Crates / similar / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to similar
Short answerThe closest alternatives to similar on crates.io data are pretty_assertions (522K real downloads a day), difflib (303K real downloads a day), version-compare (262K real downloads a day). Of the 3 we list, the most used is pretty_assertions, and 1 shipped a release in the last year. similar itself gets 713,001 a day with 1,249 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs similar | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| pretty_assertions Widely used | 522,294 | 0.73x | 5,760 | 2.1y | keyword "diff" | side by side |
| difflib Pulled in | 303,482 | 0.43x | 21 | 8.3y | keyword "diff" | compare |
| version-compare Pulled in | 262,013 | 0.37x | 86 | 12mo | keyword "compare" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with similar; 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 similar: 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 similar, 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: Widely used and losing ground. 522,294 real downloads a day.pretty_assertionsRust crate. Overwrite `assert_eq!` and `assert_ne!` with drop-in replacements, adding colorful diffs. Real use: 522K downloads a day on quiet days; 5,760 crates depend...Read it next →Also worth your time