Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to tar
Short answerThe closest alternatives to tar on crates.io data are toml_datetime (3.2M real downloads a day), toml (3M real downloads a day), toml_edit (2.7M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is toml_datetime, and 7 shipped a release in the last year. tar itself gets 740,149 a day with 3,479 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs tar | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| toml_datetime Pulled in | 3,215,444 | 4.34x | 29 | 16d | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| toml Foundational | 2,960,881 | 4.00x | 20,777 | 15d | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| toml_edit Widely used | 2,715,071 | 3.67x | 1,989 | 15d | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| miniz_oxide Established | 2,510,979 | 3.39x | 443 | 7mo | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| potential_utf Pulled in | 2,261,800 | 3.06x | 17 | 2mo | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| utf8_iter Pulled in | 2,136,300 | 2.89x | 12 | 2.9y | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| flate2 Widely used | 2,127,583 | 2.87x | 7,758 | 57d | keyword "encoding" | compare |
| toml_parser Pulled in | 1,763,218 | 2.38x | 22 | 15d | keyword "encoding" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with tar; 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 tar: 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 tar, 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: Few direct dependents and steady. 3,215,444 real downloads a day.toml_datetimeRust crate. A TOML-compatible datetime type. Real use: 3.2M downloads a day on quiet days; 29 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time