Crates / Compare / rstest vs assert_cmd
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
rstest vs assert_cmd
Short answerBy steady daily use, rstest is bigger: 381,347 real downloads a day against 228,260 for assert_cmd (1.7x). 3,531 crates depend on rstest and 5,434 on assert_cmd. rstest last shipped 6 days ago, assert_cmd 5 months ago.
rstest
Widely usedWidely used and steady.
3,531 crates depend on it; downloads don't spike on releases.
Rust fixture based test framework. It use procedural macro to implement fixtures and table based tests.
assert_cmd
Widely usedWidely used and steady.
5,434 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Test CLI Applications.
rstestassert_cmd · 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 | rstest | assert_cmd |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 381,347 | 228,260 |
| Crates that depend on it | 3,531 | 5,434 |
| Last release | 0.28.0, 6 days ago | 2.2.2, 5 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | +2% | -9% |
| Release-window share | 3.4% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 33,560,855 | 20,390,918 |
| All-time downloads | 137,439,209 | 93,183,964 |
| Versions published | 41 | 50 |
| License | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| MSRV | 1.85.0 | 1.85 |
| First published | Oct 14, 2018 | May 28, 2018 |
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 (assert_cmd, 5,434 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: rstest 6 days ago, assert_cmd 5 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.
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