging fix, and the last release with any user-facing change shipped in 2015. The archive is non-monotonic — a 0.0.0 tag published after 0.1.1 archives the pre-package standalone script — so version order and publication order disagree.

Read the full qqman trajectory →

What is RadialMR?

RadialMR's 2026 release corrects degrees of freedom that had been wrong since documentation.

RadialMR implements radial-plot formulations of IVW and MR-Egger Mendelian randomization, with outlier detection and interactive plotting. The recent history is thin on features and increasingly focused on the arithmetic: 1.2.4 in July 2026 fixes the degrees of freedom returned by egger_radial() to the documented n-2, corrects the heterogeneity p-value that inherited the same error, and repairs a negated lower bound in the random-effects bootstrap standard error search interval in ivw_radial().

Read the full RadialMR trajectory →

qqman vs RadialMR: editorial side-by-side

Q
qqman
ANALYTICS
0.0

The Manhattan-plot package for GWAS results, finished and dormant since 2017.

◆ Current state

qqman does two things: manhattan() and qq() plots for genome-wide association study results. Its six visible releases run from 2014 to a single 2017 packaging fix, and the last release with any user-facing change shipped in 2015. The archive is non-monotonic — a 0.0.0 tag published after 0.1.1 archives the pre-package standalone script — so version order and publication order disagree.

◆ Where it's heading

The real development window was 2014 to 2015. The 0.1.2 release did the substantive work, replacing the assumption that SNPs are evenly distributed across chromosomes and handing users control of axis limits, labels and log transformation; 0.1.3 then added annotation by p-value threshold and top-SNP-per-chromosome. After that the package stops. Notably, the archival 0.0.0 entry records that the original script had confidence intervals on QQ plots and richer highlighting than the released package ever regained.

◆ Prediction

With one packaging fix in the last decade, these entries support no prediction of further releases. The package reads as complete for its narrow purpose rather than abandoned mid-arc.

R
RadialMR
ANALYTICS
0.0

RadialMR's 2026 release corrects degrees of freedom that had been wrong since documentation.

◆ Current state

RadialMR implements radial-plot formulations of IVW and MR-Egger Mendelian randomization, with outlier detection and interactive plotting. The recent history is thin on features and increasingly focused on the arithmetic: 1.2.4 in July 2026 fixes the degrees of freedom returned by egger_radial() to the documented n-2, corrects the heterogeneity p-value that inherited the same error, and repairs a negated lower bound in the random-effects bootstrap standard error search interval in ivw_radial().

◆ Where it's heading

This is a package being read closely by its maintainer rather than extended. The 1.2.x line pairs statistical corrections with defensive hardening — an rmr_format class check so unformatted input fails with a clear message, and plotly_radial() dispatching on object class instead of counting list elements. Both are the kind of change made while auditing, not while building.

◆ Prediction

Expect the audit to continue into the remaining estimator internals and print methods rather than new radial variants; the entries show no feature work queued.

Alternatives to qqman and RadialMR

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 qqman or RadialMR.

See all qqman alternatives → · See all RadialMR alternatives →

Recent activity from qqman and RadialMR

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

  1. 1mo agoRadialMRegger_radial() degrees of freedom corrected to n-2
  2. 3mo agoRadialMRroxygen2 bumped; package-level helpfile added
  3. 4mo agoRadialMRUnspecified codebase optimizations
  4. 1y agoRadialMRggplot2 v4 warning removed from plot_radial()
  5. 9y agoqqmanREADME image path fix for pandoc
  6. 11y agoqqmanAnnotate SNPs by p-value threshold or per-chromosome top hit
  7. 11y agoqqmanChromosome ticks stop assuming even SNP spacing; axis control opens up
  8. 12y agoqqmanArchival tag for the pre-package standalone script
  9. 12y agoqqmanVignette touch-up
  10. 12y agoqqmanZenodo archival tag, no code change

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between qqman and RadialMR?

They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. qqman and RadialMR 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 qqman better than RadialMR?

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

Top qqman alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "qqman alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/qqman-r for the full list with editorial commentary on each.

What are the best alternatives to RadialMR?

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