Crates / bytes-utils / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to bytes-utils
Short answerThe closest alternatives to bytes-utils on crates.io data are serde_bytes (545K real downloads a day), rkyv (513K real downloads a day), rkyv_derive (513K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is hashbrown, and 7 shipped a release in the last year. bytes-utils itself gets 540,925 a day with 24 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs bytes-utils | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| serde_bytes Widely used | 545,340 | 1.01x | 1,610 | 13mo | keyword "bytes", keyword "no_std" | compare |
| rkyv Established | 513,452 | 0.95x | 797 | 3mo | keyword "no_std", keyword "zero-copy" | compare |
| rkyv_derive Pulled in | 513,370 | 0.95x | 8 | 3mo | keyword "no_std", keyword "zero-copy" | compare |
| hashbrown Widely used | 8,927,960 | 16.50x | 2,468 | 6mo | category Data structures, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| indexmap Widely used | 4,883,122 | 9.03x | 6,422 | 49d | category Data structures, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| smallvec Widely used | 3,868,589 | 7.15x | 4,345 | 1d | category Data structures, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| slab Established | 3,013,568 | 5.57x | 619 | 9mo | category Data structures, keyword "no_std" | compare |
| equivalent Pulled in | 2,919,252 | 5.40x | 44 | 11d | category Data structures, keyword "no_std" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with bytes-utils; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For bytes-utils: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with bytes-utils, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Widely used and steady. 545,340 real downloads a day.serde_bytesRust crate. Optimized handling of `&[u8]` and `Vec ` for Serde. Real use: 545K downloads a day on quiet days; 1,610 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time