mlr3proba
mlr3proba is shedding weight as its survival work moves into sibling packages
Comparison · Analytics
probably vs rvest
A side-by-side editorial comparison of probably and rvest — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
probably vs rvest: at a glance
What is probably?
The package that made calibration a step instead of an afterthought.
probably started as a small utility for class predictions and equivocal zones, and version 1.0.0 turned it into tidymodels' calibration and uncertainty package: cal_plot_*, cal_estimate_*, cal_validate_* and cal_apply across binary, multiclass and regression problems, plus conformal prediction intervals. Since then the work has been consolidation — a large internal refactor with no API change, split conformal and conformal quantile regression, bound_prediction(), and required_pkgs() and butcher methods so conformal objects can be deployed and stripped.
What is rvest?
rvest grew a real browser, turning a static scraper into a dynamic one.
rvest is the tidyverse's HTML scraping package. The 1.0.0 line rebuilt table parsing to mimic how browsers actually read tables, and 1.0.4 added read_html_live(), which drives a headless browser so JavaScript-rendered pages can be scraped at all. 1.0.5 is consolidation on that newer path.
probably vs rvest: editorial side-by-side
probably
0.0ANALYTICS
The package that made calibration a step instead of an afterthought.
◆ Current state
probably started as a small utility for class predictions and equivocal zones, and version 1.0.0 turned it into tidymodels' calibration and uncertainty package: cal_plot_*, cal_estimate_*, cal_validate_* and cal_apply across binary, multiclass and regression problems, plus conformal prediction intervals. Since then the work has been consolidation — a large internal refactor with no API change, split conformal and conformal quantile regression, bound_prediction(), and required_pkgs() and butcher methods so conformal objects can be deployed and stripped.
◆ Where it's heading
The recent releases are about making these objects survive leaving the session. butcher and required_pkgs() methods are what a model needs to be pinned, containerised and served, and their arrival alongside workflows adding a tailor postprocessing stage and vetiver adding probably support points the same way: calibration is being moved out of analysis scripts and into the deployed pipeline. The cal_*_none() reference implementations are the tell that calibration is now something people tune rather than apply once.
◆ Prediction
Expect the calibration functions to be reachable directly from a tuned workflow's postprocessing stage rather than applied to predictions afterwards, following the tailor integration that workflows just shipped.
rvest
0.0ANALYTICS
rvest grew a real browser, turning a static scraper into a dynamic one.
◆ Current state
rvest is the tidyverse's HTML scraping package. The 1.0.0 line rebuilt table parsing to mimic how browsers actually read tables, and 1.0.4 added read_html_live(), which drives a headless browser so JavaScript-rendered pages can be scraped at all. 1.0.5 is consolidation on that newer path.
◆ Where it's heading
The package has split into two modes: fast static parsing for ordinary documents, and a live browser session for client-rendered ones. Recent effort concentrates on hardening the live path, where page navigation and interaction bugs surface that never existed in static parsing.
◆ Prediction
Expect further fixes and documentation around read_html_live() as more scraping targets move rendering to the client.
Alternatives to probably and rvest
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 probably or rvest.
mlr3viz
mlr3viz keeps the ecosystem's plots working while the plots themselves move out
mlr3tuning
mlr3tuning is rebuilding its async machinery under a stable public surface
timetk
timetk swallowed anomalize whole, then went quiet for two years
modelbased
modelbased is turning marginal effects into a full contrast grammar
parameters
easystats' parameters package absorbs one more model class every few weeks
See all probably alternatives → · See all rvest alternatives →
Recent activity from probably and rvest
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 10mo agoprobablyConformal objects gain required_pkgs() and butcher methods
- 11mo agorvestrvest 1.0.5 fixes stale nodes after click navigation in LiveHTML
- 1y agoprobablyggplot2 test updates and a clearer validation-set error
- 1y agoprobablyCalibration internals refactored; isotonic bootstrap bug fixed
- 2y agoprobablyFix grouping sensitivity to variable type
- 2y agorvestrvest 1.0.4 scrapes JavaScript pages via a live browser session ⚡
- 3y agoprobablySplit conformal and conformal quantile regression added
- 3y agoprobablyCalibration and conformal inference arrive in tidymodels ⚡
- 3y agorvestrvest 1.0.3 re-documents to fix .Rd HTML issues
- 4y agorvestrvest 1.0.2 returns empty tibbles for empty tables
- 5y agorvestrvest 1.0.1 parses blank rowspan and colspan as 1
- 5y agorvestrvest 1.0.0 rewrites table parsing to match browser behaviour
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between probably and rvest?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. probably and rvest 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 probably better than rvest?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. probably and rvest 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 probably?
Top probably alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "probably alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/probably for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to rvest?
Top rvest alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "rvest alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/rvest for the full list with editorial commentary on each.