Crates / Compare / socket2 vs tungstenite
Rust crates side by side · data Oct 24, 2026
socket2 vs tungstenite
Short answerBy steady daily use, socket2 is bigger: 4,034,112 real downloads a day against 1,131,863 for tungstenite (3.6x). 1,539 crates depend on socket2 and 710 on tungstenite. socket2 last shipped 3 months ago, tungstenite 3 months ago.
socket2
Widely usedWidely used and losing ground.
1,539 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Utilities for handling networking sockets with a maximal amount of configuration possible intended.
tungstenite
EstablishedEstablished and gaining.
710 crates depend on it; no release in the last 90 days, so its count is all steady use.
Lightweight stream-based WebSocket implementation
socket2tungstenite · 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 | socket2 | tungstenite |
|---|---|---|
| Real downloads a day | 4,034,112 | 1,131,863 |
| Crates that depend on it | 1,539 | 710 |
| Last release | 0.6.5, 3 months ago | 0.30.0, 3 months ago |
| Trend vs the field | -10% | +16% |
| Release-window share | 0.0% | 0.0% |
| Downloads in the window | 344,904,774 | 108,010,094 |
| All-time downloads | 1,380,355,504 | 361,989,181 |
| Versions published | 59 | 50 |
| License | MIT OR Apache-2.0 | MIT OR Apache-2.0 |
| MSRV | 1.70 | 1.85 |
| First published | Jun 7, 2017 | Mar 17, 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 (socket2, 1,539 dependents): more eyes, more answered questions, and you may already have it in your tree.
- Check the release dates against your own pace: socket2 3 months ago, tungstenite 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