Crates / num-bigint / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to num-bigint
Short answerThe closest alternatives to num-bigint on crates.io data are number_prefix (280K real downloads a day), crypto-bigint (937K real downloads a day), crossbeam-utils (2.7M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is crossbeam-utils, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. num-bigint itself gets 1,899,489 a day with 2,449 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs num-bigint | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number_prefix Pulled in | 280,493 | 0.15x | 39 | 6.5y | category Algorithms, keyword "mathematics", keyword "numerics" | compare |
| crypto-bigint Established | 937,488 | 0.49x | 167 | 1d | category Algorithms, category Data structures, keyword "bignum" | compare |
| crossbeam-utils Established | 2,696,777 | 1.42x | 605 | 49d | category Algorithms, category Data structures | compare |
| ahash Widely used | 1,968,676 | 1.04x | 2,097 | 18mo | category Algorithms, category Data structures | compare |
| crossbeam-deque Established | 1,924,167 | 1.01x | 142 | 49d | category Algorithms, category Data structures | compare |
| crossbeam-channel Widely used | 1,564,625 | 0.82x | 2,767 | 49d | category Algorithms, category Data structures | compare |
| dashmap Widely used | 1,112,131 | 0.59x | 4,694 | 5mo | category Algorithms, category Data structures | compare |
| rust_decimal Widely used | 463,122 | 0.24x | 2,295 | 52d | category Data structures, category Science | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with num-bigint; 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 num-bigint: 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 num-bigint, 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: Few direct dependents and losing ground. 280,493 real downloads a day.number_prefixRust crate. Library for numeric prefixes (kilo, giga, kibi). Real use: 280K downloads a day on quiet days; 39 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time