ANALYTICS
writexl spent nine years refusing to do formatting, then shipped all of it in 2.0.0.
Alternatives · analytics tools
modeldata alternatives
The best modeldata alternatives in analytics tools, ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score.
Updated Aug 13, 2026
Looking for the best alternatives to modeldata? Sparkpulse tracks and ranks 12 alternatives in analytics tools by shipping velocity — how frequently each ships meaningful updates, verified from official changelogs. For reference, modeldata shipped 0 meaningful updates in the last 30 days and carries a velocity score of 0.0 out of 10 in 2026. The alternatives below are ranked the same way, so you're comparing real release momentum, not marketing claims.
About modeldata
The tidymodels example-data package grows one dataset at a time, on nobody's schedule
modeldata exists to supply the datasets and simulation functions that tidymodels documentation, tests, and teaching material depend on. Releases arrive roughly once or twice a year and consist almost entirely of new data sets plus occasional simulation methods. The most recent work adds a Worley (1987) regression simulation and moves the package off the magrittr pipe onto base R's.
Velocity 0.0 · Last update 1h ago
Top 12 alternatives to modeldata
Ranked by recent ship velocity. Tap any card for the full editorial breakdown, or pivot to a head-to-head.
ANALYTICS
mlr3viz keeps the ecosystem's plots working while the plots themselves move out
ANALYTICS
mlr3tuning is rebuilding its async machinery under a stable public surface
ANALYTICS
mlr3mbo picked its defaults from a benchmark study, not from taste
ANALYTICS
rnaturalearth finished its sp exit and is now optimising how the data actually arrives.
ANALYTICS
rgbif is steadily pushing users off paged searching and onto real downloads.
ANALYTICS
rstanarm is community-maintained now, tracking Stan and lme4 rather than adding models.
ANALYTICS
taxa started a ground-up rewrite in 2021 and has published almost nothing since.
ANALYTICS
rotl's whole release history is keeping name matching honest against a moving taxonomy.
ANALYTICS
taxize spends its releases absorbing other people's API changes, one dead source at a time.
ANALYTICS
osmdata keeps tightening its Overpass query surface, breaking small things to get types right.
ANALYTICS
posterior keeps deepening two things: the rvar type and Pareto-based diagnostics.
modeldata vs alternatives — shipping velocity at a glance
Velocity score (0–10) and meaningful releases shipped in the last 30 days, from official changelogs. Higher = shipping faster.
| Product | Velocity | Sparks · 30d | Focus areas | Latest release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| modeldata (baseline) | 0.0 | 0 | tidymodelsexample-datasimulation | — |
| writexl | 6.3 | 1 | xlsxlibxlsxwritercell-formatting | writexl 2.0.0 adds formatting, comments and full libxlsxwriter coverage |
| mlr3viz | 2.5 | 0 | mlr3visualizationggplot2 | — |
| mlr3tuning | 2.5 | 0 | mlr3hyperparameter-tuningasync-optimization | — |
| mlr3mbo | 2.5 | 0 | bayesian-optimizationmlr3hyperparameter-tuning | mlr3mbo 1.0.0 ships benchmark-derived default settings |
| rnaturalearth | 0.0 | 0 | spatial-datanatural-earthsf-migration | — |
| rgbif | 0.0 | 0 | gbifbiodiversity-databulk-downloads | rgbif 3.8.1 adds SQL-based occurrence downloads |
| rstanarm | 0.0 | 0 | bayesianstanregression-models | — |
| taxa | 0.0 | 0 | taxonomyvctrsstalled-rewrite | taxa 0.4.0 begins a base-R-vector rewrite without taxmap |
| rotl | 0.0 | 0 | open-tree-of-lifetaxonomic-matchingreproducibility | — |
| taxize | 0.0 | 0 | taxonomyapi-aggregationupstream-churn | — |
| osmdata | 0.0 | 0 | openstreetmapoverpass-apispatial-data | — |
| posterior | 0.0 | 0 | bayesianrvarpareto-diagnostics | — |
The 12 best modeldata alternatives, in depth
1. writexl · velocity 6.3
Writexl spent nine years refusing to do formatting, then shipped all of it in 2.0.0.
Over the last 30 days writexl shipped 1 meaningful update vs modeldata's 0, most recently “writexl 2.0.0 adds formatting, comments and full libxlsxwriter coverage”. Its velocity score of 6.3/10 blends that with longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, writexl focuses on xlsx, libxlsxwriter and cell formatting.
Over the last 30 days writexl has been shipping faster than modeldata — a point in its favour if release momentum matters to you.
2. mlr3viz · velocity 2.5
Mlr3viz keeps the ecosystem's plots working while the plots themselves move out.
Its velocity score of 2.5/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, mlr3viz focuses on mlr3, visualization and ggplot2.
mlr3viz and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
3. mlr3tuning · velocity 2.5
Mlr3tuning is rebuilding its async machinery under a stable public surface.
Its velocity score of 2.5/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, mlr3tuning focuses on mlr3, hyperparameter tuning and async optimization.
mlr3tuning and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full mlr3tuning trajectory → · Compare modeldata vs mlr3tuning →
4. mlr3mbo · velocity 2.5
Mlr3mbo picked its defaults from a benchmark study, not from taste.
Its velocity score of 2.5/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “mlr3mbo 1.0.0 ships benchmark-derived default settings”.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, mlr3mbo focuses on bayesian optimization, mlr3 and hyperparameter tuning.
mlr3mbo and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
5. rnaturalearth · velocity 0.0
Rnaturalearth finished its sp exit and is now optimising how the data actually arrives.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, rnaturalearth focuses on spatial data, natural earth and sf migration.
rnaturalearth and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full rnaturalearth trajectory → · Compare modeldata vs rnaturalearth →
6. rgbif · velocity 0.0
Rgbif is steadily pushing users off paged searching and onto real downloads.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “rgbif 3.8.1 adds SQL-based occurrence downloads”.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, rgbif focuses on gbif, biodiversity data and bulk downloads.
rgbif and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
7. rstanarm · velocity 0.0
Rstanarm is community-maintained now, tracking Stan and lme4 rather than adding models.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, rstanarm focuses on bayesian, stan and regression models.
rstanarm and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full rstanarm trajectory → · Compare modeldata vs rstanarm →
8. taxa · velocity 0.0
Taxa started a ground-up rewrite in 2021 and has published almost nothing since.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence; its most recent meaningful update was “taxa 0.4.0 begins a base-R-vector rewrite without taxmap”.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, taxa focuses on taxonomy, vctrs and stalled rewrite.
taxa and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
9. rotl · velocity 0.0
Rotl's whole release history is keeping name matching honest against a moving taxonomy.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, rotl focuses on open tree of life, taxonomic matching and reproducibility.
rotl and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
10. taxize · velocity 0.0
Taxize spends its releases absorbing other people's API changes, one dead source at a time.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, taxize focuses on taxonomy, api aggregation and upstream churn.
taxize and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
11. osmdata · velocity 0.0
Osmdata keeps tightening its Overpass query surface, breaking small things to get types right.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, osmdata focuses on openstreetmap, overpass api and spatial data.
osmdata and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
12. posterior · velocity 0.0
Posterior keeps deepening two things: the rvar type and Pareto-based diagnostics.
Its velocity score of 0.0/10 reflects longer-term release cadence.
Where modeldata leans on tidymodels, example data and simulation, posterior focuses on bayesian, rvar and pareto diagnostics.
posterior and modeldata have shipped at a similar pace over the last 30 days, so the decision comes down to fit and feature depth.
Full posterior trajectory → · Compare modeldata vs posterior →
Frequently asked questions
What are the best alternatives to modeldata?
The top modeldata alternatives we currently track in analytics tools are writexl, mlr3viz, mlr3tuning, mlr3mbo, rnaturalearth, ranked by recent ship velocity.
How is this list of modeldata alternatives ranked?
Alternatives are ranked by Sparkpulse's velocity_score — release cadence + 30-day spark count + sector-relative ship rate.
Can I compare modeldata directly with one of these alternatives?
Yes — every card has a "Compare with modeldata" link to a side-by-side /compare page.