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qualtRics vs serofoi

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

qualtRics vs serofoi: at a glance

FeaturequaltRicsserofoi
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themessurvey-data, api-client, qualtrics, ropensciepiverse-trace, serology, force-of-infection, bayesian-inference
Last editorial update56m ago4h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is qualtRics?

qualtRics moved its contact functions onto XM Directory days before the old endpoints died.

qualtRics is the R client for the Qualtrics v3 API — fetching survey responses, definitions, distributions, and contact lists into tidy data frames. Version 3.3.0 migrated all_mailinglists() and fetch_mailinglist() from the deprecated Research Core Contacts endpoints to XM Directory, ahead of Qualtrics retiring the old ones on June 30, 2026. Authentication and directory discovery are handled automatically, but the new endpoints return a different data shape, so column names changed. Before that, releases had been steady maintenance for two years, mostly around how survey response archives are unpacked.

Read the full qualtRics trajectory →

What is serofoi?

serofoi grew a serosurvey simulator alongside the force-of-infection models it was built to fit.

serofoi estimates the force of infection from serological survey data using Bayesian serocatalytic models fitted through Stan. Beyond fitting it now simulates serosurveys — specifying a model and a survey design and generating the data such a survey would produce. The most recent release is visualisation and naming work.

Read the full serofoi trajectory →

qualtRics vs serofoi: editorial side-by-side

Q
qualtRics
ANALYTICS
0.0

qualtRics moved its contact functions onto XM Directory days before the old endpoints died.

◆ Current state

qualtRics is the R client for the Qualtrics v3 API — fetching survey responses, definitions, distributions, and contact lists into tidy data frames. Version 3.3.0 migrated all_mailinglists() and fetch_mailinglist() from the deprecated Research Core Contacts endpoints to XM Directory, ahead of Qualtrics retiring the old ones on June 30, 2026. Authentication and directory discovery are handled automatically, but the new endpoints return a different data shape, so column names changed. Before that, releases had been steady maintenance for two years, mostly around how survey response archives are unpacked.

◆ Where it's heading

This package's roadmap is set by Qualtrics, not by its maintainers, and the release history reads as a sequence of accommodations — endpoint changes, retired APIs, and edge cases in exported files. The team's own recurring theme is reducing surprise: caching was removed from fetch_survey() in 3.2.0 so results are never stale, error handling was standardized on retry semantics, and column mappings were made inspectable via extract_colmap(). Feature additions, when they come, are new endpoints wrapped rather than new abstractions.

◆ Prediction

With the Contacts migration complete, the next likely work is bringing the remaining Research Core-era functions onto XM Directory equivalents before Qualtrics retires more of the old surface.

S
serofoi
ANALYTICS
0.0

serofoi grew a serosurvey simulator alongside the force-of-infection models it was built to fit.

◆ Current state

serofoi estimates the force of infection from serological survey data using Bayesian serocatalytic models fitted through Stan. Beyond fitting it now simulates serosurveys — specifying a model and a survey design and generating the data such a survey would produce. The most recent release is visualisation and naming work.

◆ Where it's heading

The package moved from fitting-only to a fit-and-simulate pair. 0.1.0 added simulation from time- or age-varying force-of-infection trends and simplified the fitted object down to a Stan fit; 1.0.2 broadened simulation into full serosurvey generation with its own vignette. 1.0.3 then spent its effort on naming consistency and plotting options, which is what a package does once its scope is set.

◆ Prediction

With simulation and fitting both in place, the natural next step is tooling that closes the loop between them — recovery checks or study-design guidance built on simulated surveys.

Alternatives to qualtRics and serofoi

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 qualtRics or serofoi.

See all qualtRics alternatives → · See all serofoi alternatives →

Recent activity from qualtRics and serofoi

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

  1. 1mo agoqualtRicsMailing list functions migrated to the XM Directory API
  2. 11mo agoqualtRicsZip extraction handles more special characters in survey titles
  3. 1y agoserofoiConstant FoI plots, r-hat plotting and shorter parameter names
  4. 1y agoserofoiSerological surveys can now be simulated end to end
  5. 1y agoqualtRicsFix for questions with both recoded values and variable naming
  6. 1y agoqualtRicsBuild and CI housekeeping alongside the 3.2.1 release
  7. 2y agoserofoiSimulation functions added; fitted output simplified to a Stan fit
  8. 2y agoqualtRicsSurvey response caching removed from fetch_survey()
  9. 3y agoserofoiFirst release: three force-of-infection models and the core modules
  10. 3y agoqualtRicsArgument checking refactor and include_* NA fix

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between qualtRics and serofoi?

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

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

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

What are the best alternatives to serofoi?

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