Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to which
Short answerThe closest alternatives to which on crates.io data are async-process (392K real downloads a day), camino (873K real downloads a day), signal-hook-registry (2.4M real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is signal-hook-registry, and 6 shipped a release in the last year. which itself gets 817,673 a day with 2,276 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs which | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| async-process Established | 392,320 | 0.48x | 115 | 13mo | category Operating systems, keyword "command" | compare |
| camino Widely used | 872,911 | 1.07x | 1,078 | 39d | category Filesystem, category Operating systems | compare |
| signal-hook-registry Pulled in | 2,401,296 | 2.94x | 32 | 10mo | keyword "unix" | compare |
| xattr Established | 811,488 | 0.99x | 150 | 13mo | keyword "unix" | compare |
| signal-hook Widely used | 704,970 | 0.86x | 1,218 | 20d | keyword "unix" | side by side |
| shell-words Established | 484,979 | 0.59x | 863 | 10mo | keyword "unix" | compare |
| signal-hook-mio Pulled in | 408,743 | 0.50x | 18 | 10mo | keyword "unix" | compare |
| resolv-conf Pulled in | 322,165 | 0.39x | 22 | 11mo | keyword "unix" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with which; 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 which: 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 which, 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. 392,320 real downloads a day.async-processRust crate. Async interface for working with processes. Real use: 392K downloads a day on quiet days; 115 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time