The best replacement for mulch is pine straw.

The best alternatives to mulch are rated as following:
★★★★★  pine straw
★★★★★  compost
★★★★  stone
★★★★  bag
★★★★  bark
★★★★  rock
★★  gravel
★★  wood chips
★★  rocks
★★  pine needles
★★  bag grass
★  cedar mulch
★  wood mulch
★  bag lawn clippings
★  lava rock
★  side discharge
★  bark chips
★  rock landscaping
  pine bark
  no mulch
  bark nuggets
  river rock
  plant flowers first
  rubber mulch
  hardwood mulch
  beauty bark
  regular mulch
  hardwood
  not to mulch
  bag grass clippings
  topsoil
  woodchips
  soil
  rock for landscaping
  cypress mulch
  pebbles
  stone which is better
  potting soil
  playground mulch
  stones
  bark dust
  bagging
  peat moss

Your alternative for mulch is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about mulch, one probably shouldn't forget about preen.

Other search terms related to mulch and their ratings are:
★★★★★ preen
★★★★ weed control
★★ edging
★★ landscaping fabric
★★ weed fabric
weed control in it
You have in mind a companion for mulch and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of mulch in all years. Click on graph for more.
mulch
pine straw
compost