The best replacement for spanning tree is rapid spanning tree.

The best alternatives to spanning tree are rated as following:
★★★★★  rapid spanning tree
★★★  ospf
★★  spanning tree
★★  trill
★★  tree
★  minimum spanning tree
★  shortest path
★  link aggregation
★  etherchannel
  fabricpath

Your alternative for spanning tree is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about spanning tree, one probably shouldn't forget about vpc.

Other search terms related to spanning tree and their ratings are:
★★★★★ vpc
You have in mind a companion for spanning tree and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of spanning tree in all years. Click on graph for more.
spanning tree
rapid spanning tree
ospf