Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to paste
Short answerThe closest alternatives to paste on crates.io data are pastey (636K real downloads a day), syn (8.4M real downloads a day), quote (5M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is syn, and 8 shipped a release in the last year. paste itself gets 1,338,247 a day with 3,246 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs paste | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pastey Established | 636,011 | 0.48x | 331 | 5mo | category Development tools, category No dynamic allocation, keyword "macros" | side by side |
| syn Foundational | 8,378,886 | 6.26x | 18,848 | 12d | keyword "macros" | compare |
| quote Foundational | 5,007,445 | 3.74x | 18,227 | 3mo | keyword "macros" | compare |
| proc-macro2 Foundational | 4,890,919 | 3.65x | 16,351 | 3mo | keyword "macros" | compare |
| pin-project-lite Widely used | 3,270,978 | 2.44x | 1,708 | 8mo | category No dynamic allocation, category No standard library, keyword "macros" | compare |
| zerovec-derive Pulled in | 2,561,390 | 1.91x | 6 | 2d | category No standard library, keyword "macros" | compare |
| synstructure Established | 2,554,307 | 1.91x | 146 | 3mo | keyword "macros" | compare |
| yoke-derive Pulled in | 2,432,865 | 1.82x | 14 | 24d | category No standard library, keyword "macros" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with paste; 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 paste: 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 paste, 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. 636,011 real downloads a day.pasteyRust crate. Macros for all your token pasting needs. Successor of paste. Real use: 636K downloads a day on quiet days; 331 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time