Crates / cargo-make / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 27, 2026
Alternatives to cargo-make
Short answerThe closest alternatives to cargo-make on crates.io data are cfg_aliases (2.2M real downloads a day), just (5.9K real downloads a day), autocfg (3.8M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is autocfg, and 7 shipped a release in the last year. cargo-make itself gets 3,021 a day with 12 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs cargo-make | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cfg_aliases Established | 2,163,249 | 716.07x | 283 | 3mo | category Build Utils, category Development tools, keyword "build" | compare |
| just Pulled in | 5,924 | 1.96x | 10 | 12d | category Command line utilities, category Development tools, keyword "task" | compare |
| autocfg Pulled in | 3,840,273 | 1271.19x | 82 | 5mo | category Build Utils, keyword "build" | compare |
| espflash Pulled in | 3,168 | 1.05x | 9 | 47d | category Command line utilities, category Development tools | compare |
| sccache Pulled in | 1,573 | 0.52x | 0 | 3d | category Build Utils, category Command line utilities | compare |
| bacon Pulled in | 268 | 0.09x | 0 | 31d | category Command line utilities, category Development tools | compare |
| semver Widely used | 2,771,038 | 917.26x | 4,141 | 7mo | keyword "cargo" | compare |
| async-task Established | 490,818 | 162.47x | 158 | 2.5y | keyword "task" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with cargo-make; 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 cargo-make: 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 cargo-make, 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 27, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Established and steady. 2,163,249 real downloads a day.cfg_aliasesRust crate. A tiny utility to help save you a lot of effort with long winded `#[cfg()]` checks. Real use: 2.2M downloads a day on quiet days; 283 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time
Art: Nicholas Roerich, Nag Lake (1925). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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