diff --git a/src/util.h b/src/util.h
index 7f1c4714..6d92529b 100644
--- a/src/util.h
+++ b/src/util.h
@@ -192,12 +192,8 @@ bool starts_with(InputIterator1 first1, InputIterator1 last1,
   return std::equal(first2, last2, first1);
 }
 
-inline bool starts_with(const std::string &a, const std::string &b) {
-  return starts_with(std::begin(a), std::end(a), std::begin(b), std::end(b));
-}
-
-inline bool starts_with(const StringRef &a, const StringRef &b) {
-  return starts_with(std::begin(a), std::end(a), std::begin(b), std::end(b));
+template <typename S, typename T> bool starts_with(const S &a, const T &b) {
+  return starts_with(a.begin(), a.end(), b.begin(), b.end());
 }
 
 struct CaseCmp {
diff --git a/src/util_test.cc b/src/util_test.cc
index f6493ce9..313e9203 100644
--- a/src/util_test.cc
+++ b/src/util_test.cc
@@ -379,10 +379,13 @@ void test_util_format_duration(void) {
 }
 
 void test_util_starts_with(void) {
-  CU_ASSERT(util::starts_with("foo", "foo"));
-  CU_ASSERT(util::starts_with("fooo", "foo"));
-  CU_ASSERT(util::starts_with("ofoo", ""));
-  CU_ASSERT(!util::starts_with("ofoo", "foo"));
+  CU_ASSERT(util::starts_with(StringRef::from_lit("foo"),
+                              StringRef::from_lit("foo")));
+  CU_ASSERT(util::starts_with(StringRef::from_lit("fooo"),
+                              StringRef::from_lit("foo")));
+  CU_ASSERT(util::starts_with(StringRef::from_lit("ofoo"), StringRef{}));
+  CU_ASSERT(!util::starts_with(StringRef::from_lit("ofoo"),
+                               StringRef::from_lit("foo")));
 
   CU_ASSERT(util::istarts_with(StringRef::from_lit("FOO"),
                                StringRef::from_lit("fOO")));