Crates / derivative / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to derivative
Short answerThe closest alternatives to derivative on crates.io data are derive_builder (633K real downloads a day), derive_builder_macro (625K real downloads a day), educe (381K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is thiserror, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. derivative itself gets 320,737 a day with 616 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs derivative | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| derive_builder Widely used | 633,349 | 1.97x | 1,332 | 2.0y | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive", keyword "macro" | side by side |
| derive_builder_macro Pulled in | 624,830 | 1.95x | 1 | 2.0y | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive", keyword "macro" | compare |
| educe Established | 380,869 | 1.19x | 191 | 41d | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive", keyword "macro" | compare |
| derive_arbitrary Pulled in | 369,897 | 1.15x | 9 | 18d | keyword "derive", keyword "macro" | compare |
| thiserror Foundational | 5,048,791 | 15.74x | 75,923 | 31d | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| zerovec-derive Pulled in | 2,561,390 | 7.99x | 6 | 2d | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| lazy_static Foundational | 2,449,997 | 7.64x | 10,953 | 23d | category Rust patterns, keyword "macro" | compare |
| derive_more Widely used | 1,604,594 | 5.00x | 3,690 | 10mo | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with derivative; 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 derivative: 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 derivative, 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 quiet for years. 633,349 real downloads a day.derive_builderRust crate. Rust macro to automatically implement the builder pattern for arbitrary structs. Real use: 633K downloads a day on quiet days; 1,332 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time