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Comparison · Analytics
kernelshap vs scoringutils
A side-by-side editorial comparison of kernelshap and scoringutils — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
kernelshap vs scoringutils: at a glance
What is kernelshap?
kernelshap makes permutation SHAP practical past eight features, then fixes the kernel weights it had wrong.
kernelshap computes model-agnostic SHAP values in R through Kernel SHAP, permutation SHAP and an exact additive explainer. Version 0.8.0 added a sampling permutation-SHAP algorithm with standard errors and early stopping, lifting the practical feature ceiling past what the exact method allows. Version 0.9.0 then corrected a bug in how kernel weights were computed — exact Kernel SHAP now agrees with exact permutation SHAP — and moved parallelism from foreach to doFuture.
What is scoringutils?
scoringutils pushes forecast scoring past univariate outcomes into multivariate and ordinal ones.
scoringutils evaluates probabilistic forecasts in R. Since the 2.0.0 rewrite it is organised around typed forecast objects — quantile, sample, binary, point, nominal — built by as_forecast_<type>() constructors and scored through S3 methods. Version 2.2.0 adds multivariate sample and point types with the variogram score, and 2.1.0 added ordinal forecasts.
kernelshap vs scoringutils: editorial side-by-side
kernelshap
0.0ANALYTICS
kernelshap makes permutation SHAP practical past eight features, then fixes the kernel weights it had wrong.
◆ Current state
kernelshap computes model-agnostic SHAP values in R through Kernel SHAP, permutation SHAP and an exact additive explainer. Version 0.8.0 added a sampling permutation-SHAP algorithm with standard errors and early stopping, lifting the practical feature ceiling past what the exact method allows. Version 0.9.0 then corrected a bug in how kernel weights were computed — exact Kernel SHAP now agrees with exact permutation SHAP — and moved parallelism from foreach to doFuture.
◆ Where it's heading
Two concerns drive this package: making exact methods reach further, and being demonstrably right. The first shows in the additive explainer, the optional background dataset and the sampling permutation algorithm; the second in unit tests written against Python's shap, credited fixes from outside contributors, and a willingness to ship a correctness fix that changes numbers people have already published. Speed work runs continuously underneath — direct solves replacing the Moore-Penrose pseudo-inverse, roughly 10% less memory.
◆ Prediction
The 0.6.0 and 0.7.0 notes each promised a stable 1.0.0 that has not arrived; with the weighting bug fixed and parallelism reworked, a 1.0 release is the most plausible next step.
scoringutils
0.0ANALYTICS
scoringutils pushes forecast scoring past univariate outcomes into multivariate and ordinal ones.
◆ Current state
scoringutils evaluates probabilistic forecasts in R. Since the 2.0.0 rewrite it is organised around typed forecast objects — quantile, sample, binary, point, nominal — built by as_forecast_<type>() constructors and scored through S3 methods. Version 2.2.0 adds multivariate sample and point types with the variogram score, and 2.1.0 added ordinal forecasts.
◆ Where it's heading
The forecast-type system introduced in 2.0.0 is the engine of everything since: each release fits another outcome shape into it rather than reworking the scoring interface. Multivariate support is the largest of those additions because it scores the dependence structure between variables, not just marginal accuracy. Type and constructor names are still being reconciled — forecast_sample_multivariate was renamed to forecast_multivariate_sample with a deprecation window.
◆ Prediction
Expect further forecast types and metrics slotted into the same constructor pattern, and the deprecated forecast_sample_multivariate alias and is_forecast_sample_multivariate() to be removed once that window closes.
Alternatives to kernelshap and scoringutils
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 kernelshap or scoringutils.
geoarrow-r
geoarrow tracks the GeoArrow spec and otherwise just keeps compiling
n2khab
n2khab keeps retracting interpretations of habitat data it can't actually support
tidypolars
tidypolars is grinding toward complete dplyr coverage, one supported function at a time
OneSampleMR
OneSampleMR found that argument order in a formula was silently changing its estimates
bpbounds
bpbounds found the same swapped-cell bug twice and clamped its bounds back into range
See all kernelshap alternatives → · See all scoringutils alternatives →
Recent activity from kernelshap and scoringutils
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 4mo agoscoringutilsMultivariate forecast scoring and the variogram score ⚡
- 11mo agoscoringutilsQuantile levels rounded to avoid float duplicates
- 1y agokernelshapKernel weight bug fixed; parallelism moves to doFuture
- 1y agokernelshapSampling permutation SHAP with standard errors ⚡
- 1y agoscoringutilsOptional p-values in pairwise comparisons; PIT fix
- 1y agoscoringutilsOrdinal forecasts get their own class and metrics
- 1y agoscoringutilsRewrite: typed forecast objects and pluggable metrics ⚡
- 1y agokernelshapBackground data now optional; ranger survival support
- 2y agokernelshapFactor-valued predictions dropped
- 2y agokernelshapadditive_shap() explains additive models exactly
- 2y agokernelshapFaster on plain data.frames
- 2y agoscoringutilsTwo bug fixes and package-site infrastructure
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between kernelshap and scoringutils?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. kernelshap and scoringutils 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 kernelshap better than scoringutils?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. kernelshap and scoringutils 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 kernelshap?
Top kernelshap alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "kernelshap alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/kernelshap for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to scoringutils?
Top scoringutils alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "scoringutils alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/scoringutils for the full list with editorial commentary on each.