Why I Don't Use an ORM in My Rust Apps — Just SQL and rusqlite

All tests run on an 8-year-old MacBook Air. All results from shipping 7 Mac apps as a solo developer. No sponsored opinion.

Every Rust project I start, someone suggests Diesel or SeaORM. I've tried both. I keep coming back to raw rusqlite. Here's why.

The ORM appeal

ORMs promise type safety, migrations, and less SQL. On paper, compelling. In practice, for a solo dev building desktop apps, the tradeoffs don't work out.

What ORMs cost in Rust