Crates / cargo-mutants / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 27, 2026
Alternatives to cargo-mutants
Short answerThe closest alternatives to cargo-mutants on crates.io data are static_assertions (1.4M real downloads a day), proptest (663K real downloads a day), arbitrary (574K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is static_assertions, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. cargo-mutants itself gets 4,179 a day with 2 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs cargo-mutants | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| static_assertions Widely used | 1,442,265 | 345.12x | 1,688 | 7.0y | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| proptest Foundational | 663,355 | 158.74x | 12,243 | 14d | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| arbitrary Widely used | 574,083 | 137.37x | 1,030 | 18d | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| rusty-fork Pulled in | 504,858 | 120.81x | 87 | 13mo | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| serial_test Widely used | 429,325 | 102.73x | 2,974 | 3mo | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| mockall Widely used | 406,667 | 97.31x | 1,393 | 4mo | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| mockall_derive Pulled in | 406,392 | 97.25x | 2 | 4mo | category Testing, keyword "testing" | compare |
| insta Widely used | 379,798 | 90.88x | 4,970 | 21d | category Testing, keyword "testing" | 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-mutants; 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-mutants: 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-mutants, 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: Widely used and quiet for years. 1,442,265 real downloads a day.static_assertionsRust crate. Compile-time assertions to ensure that invariants are met. Real use: 1.4M downloads a day on quiet days; 1,688 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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