9 Best Rust+ Alternatives & Companion Apps (2026)

Quick comparison

Tool	Type	Platform	Price	Best for
MapMonster	Desktop overlay + scanner	Windows	Free + Premium $9.99/mo	On-screen map, shop search, profit trades
RustPlus Desktop (Pronwan)	Desktop app (open-source)	Windows	Free	Free native client, tinkerers
rustplusplus	Discord bot (open-source)	Self-hosted	Free	DIY Discord alerts
RustPlusBot	Discord bot (hosted)	Discord	Paid	No-hosting Discord alerts
RustMart	Desktop companion	Windows	Free	Second-PC / LAN setups
Rustalytics	Desktop + hosted	Windows / web	Free + cheap Pro	Budget hosted tracking
TEARust	Web team tracker	Browser	Free	Squads wanting zero install
Atlas for Rust	Web map (open-source)	Browser	Free	Quick map in any window
RustWho	Player checker	Web	Freemium	Checking player hours/bans

What counts as a "Rust+ alternative"?

Strictly, the "Rust+ app" is Facepunch's official mobile companion. Everything here is built on the same public Rust+ Companion API, so none of them replaces Rust+ so much as gives you a better window into the same data — on your desktop, in Discord, or in a browser. They split into three families: desktop apps (overlay/window on your PC), Discord bots (alerts in a channel), and web tools (open in any browser). Pick by where you want the data to show up.

1. MapMonster — best desktop overlay

What it is: a native Windows app that puts a transparent, always-on-top minimap over Rust with live team positions, death markers and event alerts. Premium adds an automatic vending-machine scanner ("Shop Sniper"), a "Profit Trades" arbitrage finder, and a player checker.

Best for: players who want everything on screen while they play, plus shop/trade tooling no one else has. Trade-off: Windows-only, and the scanner is the paid tier. (Our app — disclosure above.) Download · desktop guide.

2. RustPlus Desktop (Pronwan) — best free open-source desktop client

What it is: an actively developed, open-source desktop client (also branded "Rust²") with a map, event tracking, player activity and vending analytics. Distributed through GitHub releases.

Best for: people who want a capable free client and don't mind a slightly more technical setup (it uses an FCM browser-auth step rather than a one-tap Steam sign-in). Trade-off: no dedicated website and more install friction; documentation lives in the GitHub README.

3. rustplusplus — best free Discord bot (self-hosted)

What it is: the community-standard open-source Discord bot for Rust+. It brings team chat, alarms, vending search and device control into a Discord server.

Best for: clans comfortable hosting a Node.js bot 24/7 and registering FCM credentials. Trade-off: it's Discord-only and you maintain the hosting yourself — there's no overlay. See our MapMonster vs rustplusplus comparison.

4. RustPlusBot — best hosted Discord bot

What it is: an established, hosted Discord bot with device control, vending search, cameras and voice integrations. You pay instead of self-hosting.

Best for: teams that want Discord alerts without running their own server. Trade-off: subscription cost, and like all bots it lives in Discord rather than on screen.

5. RustMart — second-PC companion

What it is: a Windows companion app positioned around running on a second PC over your LAN — map, vending browser and event timers.

Best for: streamers or dual-PC setups who want the companion on a separate machine. Trade-off: thinner feature set and documentation than the bigger clients.

6. Rustalytics — budget hosted tracking

What it is: a free desktop "Basic" client plus an inexpensive hosted "Pro" option and a Discord bot, covering player tracking, vending and cargo/heli alerts.

Best for: players who want hosted tracking at a low one-time price. Trade-off: smaller ecosystem; fewer guides and community resources.

7. TEARust — free web team tracker

What it is: a browser-based squad map and team tracker with voice/Telegram alerts, intel markers and death heatmaps. Nothing to install.

Best for: squads who want zero install and a shareable web link. Trade-off: web-only — no game overlay, and a single browser tab to keep open.

8. Atlas for Rust — free open-source web map

What it is: a free, open-source web map showing vending machines, crates, cargo and team positions in the browser.

Best for: a quick, no-account map you can pop open in any window. Trade-off: development is intermittent and it's a viewer rather than a full toolkit.

9. RustWho — for checking players, not your base

What it is: not a base-monitoring tool at all, but a player checker — Steam profile, hours and ban history (an alternative to digging through BattleMetrics). Included because people searching "Rust+ alternatives" often actually want this.

Best for: scouting who you're up against. Trade-off: different job entirely; pair it with a map/overlay tool. MapMonster has a built-in player checker too.

How to choose

• Solo / duo who wants it on screen: MapMonster (or RustPlus Desktop if you want free and open-source).
• Clan that lives in Discord: rustplusplus (free, self-hosted) or RustPlusBot (paid, hosted).
• Trader / shop hunter: MapMonster — the vending scanner and profit-trade finder are unique to it.
• Just want a map, no install: Atlas for Rust or TEARust in the browser.
• Scouting enemies: a player checker like RustWho (or MapMonster's built-in one).

Try MapMonster free for Windows →