Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Anvil.works VS Streamlit

Compare Anvil.works VS Streamlit and see what are their differences

Anvil.works logo Anvil.works

Build seriously powerful web apps with all the flexibility of Python. No web development experience required.

Streamlit logo Streamlit

Turn python scripts into beautiful ML tools
  • Anvil.works Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-03-23

Anvil is a powerful online platform that lets you build web applications with nothing but Python. It comes with two-click deployment, built-in user authentication, easy-to-use databases and loads more!

Learn all about Anvil in 80 seconds: https://youtu.be/3V-3g1mQ5GY

  • Streamlit Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-07

Anvil.works features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Anvil.works simplifies web development through its drag-and-drop interface and Python-based backend, making it accessible for developers who may not have extensive front-end skills.
  • Integrated Development
    It provides an all-in-one platform, including database management, authentication, and server-side logic, which reduces the need for multiple third-party services.
  • Rapid Prototyping
    The platform allows for quick iteration and development of prototypes, enabling faster testing and validation of ideas.
  • Python Support
    For developers familiar with Python, Anvil.works allows them to leverage their existing knowledge without having to learn JavaScript, HTML, or CSS.
  • Deployment Simplicity
    Deploying an application is straightforward and seamless, as it removes much of the overhead involved in traditional web app deployment.

Possible disadvantages of Anvil.works

  • Limited Flexibility
    Because it's an all-in-one solution, customization might be limited compared to traditional development stacks where you have complete control over all layers of the application.
  • Performance Constraints
    Applications built on Anvil.works might not be as performant as those built with more specialized frameworks or stacks, particularly for very large or complex applications.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    Reliance on Anvil.works means that your application is dependent on their platform. Migrating away can be challenging if their pricing model changes or if the service discontinues.
  • Learning Curve
    While it reduces the need to learn multiple web technologies, there is still a learning curve for mastering the Anvil-specific ways of doing things.
  • Cost
    While there is a free tier, advanced features and higher tiers can become costly, particularly if the platform scales with usage.

Streamlit features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Streamlit's API is extremely intuitive and easy to learn, which makes it accessible for developers of varying experience levels. The simplicity allows for rapid development and less time spent on complex front-end coding.
  • Interactive Widgets
    It provides a set of interactive widgets that make it simple to add complex functionalities like sliders, buttons, and file uploaders to your application with minimal code.
  • Real-time Feedback
    Streamlit supports real-time data updates, allowing users to see changes instantly. This is particularly useful for data analysis and machine learning applications where live data visualization is crucial.
  • Integration with Machine Learning Libraries
    Streamlit integrates seamlessly with popular machine learning libraries like TensorFlow, PyTorch, and scikit-learn, making it a great tool for showcasing machine learning models and results.
  • Open Source
    Being an open-source project, Streamlit is free to use and comes with the support and contributions of an active community. This means continuous improvements and a wealth of shared resources.

Possible disadvantages of Streamlit

  • Limited Customization
    Streamlit offers limited customization options compared to traditional web frameworks. This can be a hindrance if you need a highly customized UI/UX for your application.
  • Performance Issues
    For more complex or resource-intensive applications, Streamlit may suffer from performance drawbacks. It is not designed for high-performance computing out of the box.
  • Scalability
    Streamlit is not well-suited for large-scale applications requiring major backend architecture or for scenarios demanding high scalability and concurrency.
  • Limited Widget Style Options
    The styling and customization options for widgets are somewhat limited, meaning your application's look and feel might be more constrained compared to using other front-end frameworks.
  • Deployment Complexity
    While Streamlit provides some deployment options, deploying Streamlit apps in a production environment can sometimes require additional effort and knowledge, especially for those unfamiliar with web deployment practices.

Analysis of Anvil.works

Overall verdict

  • Anvil.works is considered a good platform for web development, especially for those who prefer a simplified, drag-and-drop interface.

Why this product is good

  • It provides an easy-to-use, visual interface that allows developers to design web apps quickly without needing to handle the complexities of frontend/backend integration manually.
  • Anvil uses Python, a popular and beginner-friendly programming language, allowing developers to write both frontend and backend code.
  • The platform includes built-in components for common web functionalities, such as user authentication, data tables, API management, and email services, enhancing productivity.
  • It is particularly useful for rapid prototyping and creating small to mid-scale applications, thanks to its all-in-one nature.
  • Anvil simplifies the deployment process, allowing for seamless app sharing and scaling without deep DevOps knowledge.

Recommended for

  • Beginners who want to learn web development using Python.
  • Developers interested in rapid application development and prototyping.
  • Small teams or individuals who need to deploy applications quickly without extensive setup.
  • Educators and students looking for a practical, accessible way to build and deploy applications.

Analysis of Streamlit

Overall verdict

  • Overall, Streamlit is well-regarded for its ease of use, speed of development, and ability to create clean and professional-looking applications without in-depth web development knowledge. It provides a seamless bridge between complex data analysis and user-friendly presentation, which can be highly beneficial for a wide range of use cases.

Why this product is good

  • Streamlit is a popular choice for quickly building and deploying data applications and interactive dashboards with minimal code. It is designed to be user-friendly, allowing data scientists and engineers to transform their scripts into shareable web apps. It supports real-time updates, is highly customizable, and integrates well with Python libraries like NumPy, Pandas, and Matplotlib, making it an attractive option for many developers working within the Python ecosystem.

Recommended for

    Streamlit is ideal for data scientists, analysts, and developers looking to rapidly prototype and deploy data-driven applications. It is recommended for those who prioritize simplicity, quick deployment, and seamless integration with Python code. Individuals or teams interested in building dashboards, ML model sharing platforms, or interactive reports will find Streamlit particularly useful.

Anvil.works videos

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Streamlit videos

My thoughts on web frameworks in Python and R (PyWebIO vs Streamlit vs R Shiny)

More videos:

  • Review - 1/4: What is Streamlit
  • Tutorial - How to Build a Streamlit App (Beginner level Streamlit tutorial) - Part 1

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Anvil.works and Streamlit)
Developer Tools
36 36%
64% 64
App Development
100 100%
0% 0
Productivity
0 0%
100% 100
AI
26 26%
74% 74

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Streamlit should be more popular than Anvil.works. It has been mentiond 219 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Anvil.works mentions (101)

  • How to Build a RAG Solution with Llama Index, ChromaDB, and Ollama
    With a few lines of Python, you can build a basic retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solution, but it doesnโ€™t stop here. You can extend this project to search for multiple web pages, load large documents, add a simple web UI using either Streamlit or Anvil, or even experiment with different models in Ollama. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • The Python Web Stack You've Never Heard Of: Building Apps Without Frontend Code
    Anvil takes a contrarian approach: what if you could write your entire web application including the client-side code in Python? No JavaScript required. But hereโ€™s the technical puzzle: browsers only understand JavaScript. So how does this actually work? - Source: dev.to / 7 months ago
  • Ask HN: Who is hiring? (September 2025)
    We make an open-source web framework, an online code editor, a GUI builder, and a PaaS hosting platform. Together, you can build and host a full-stack web application - and all you need is a little Python. (Yes, even the client-side code - we compile Python to JS with a Pythonic GUI framework!) Weโ€™re looking for an experienced all-rounder to work on the core Anvil platform, with a focus on the back-end. Our stack... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • The Best Python Web App Frameworks in 2025
    Anvil takes a very different approach to building Python web applications. While the previous options are Python packages built as alternatives to Streamlit, Anvil was built to be Visual Basic for the web. - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
  • Delphi Is 30
    I've often compared Anvil (it's web-IDE for web-apps in Python https://anvil.works) to Delphi. I'm curious how you'd rate it on those qualities (off the bat it ticks a lot of those boxes. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
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Streamlit mentions (219)

  • Adding Authentication and SSO to a Streamlit App
    Streamlit makes it simple to turn Python scripts into shareable data apps. As these apps move from personal notebooks to team and company use, adding secure authentication and single sign-on (SSO) becomes essential. Authentication protects sensitive data and gates features by user identity. SSO lets people sign in once and move across apps without repeating logins. - Source: dev.to / 21 days ago
  • How I trained a computer vision model on the AWS Free Tier
    The app I built to explore that question is a Streamlit app with two modes. Standard mode sends your image to the DetectLabels API and checks if it returns "Egg" or "Easter Egg" in the labels. Custom Labels mode uses a custom model I trained on my own images. Both draw bounding boxes around any eggs they find. - Source: dev.to / 28 days ago
  • How to Analyze 47 Million Hacker News Posts: A Data Scientist's Dream Dataset Just Got Better
    Once you've completed your analysis, consider building a dashboard to visualize your findings. Tools like Streamlit make it easy to create interactive web apps:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • [TIL][Python] Python Tool for Online PDF Viewing, Comparison, and Data Import
    Title: [TIL][Python] Online PDF Page-by-Page Viewing and Comparison Tool for Importing Data (Python online PDF Viewer and comparison) and Python Snippets Published: false Date: 2023-08-04 00:00:00 UTC Tags: Canonical_url: http://www.evanlin.com/til-python-tips/ --- ## Small Project: Online PDF Viewer and Parse Data compare: -... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Experimenting with Javelit - The Streamlit for Java
    Javelit brings the power of rapid prototyping and interactive web app development to the Java ecosystem, much like Streamlit does for Python. With its simple, loop-based programming model, developers can quickly build data-driven applications without needing extensive frontend knowledge, leveraging familiar Java syntax and the rich JVM ecosystem. The live-reload feature enables instant experimentation and... - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Anvil.works and Streamlit, you can also consider the following products

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

FastAPI - FastAPI is an Open Source, modern, fast (high-performance), web framework for building APIs with Python 3.6+ based on standard Python type hints.

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.

Hugging Face - The AI community building the future. The platform where the machine learning community collaborates on models, datasets, and applications.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.

Gradio - Build & share machine learning apps delightfully.