Crates / Compare / serde_json vs ron
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
serde_json vs ron
Short answerBy steady daily use, serde_json is bigger: 4,294,696 real downloads a day against 265,639 for ron (16.2x). 113,141 crates depend on serde_json and 1,028 on ron. serde_json last shipped 13 days ago, ron 4 months ago.
serde_json
FoundationalFoundational and steady.
113,141 crates depend on it; downloads don't spike on releases.
A JSON serialization file format
ron
Widely usedWidely used and losing ground.
1,028 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Rusty Object Notation
serde_jsonron · 100% = that crate's normal quiet day, so a spike to 300% is triple its usual traffic
How they relate
- Often used together: 2 tracked crates depend on both (cookie_store, config). They are not always either/or.
Every number, side by side
| Same window, same method | serde_json | ron |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 4,294,696 | 265,639 |
| Crates that depend on it | 113,141 | 1,028 |
| Last release | 1.0.154, 13 days ago | 0.12.2, 4 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | -6% | -19% |
| Release-window share | 3.4% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 381,172,075 | 22,335,602 |
| All-time downloads | 1,484,483,384 | 123,145,421 |
| Versions published | 186 | 38 |
| License | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| MSRV | 1.71 | 1.64.0 |
| First published | Aug 7, 2015 | Jul 30, 2017 |
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 (serde_json, 113,141 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: serde_json 13 days ago, ron 4 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 foundational and steady.serde vs serde_jsonRead it next →Also worth your time