diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index eb3f123096a7..e17dff5ebccb 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -10,6 +10,11 @@ rounding guarantees (via the
 
 ## Standard library additions and changes
 
+[//]: # "Additions:"
+- `setutils.symmetricDifference` along with its operator version
+  `` setutils.`-+-` `` and in-place version `setutils.toggle` have been added
+  to more efficiently calculate the symmetric difference of bitsets.
+
 [//]: # "Changes:"
 - `std/math` The `^` symbol now supports floating-point as exponent in addition to the Natural type.
 
diff --git a/compiler/condsyms.nim b/compiler/condsyms.nim
index 5043fc5d4c45..b071a649abf4 100644
--- a/compiler/condsyms.nim
+++ b/compiler/condsyms.nim
@@ -169,3 +169,4 @@ proc initDefines*(symbols: StringTableRef) =
   defineSymbol("nimHasGenericsOpenSym2")
   defineSymbol("nimHasGenericsOpenSym3")
   defineSymbol("nimHasJsNoLambdaLifting")
+  defineSymbol("nimHasXorSet")
diff --git a/lib/std/setutils.nim b/lib/std/setutils.nim
index 8e7bc6a92d30..32a2e88f2cd6 100644
--- a/lib/std/setutils.nim
+++ b/lib/std/setutils.nim
@@ -75,3 +75,31 @@ func `[]=`*[T](t: var set[T], key: T, val: bool) {.inline.} =
     s[a3] = true
     assert s == {a2, a3}
   if val: t.incl key else: t.excl key
+
+when defined(nimHasXorSet):
+  func symmetricDifference*[T](x, y: set[T]): set[T] {.magic: "XorSet".} =
+    ## This operator computes the symmetric difference of two sets,
+    ## equivalent to but more efficient than `x + y - x * y` or
+    ## `(x - y) + (y - x)`.
+    runnableExamples:
+      assert symmetricDifference({1, 2, 3}, {2, 3, 4}) == {1, 4}
+else:
+  func symmetricDifference*[T](x, y: set[T]): set[T] {.inline.} =
+    result = x + y - (x * y)
+
+proc `-+-`*[T](x, y: set[T]): set[T] {.inline.} =
+  ## Operator alias for `symmetricDifference`.
+  runnableExamples:
+    assert {1, 2, 3} -+- {2, 3, 4} == {1, 4}
+  result = symmetricDifference(x, y)
+
+proc toggle*[T](x: var set[T], y: set[T]) {.inline.} =
+  ## Toggles the existence of each value of `y` in `x`.
+  ## If any element in `y` is also in `x`, it is excluded from `x`;
+  ## otherwise it is included.
+  ## Equivalent to `x = symmetricDifference(x, y)`.
+  runnableExamples:
+    var x = {1, 2, 3}
+    x.toggle({2, 3, 4})
+    assert x == {1, 4}
+  x = symmetricDifference(x, y)
diff --git a/lib/system/setops.nim b/lib/system/setops.nim
index cd3e7e9d6a72..67aa3097ab10 100644
--- a/lib/system/setops.nim
+++ b/lib/system/setops.nim
@@ -67,12 +67,6 @@ func `-`*[T](x, y: set[T]): set[T] {.magic: "MinusSet".} =
   runnableExamples:
     assert {1, 2, 3} - {2, 3, 4} == {1}
 
-func symmetricDifference*[T](x, y: set[T]): set[T] {.magic: "XorSet".} =
-  ## This operator computes the symmetric difference of two sets,
-  ## equivalent to `x + y - x * y` or `(x - y) + (y - x)`.
-  runnableExamples:
-    assert symmetricDifference({1, 2, 3}, {2, 3, 4}) == {1, 4}
-
 func contains*[T](x: set[T], y: T): bool {.magic: "InSet".} =
   ## One should overload this proc if one wants to overload the `in` operator.
   ##
diff --git a/tests/sets/tsets_various.nim b/tests/sets/tsets_various.nim
index 27635e20f22f..419bcfdcc139 100644
--- a/tests/sets/tsets_various.nim
+++ b/tests/sets/tsets_various.nim
@@ -281,28 +281,6 @@ template main() =
       let foo = proc() = discard
       setA.incl(foo)
       doAssert setA.contains(foo)
-  
-  block: # set symmetric difference (xor), https://github.com/nim-lang/RFCs/issues/554
-    type T = set[range[0..15]]
-    let x: T = {1, 4, 5, 8, 9}
-    let y: T = {0, 2..6, 9}
-    let res = symmetricDifference(x, y)
-    doAssert res == {0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8}
-    doAssert res == (x + y - x * y)
-    doAssert res == ((x - y) + (y - x))
-    template toggle[T](a: var set[T], b: set[T]) =
-      a = symmetricDifference(a, b)
-    var z = x
-    doAssert z == {1, 4, 5, 8, 9}
-    doAssert z == x
-    z.toggle(y)
-    doAssert z == res
-    z.toggle(y)
-    doAssert z == x
-    z.toggle({1, 5})
-    doAssert z == {4, 8, 9}
-    z.toggle({3, 8})
-    doAssert z == {3, 4, 9}
 
 static: main()
 main()
diff --git a/tests/stdlib/tsetutils.nim b/tests/stdlib/tsetutils.nim
index c8498f23e028..c3338a3a2729 100644
--- a/tests/stdlib/tsetutils.nim
+++ b/tests/stdlib/tsetutils.nim
@@ -44,6 +44,26 @@ template main =
     s[a2] = true
     s[a3] = true
     doAssert s == {a2, a3}
+  
+  block: # set symmetric difference (xor), https://github.com/nim-lang/RFCs/issues/554
+    type T = set[range[0..15]]
+    let x: T = {1, 4, 5, 8, 9}
+    let y: T = {0, 2..6, 9}
+    let res = symmetricDifference(x, y)
+    doAssert res == {0, 1, 2, 3, 6, 8}
+    doAssert res == (x + y - x * y)
+    doAssert res == ((x - y) + (y - x))
+    var z = x
+    doAssert z == {1, 4, 5, 8, 9}
+    doAssert z == x
+    z.toggle(y)
+    doAssert z == res
+    z.toggle(y)
+    doAssert z == x
+    z.toggle({1, 5})
+    doAssert z == {4, 8, 9}
+    z.toggle({3, 8})
+    doAssert z == {3, 4, 9}
 
 main()
 static: main()