Crates / core-foundation / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to core-foundation
Short answerThe closest alternatives to core-foundation on crates.io data are objc2 (607K real downloads a day), objc2-core-foundation (539K real downloads a day), objc2-foundation (520K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is axum-core, and 2 shipped a release in the last year. core-foundation itself gets 1,508,076 a day with 523 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs core-foundation | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| objc2 Widely used | 607,001 | 0.40x | 1,193 | 19d | category macOS APIs, keyword "macos", keyword "objc" | side by side |
| objc2-core-foundation Established | 539,144 | 0.36x | 422 | 13mo | category macOS APIs, keyword "framework", keyword "macos" | side by side |
| objc2-foundation Widely used | 520,494 | 0.35x | 1,007 | 13mo | category macOS APIs, keyword "framework", keyword "macos" | side by side |
| block2 Established | 538,869 | 0.36x | 530 | 13mo | category macOS APIs, keyword "macos" | compare |
| system-configuration-sys Pulled in | 525,102 | 0.35x | 8 | 2.7y | category macOS APIs, keyword "macos" | compare |
| objc2-encode Pulled in | 486,010 | 0.32x | 1 | 21mo | category macOS APIs, keyword "macos" | compare |
| axum-core Established | 1,571,431 | 1.04x | 191 | 10mo | keyword "framework" | compare |
| vcpkg Established | 1,467,123 | 0.97x | 135 | 5.3y | keyword "macos" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with core-foundation; read its description before you swap.
- More dependents means more answered questions and a smaller chance it disappears.
- Check the last release against how fast you need fixes. For core-foundation: is it still maintained?
Rules
Alternatives = tracked crates (top 1000 by downloads) that share a specific crates.io category (2 points each) or keyword (3 points each) with core-foundation, most similar first; its own parts (same name prefix) and crates it depends on or that depend on it are left out, because those are companions, not substitutes. Real downloads = quiet-day median, crates.io data Oct 24, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Widely used and gaining. 607,001 real downloads a day.objc2Rust crate. Objective-C interface and runtime bindings. Real use: 607K downloads a day on quiet days; 1,193 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time