Crates / secp256k1 / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to secp256k1
Short answerThe closest alternatives to secp256k1 on crates.io data are k256 (245K real downloads a day), signature (1.4M real downloads a day), ecdsa (833K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is digest, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. secp256k1 itself gets 279,378 a day with 632 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs secp256k1 | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| k256 Established | 245,278 | 0.88x | 806 | 4mo | keyword "bitcoin", keyword "crypto" | side by side |
| signature Established | 1,419,605 | 5.08x | 417 | 6mo | keyword "crypto", keyword "ecdsa" | compare |
| ecdsa Established | 833,119 | 2.98x | 261 | 4mo | keyword "crypto", keyword "secp256k1" | compare |
| digest Widely used | 3,862,411 | 13.83x | 1,197 | 6mo | keyword "crypto" | compare |
| crypto-common Pulled in | 3,766,260 | 13.48x | 85 | 5mo | keyword "crypto" | compare |
| ppv-lite86 Pulled in | 2,441,634 | 8.74x | 6 | 20mo | keyword "crypto" | compare |
| subtle Widely used | 2,159,165 | 7.73x | 2,362 | 2.3y | keyword "crypto" | compare |
| hmac Widely used | 2,124,794 | 7.61x | 4,359 | 7mo | keyword "crypto" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with secp256k1; 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 secp256k1: 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 secp256k1, 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. 245,278 real downloads a day.k256Rust crate. secp256k1 elliptic curve library written in pure Rust with support for ECDSA signing/verification/public-key recovery, Taproot Schnorr signatures (BIP340)...Read it next →Also worth your time