Crates / Compare / reqwest vs ureq
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
reqwest vs ureq
Short answerAsync service: reqwest. Scripts and CLIs: ureq. By steady daily use, reqwest is bigger: 2,544,741 real downloads a day against 840,482 for ureq (3.0x). 31,677 crates depend on reqwest and 4,472 on ureq. reqwest last shipped 46 days ago, ureq 3 days ago.
reqwest
FoundationalFoundational and steady.
31,677 crates depend on it; downloads don't spike on releases.
higher level HTTP client library
ureq
Widely usedWidely used and steady.
4,472 crates depend on it; downloads don't spike on releases.
Simple, safe HTTP client
reqwestureq · 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 | reqwest | ureq |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 2,544,741 | 840,482 |
| Crates that depend on it | 31,677 | 4,472 |
| Last release | 0.13.5, 46 days ago | 3.5.0, 3 days ago |
| Trend vs the field | +3% | +3% |
| Release-window share | 2.5% | 8.6% |
| Downloads in the window | 230,910,557 | 74,860,660 |
| All-time downloads | 832,745,728 | 240,052,438 |
| Versions published | 126 | 117 |
| License | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| MSRV | 1.85.0 | 1.85 |
| First published | Oct 16, 2016 | Jun 22, 2018 |
Which to pick
- Pick reqwest if you are already async on tokio, or need HTTP/2 and connection pooling under concurrency.
- Pick ureq if you write a CLI or a sync program and want no async runtime, fewer dependencies and a smaller binary.
- Bottom line: Async service: reqwest. Scripts and CLIs: ureq. (checked against each project's docs, Oct 24, 2026)
- 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 (reqwest, 31,677 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: reqwest 46 days ago, ureq 3 days 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. People search for this pair: Google suggests "reqwest vs ureq".