Not so sure about that.

The client is the protocol. If you want to stay in consensus with the blockchain your only choice for production grade security is to run bitcoin core.

Forks and alternative implementations are a LARP and they always will be until and unless the bitcoin core client runs a library to encapsulate consensus code. This is why I say that libbitcoinkernel is the most important project in bitcoin core. It's the only escape from the Bitcoin Core monopoly.

Consider an example: Google has a monopoly on browser engines even though people "voluntarily choose" to use Chrome. It's a monopoly because the alternatives are fucking garbage and everybody knows it. There is no choice. Only the illusion of choice.