Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to dirs
Short answerThe closest alternatives to dirs on crates.io data are etcetera (463K real downloads a day), matchit (1.6M real downloads a day), pathdiff (493K real downloads a day). Of the 5 we list, the most used is matchit, and 4 shipped a release in the last year. dirs itself gets 1,029,176 a day with 11,001 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs dirs | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| etcetera Established | 463,193 | 0.45x | 224 | 12mo | keyword "basedir", keyword "path" | compare |
| matchit Established | 1,597,322 | 1.55x | 207 | 7mo | keyword "path" | compare |
| pathdiff Established | 492,592 | 0.48x | 661 | 23mo | keyword "path" | compare |
| relative-path Established | 342,966 | 0.33x | 140 | 3d | keyword "path" | compare |
| os_str_bytes Pulled in | 211,293 | 0.21x | 47 | 3mo | keyword "path" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with dirs; 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 dirs: 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 dirs, 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: Established and gaining. 463,193 real downloads a day.etceteraRust crate. An unopinionated library for obtaining configuration, data, cache, & other directories. Real use: 463K downloads a day on quiet days; 224 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time