Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 27, 2026
Alternatives to just
Short answerThe closest alternatives to just on crates.io data are cargo-make (3K real downloads a day), bytesize (268K real downloads a day), espflash (3.2K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is async-task, and 3 shipped a release in the last year. just itself gets 5,924 a day with 10 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs just | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| cargo-make Pulled in | 3,021 | 0.51x | 12 | 21mo | category Command line utilities, category Development tools, keyword "task" | compare |
| bytesize Established | 267,970 | 45.23x | 503 | 3mo | category Development tools, keyword "utility" | compare |
| espflash Pulled in | 3,168 | 0.53x | 9 | 47d | category Command line utilities, category Development tools | compare |
| cargo-watch Pulled in | 2,207 | 0.37x | 7 | 2.1y | category Command line utilities, category Development tools | compare |
| bacon Pulled in | 268 | 0.05x | 0 | 31d | category Command line utilities, category Development tools | compare |
| async-task Established | 490,818 | 82.85x | 158 | 2.5y | keyword "task" | compare |
| async-std Widely used | 138,341 | 23.35x | 1,903 | 14mo | keyword "task" | compare |
| remove_dir_all Pulled in | 122,193 | 20.63x | 84 | 23mo | keyword "utility" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with just; 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 just: 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 just, 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 27, 2026. Built when we find 3 or more.
Up next
The closest alternative: Few direct dependents and losing ground. 3,021 real downloads a day.cargo-makeRust crate. Rust task runner and build tool. Real use: 3K downloads a day on quiet days; 12 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time
Art: Nicholas Roerich, Nag Lake (1925). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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