Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to strum
Short answerThe closest alternatives to strum on crates.io data are synstructure (2.6M 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 7 shipped a release in the last year. strum itself gets 1,901,257 a day with 5,075 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs strum | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| synstructure Established | 2,554,307 | 1.34x | 146 | 3mo | keyword "enum", keyword "macros" | compare |
| syn Foundational | 8,378,886 | 4.41x | 18,848 | 12d | category Procedural macro helpers, keyword "macros" | side by side |
| quote Foundational | 5,007,445 | 2.63x | 18,227 | 3mo | category Procedural macro helpers, keyword "macros" | side by side |
| proc-macro2 Foundational | 4,890,919 | 2.57x | 16,351 | 3mo | category Procedural macro helpers, keyword "macros" | side by side |
| compact_str Established | 712,106 | 0.37x | 575 | 3mo | category Parsing tools, keyword "string" | compare |
| heck Widely used | 3,901,922 | 2.05x | 1,865 | 2.6y | keyword "string" | compare |
| aho-corasick Established | 3,331,047 | 1.75x | 655 | 3mo | keyword "string" | compare |
| pin-project-lite Widely used | 3,270,978 | 1.72x | 1,708 | 8mo | 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 strum; 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 strum: 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 strum, 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