Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to plain
Short answerThe closest alternatives to plain on crates.io data are compact_str (712K real downloads a day), triomphe (239K real downloads a day), sdd (239K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is ciborium, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. plain itself gets 429,597 a day with 40 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs plain | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| compact_str Established | 712,106 | 1.66x | 575 | 3mo | category Parsing tools, keyword "memory" | compare |
| triomphe Established | 238,807 | 0.56x | 172 | 14d | category Data structures, keyword "ffi" | compare |
| sdd Pulled in | 238,698 | 0.56x | 7 | 38d | category Data structures, keyword "memory" | compare |
| ciborium Established | 775,492 | 1.81x | 902 | 2.7y | category Data structures, category No standard library | compare |
| ciborium-ll Pulled in | 775,035 | 1.80x | 10 | 2.7y | category Data structures, category No standard library | compare |
| zvariant_utils Pulled in | 374,610 | 0.87x | 5 | 2mo | category Data structures, category Parsing tools | compare |
| zvariant Pulled in | 363,875 | 0.85x | 86 | 8d | category Data structures, category Parsing tools | compare |
| zvariant_derive Pulled in | 363,785 | 0.85x | 9 | 8d | category Data structures, category Parsing tools | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with plain; 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 plain: 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 plain, 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. 712,106 real downloads a day.compact_strRust crate. A memory efficient string type that transparently stores strings on the stack, when possible. Real use: 712K downloads a day on quiet days; 575 crates depend...Read it next →Also worth your time