tidytext
Finished, widely taught, and shipping roxygen fixes.
Comparison · Analytics
mlr3measures vs patchwork
A side-by-side editorial comparison of mlr3measures and patchwork — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
mlr3measures vs patchwork: at a glance
What is mlr3measures?
mlr3measures is systematically retrofitting sample weights across every metric
mlr3measures is the metric library behind mlr3. Recent releases follow two threads: adding measures — linex, pinball, Mu AUC, gmean, gpr, mcc — and retrofitting sample_weights support across the existing ones, reaching AUC and the confusion-matrix family in 1.3.0. Along the way 1.1.0 deprecated four regression measures and corrected the bias definitions.
What is patchwork?
patchwork stopped being a ggplot composer and became a page composer.
patchwork assembles plots into compositions with arithmetic operators, and the 1.x line has steadily hardened that grammar: guide and axis collection, free() to exempt a plot from alignment, inset_element() for overlays, and list-like behaviour so lapply() and length() work on a patchwork. Version 1.3.0 added native gt table support. The two releases since are a load-time warning fix and a compatibility pass for the next ggplot2 release.
mlr3measures vs patchwork: editorial side-by-side
mlr3measures
0.0ANALYTICS
mlr3measures is systematically retrofitting sample weights across every metric
◆ Current state
mlr3measures is the metric library behind mlr3. Recent releases follow two threads: adding measures — linex, pinball, Mu AUC, gmean, gpr, mcc — and retrofitting sample_weights support across the existing ones, reaching AUC and the confusion-matrix family in 1.3.0. Along the way 1.1.0 deprecated four regression measures and corrected the bias definitions.
◆ Where it's heading
The library is maturing rather than growing: weighted evaluation and observation-wise loss functions are being brought to metrics that already existed, which is what downstream weighted-resampling and per-observation analysis need. The deprecations suggest the maintainers are willing to remove measures they consider ill-defined rather than keep them for compatibility.
◆ Prediction
Expect sample_weights and observation-wise variants to reach the remaining measures that lack them.
patchwork
0.0ANALYTICS
patchwork stopped being a ggplot composer and became a page composer.
◆ Current state
patchwork assembles plots into compositions with arithmetic operators, and the 1.x line has steadily hardened that grammar: guide and axis collection, free() to exempt a plot from alignment, inset_element() for overlays, and list-like behaviour so lapply() and length() work on a patchwork. Version 1.3.0 added native gt table support. The two releases since are a load-time warning fix and a compatibility pass for the next ggplot2 release.
◆ Where it's heading
The centre of gravity is shifting from alignment mechanics to composition scope. Early releases were almost entirely bug fixes against grid and ggplot2 internals — strip placement, fixed aspect ratios, guide merging. Recent ones add object types and escape hatches instead. Between feature cycles the package is in maintenance defined by ggplot2's release calendar, which is what 1.3.1 is in its entirety.
◆ Prediction
Expect wrap_table() to grow beyond gt to other table objects, and expect the next substantive release to be triggered by a ggplot2 internals change rather than by a patchwork roadmap.
Alternatives to mlr3measures and patchwork
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 mlr3measures or patchwork.
textrecipes
Text features finally stay sparse all the way to the model.
probably
The package that made calibration a step instead of an afterthought.
workflowsets
workflowsets keeps widening what counts as a model worth comparing.
workflows
The tidymodels pipeline grew a third stage, and it happens after the model runs.
vetiver
Posit's MLOps package went quiet for two years, then came back to keep up with recipes.
See all mlr3measures alternatives → · See all patchwork alternatives →
Recent activity from mlr3measures and patchwork
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 3mo agomlr3measuresWeighted AUC and weighted confusion-matrix measures
- 8mo agomlr3measuresObservation-wise loss for bbrier and logloss
- 11mo agomlr3measuresrse, rsq, rrse and rae deprecated; bias measures corrected
- 11mo agopatchworkFix spurious load-time warnings
- 1y agopatchworkCompatibility pass for the next ggplot2 release
- 1y agopatchworkgt tables become first-class patchwork objects ⚡
- 1y agomlr3measureslinex, pinball and Mu AUC measures added
- 2y agomlr3measuresgmean, gpr and multiclass MCC added
- 2y agopatchworkAxis collection and free() arrive
- 3y agopatchworkPatchworks behave like lists; NULL becomes a no-op
- 3y agopatchworkClearer error when plotting space is too small
- 4y agomlr3measuresObservation-wise loss functions introduced
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between mlr3measures and patchwork?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. mlr3measures and patchwork 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 mlr3measures better than patchwork?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. mlr3measures and patchwork 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 mlr3measures?
Top mlr3measures alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "mlr3measures alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/mlr3measures for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to patchwork?
Top patchwork alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "patchwork alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/patchwork for the full list with editorial commentary on each.