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Comparison · Analytics
hoopr vs intsurv
A side-by-side editorial comparison of hoopr and intsurv — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
hoopr vs intsurv: at a glance
What is hoopr?
hoopR rebuilds its HTTP layer on httr2 to stop segfaulting on modern systems
hoopR is the sportsdataverse R package for basketball data, wrapping ESPN, NBA Stats, NBA G-League, NCAA and KenPom behind a single set of loaders. Version 3.0.0 replaces httr with httr2 across every one of those backends, drops httr from Imports, and routes all calls through shared internal retry and response helpers. The change is breaking, and it exists because the old stack segfaulted against libcurl 8.x and curl 7.0.0.
What is intsurv?
A Cox cure-rate model package woke up after four years to simplify its own interface.
intsurv fits Cox cure rate models for right-censored survival data where event status may be uncertain — the case where you cannot tell whether a subject experienced the event or was never susceptible to it. The core has been stable since 2019: cox_cure() and its regularized counterpart cox_cure_net(), plus a weighted concordance index and a data simulator. After more than four years without a release, version 0.3.0 arrived in September 2025 and restructured how those two functions are configured rather than adding capability.
hoopr vs intsurv: editorial side-by-side
hoopr
0.0ANALYTICS
hoopR rebuilds its HTTP layer on httr2 to stop segfaulting on modern systems
◆ Current state
hoopR is the sportsdataverse R package for basketball data, wrapping ESPN, NBA Stats, NBA G-League, NCAA and KenPom behind a single set of loaders. Version 3.0.0 replaces httr with httr2 across every one of those backends, drops httr from Imports, and routes all calls through shared internal retry and response helpers. The change is breaking, and it exists because the old stack segfaulted against libcurl 8.x and curl 7.0.0.
◆ Where it's heading
The package's history is two distinct eras. Through 2021-2023 it grew by endpoint accretion — ESPN stat functions, G-League coverage, the NBA live and boxscore V3 families, on-court players in play-by-play — expanding what could be pulled. The recent work is consolidation instead: one HTTP pipeline, one messaging library, data served from the shared sportsdataverse-data releases rather than per-package repositories. The centre of gravity has moved from adding endpoints to making the plumbing survive its dependencies.
◆ Prediction
With the HTTP layer unified behind shared helpers, expect the sibling sportsdataverse packages to follow the same httr2 migration, and hoopR's own next releases to resume endpoint work now that requests run through one pipeline.
intsurv
0.0ANALYTICS
A Cox cure-rate model package woke up after four years to simplify its own interface.
◆ Current state
intsurv fits Cox cure rate models for right-censored survival data where event status may be uncertain — the case where you cannot tell whether a subject experienced the event or was never susceptible to it. The core has been stable since 2019: cox_cure() and its regularized counterpart cox_cure_net(), plus a weighted concordance index and a data simulator. After more than four years without a release, version 0.3.0 arrived in September 2025 and restructured how those two functions are configured rather than adding capability.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has reached the point where the methods are settled and the remaining work is ergonomics. Moving control parameters, M-step settings and penalty specification into cox_cure.control(), cox_cure.mstep() and cox_cure_net.penalty() follows the established R convention of separating tuning from the model formula, and it arrives long after the arguments accumulated. The C++ headers were placed in inst/include as early as 2019 so other packages could link against them, which suggests the implementation was always intended to be reused.
◆ Prediction
The gap between 0.2.2 and 0.3.0 makes cadence a poor basis for prediction. What the entries do support is that the interface rework is unfinished business rather than a prelude to new methods, so consolidation around the new helper functions is the likelier next step.
Alternatives to hoopr and intsurv
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 hoopr or intsurv.
cfbfastr
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rnpn
The USA phenology data client rebuilt its entire stack and stopped handing users -9999 as a number.
GeneNMF
GeneNMF rebuilt how it derives meta-programs, changing every result it had produced.
rempsyc
Publication-ready psychology tables and plots, tracking APA style as closely as the software allows.
sdsfun
A spatial-statistics utility package exists to be depended on, and is built accordingly.
See all hoopr alternatives → · See all intsurv alternatives →
Recent activity from hoopr and intsurv
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4mo agohooprhoopR 3.0.0 moves every API backend to httr2 ⚡
- 10mo agointsurvModel configuration moves into dedicated control functions
- 2y agohooprData loaders repoint to sportsdataverse-data; NBA live endpoints
- 4y agohooprESPN stat functions and G-League coverage added
- 4y agohooprCRAN release with documented return shapes
- 4y agohooprhoopR 1.4.4
- 4y agohooprhoopR 1.4.3
- 5y agointsurvCross-validated model selection and offset terms added
- 6y agointsurvC++ headers relocated so other packages can link them
- 7y agointsurvCox cure models for uncertain event status arrive
- 7y agointsurvParameter initialization methods added to the alpha
- 7y agointsurvAlpha cut for paper submission and simulation reproducibility
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between hoopr and intsurv?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. hoopr and intsurv 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 hoopr better than intsurv?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. hoopr and intsurv 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 hoopr?
Top hoopr alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "hoopr alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/hoopr for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to intsurv?
Top intsurv alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "intsurv alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/intsurv for the full list with editorial commentary on each.