← Back to home
Comparison · Analytics

billboarder vs ggpubr

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

billboarder vs ggpubr: at a glance

Featurebillboarderggpubr
SectorAnalyticsAnalytics
Velocity score0.00.0
Sparks · 30d00
Top themesr, htmlwidgets, charting, shinyvisualization, statistics, publication, ggplot2
Last editorial update54m ago1h ago
WebsiteVisit →Visit →

What is billboarder?

An htmlwidget whose release notes are mostly billboard.js version bumps, quiet since 2021.

billboarder wraps the billboard.js charting library as an R htmlwidget, with Shiny proxy support for live updates. Most releases restate an upstream library version; the package's own additions arrive one function at a time, such as bauge(), bb_export() and set_color_palette(). The visible history stops at v0.3.1 in May 2021.

Read the full billboarder trajectory →

What is ggpubr?

ggpubr reached 1.0.0 with p-value formatting presets for specific journals

ggpubr adds publication-ready statistics and annotation to ggplot2. Two releases define its capability: 0.5.0 introduced the stat_*_test family and geom_pwc() for pairwise comparison brackets, and 1.0.0 added p-value formatting presets matching named journal house styles. In between, most releases are ggplot2 and dplyr deprecation chasing.

Read the full ggpubr trajectory →

billboarder vs ggpubr: editorial side-by-side

B
billboarder
ANALYTICS
0.0

An htmlwidget whose release notes are mostly billboard.js version bumps, quiet since 2021.

◆ Current state

billboarder wraps the billboard.js charting library as an R htmlwidget, with Shiny proxy support for live updates. Most releases restate an upstream library version; the package's own additions arrive one function at a time, such as bauge(), bb_export() and set_color_palette(). The visible history stops at v0.3.1 in May 2021.

◆ Where it's heading

The package tracks billboard.js rather than leading it, and the R-side features that do appear are thin conveniences over capabilities upstream already shipped. The one directional move visible here is 0.3.0's adoption of aes()-style mapping, which pulls the API toward tidyverse conventions. Nothing since 2021 suggests that convergence continued.

◆ Prediction

If the package resumes, the pattern points to another billboard.js bump with a small Shiny helper attached; the entries show no sign of a broader API rework.

G
ggpubr
ANALYTICS
0.0

ggpubr reached 1.0.0 with p-value formatting presets for specific journals

◆ Current state

ggpubr adds publication-ready statistics and annotation to ggplot2. Two releases define its capability: 0.5.0 introduced the stat_*_test family and geom_pwc() for pairwise comparison brackets, and 1.0.0 added p-value formatting presets matching named journal house styles. In between, most releases are ggplot2 and dplyr deprecation chasing.

◆ Where it's heading

The package is moving from drawing statistics to matching the conventions of where they get published - style presets are a different kind of feature from a new test. That sits on a persistent maintenance load: after_stat migrations, linewidth parameters, R-devel changing how the Wilcoxon test handles ties. ggpubr absorbs upstream deprecations so that figure code written years ago keeps rendering.

◆ Prediction

Expect the preset list to grow as users request their own journals' conventions, and the deprecation-chasing to continue with each ggplot2 release; the statistical test coverage looks complete enough that additions there would be surprising.

Alternatives to billboarder and ggpubr

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 billboarder or ggpubr.

See all billboarder alternatives → · See all ggpubr alternatives →

Recent activity from billboarder and ggpubr

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

  1. 1mo agoggpubrJournal-specific p-value formatting presets in 1.0.0
  2. 5mo agoggpubrRaises R and dplyr minimums, migrates off deprecated syntax
  3. 9mo agoggpubrPins Wilcoxon p-values against an R-devel change
  4. 1y agoggpubrFixes after_stat() namespace failures in reverse dependencies
  5. 3y agoggpubrggadjust_pvalue() and reproducible jitter seeds
  6. 3y agoggpubrgeom_pwc() and the stat_*_test family arrive
  7. 5y agobillboarderbillboard.js updated to 3.0.1
  8. 5y agobillboarderaes() mapping, set_color_palette() and a datalab theme
  9. 6y agobillboarderbb_export() adds PNG chart export for Shiny apps
  10. 6y agobillboarderbillboard.js upgraded to 1.10.0
  11. 7y agobillboarderbauge() adds a self-updating gauge for Shiny
  12. 7y agobillboarderbillboard.js upgraded to 1.7.0

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between billboarder and ggpubr?

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

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

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

What are the best alternatives to ggpubr?

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