Crates / xml-rs / Alternatives
Rust crate alternatives · data Oct 24, 2026
Alternatives to xml-rs
Short answerThe closest alternatives to xml-rs on crates.io data are quick-xml (1.5M real downloads a day), xmlparser (514K real downloads a day), html5ever (506K real downloads a day). Of the 8 we list, the most used is winnow, and 5 shipped a release in the last year. xml-rs itself gets 302,873 a day with 370 dependents.
Every alternative we found
| Alternative | Real downloads a day | vs xml-rs | Dependents | Last release | Why it is listed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| quick-xml Widely used | 1,525,182 | 5.04x | 2,687 | 2mo | category Parser implementations, keyword "parser", keyword "writer" | side by side |
| xmlparser Pulled in | 514,297 | 1.70x | 49 | 3.1y | category Parser implementations, keyword "parser", keyword "xml" | compare |
| html5ever Established | 506,290 | 1.67x | 380 | 40d | category Parser implementations, keyword "parser", keyword "parsing" | compare |
| roxmltree Established | 313,298 | 1.03x | 823 | 12mo | category Parser implementations, keyword "parser", keyword "xml" | compare |
| winnow Established | 3,579,683 | 11.82x | 448 | 3mo | keyword "parser", keyword "parsing" | compare |
| nom Widely used | 2,156,544 | 7.12x | 2,600 | 21mo | keyword "parser", keyword "parsing" | compare |
| combine Established | 900,865 | 2.97x | 121 | 9d | keyword "parser", keyword "parsing" | compare |
| url Foundational | 2,520,673 | 8.32x | 16,906 | 10mo | category Parser implementations, keyword "parser" | compare |
How to choose
- Same job, not the same API. Each line is listed because it shares a crates.io category or keyword with xml-rs; 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 xml-rs: 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 xml-rs, 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 steady. 1,525,182 real downloads a day.quick-xmlRust crate. High performance xml reader and writer. Real use: 1.5M downloads a day on quiet days; 2,687 crates depend on it.Read it next →Also worth your time