Crates / Compare / async-compression vs lz4_flex
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
async-compression vs lz4_flex
Short answerBy steady daily use, async-compression is bigger: 707,872 real downloads a day against 475,029 for lz4_flex (1.5x). 387 crates depend on async-compression and 717 on lz4_flex. async-compression last shipped 7 days ago, lz4_flex 3 months ago.
async-compression
EstablishedEstablished and gaining.
387 crates depend on it; downloads don't spike on releases.
Adaptors between compression crates and Rust's modern asynchronous IO types.
lz4_flex
EstablishedEstablished and steady.
717 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Fastest LZ4 implementation in Rust, no unsafe by default.
async-compressionlz4_flex · 100% = that crate's normal quiet day, so a spike to 300% is triple its usual traffic
Every number, side by side
| Same window, same method | async-compression | lz4_flex |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 707,872 | 475,029 |
| Crates that depend on it | 387 | 717 |
| Last release | 0.4.51, 7 days ago | 0.14.0, 3 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | +11% | +1% |
| Release-window share | 20.4% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 65,612,014 | 43,020,116 |
| All-time downloads | 250,800,243 | 158,639,227 |
| Versions published | 78 | 43 |
| License | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| MSRV | 1.83 | 1.81 |
| First published | May 14, 2019 | Oct 18, 2020 |
Which to pick
- Downloads tell you what is common, not what fits. Each crate's own description above says what it is for; when the jobs differ, pick by the job.
- When both fit, prefer the one more crates depend on (lz4_flex, 717 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: async-compression 7 days ago, lz4_flex 3 months ago.
Also in this space
Method
Real downloads = the median day with no release that day or the day before, from the crates.io API (Jul 27, 2026 to Oct 23, 2026). Raw crates.io counts include CI and bots and run high (why); the method is from our 90-day study.
Up next
Another comparison: Same method, same window. Foundational and steady vs widely used and steady.reqwest vs ureqRead it next →Also worth your time