Crates / num_enum / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to num_enum
Short answerThe closest alternatives to num_enum on crates.io data are synstructure (2.6M real downloads a day), thiserror (5M real downloads a day), zerovec-derive (2.6M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is thiserror, and 5 shipped a release in the last year. num_enum itself gets 760,679 a day with 1,159 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs num_enum | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| synstructure Established | 2,554,307 | 3.36x | 146 | 3mo | keyword "derive", keyword "enum" | compare |
| thiserror Foundational | 5,048,791 | 6.64x | 75,923 | 31d | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| zerovec-derive Pulled in | 2,561,390 | 3.37x | 6 | 2d | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| derive_more Widely used | 1,604,594 | 2.11x | 3,690 | 10mo | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| quick-error Established | 1,130,044 | 1.49x | 293 | 5.5y | category Rust patterns, keyword "enum" | compare |
| derive_builder Widely used | 633,349 | 0.83x | 1,332 | 2.0y | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| derive_builder_macro Pulled in | 624,830 | 0.82x | 1 | 2.0y | category Rust patterns, keyword "derive" | compare |
| enum-ordinalize Pulled in | 394,354 | 0.52x | 24 | 3mo | category Rust patterns, keyword "enum" | 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_enum; 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_enum: 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_enum, 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. 2,554,307 real downloads a day.synstructureRust crate. Helper methods and macros for custom derives. Real use: 2.6M downloads a day on quiet days; 146 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time