Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to litrs
Short answerThe closest alternatives to litrs on crates.io data are proc-macro-crate (1.7M real downloads a day), proc-macro-error (514K real downloads a day), html5ever (506K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is syn, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. litrs itself gets 718,877 a day with 96 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs litrs | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| proc-macro-crate Established | 1,677,715 | 2.33x | 959 | 8mo | category Procedural macro helpers, keyword "proc-macro" | compare |
| proc-macro-error Established | 513,716 | 0.71x | 603 | 6.2y | category Procedural macro helpers, keyword "proc-macro" | compare |
| html5ever Established | 506,290 | 0.70x | 380 | 40d | category Parser implementations, keyword "parsing" | compare |
| proc-macro-error2 Established | 492,199 | 0.68x | 103 | 2.1y | category Procedural macro helpers, keyword "proc-macro" | compare |
| xml-rs Established | 302,873 | 0.42x | 370 | 3mo | category Parser implementations, keyword "parsing" | compare |
| syn Foundational | 8,378,886 | 11.66x | 18,848 | 12d | category Parser implementations, category Procedural macro helpers | compare |
| ctor Established | 686,862 | 0.96x | 848 | 2mo | category Build Utils, category Procedural macro helpers | compare |
| inventory Widely used | 449,319 | 0.63x | 1,291 | 17d | category Build Utils, category Procedural macro helpers | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with litrs; 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 litrs: 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 litrs, 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 steady. 1,677,715 real downloads a day.proc-macro-crateRust crate. Replacement for crate (macro_rules keyword) in proc-macros. Real use: 1.7M downloads a day on quiet days; 959 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time