Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Conda VS Python Package Index

Compare Conda VS Python Package Index and see what are their differences

Conda logo Conda

Binary package manager with support for environments.

Python Package Index logo Python Package Index

A repository of software for the Python programming language
Not present
  • Python Package Index Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-01

Conda features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Package Manager
    Conda is a versatile package manager that works across multiple operating systems including Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it a universal solution for environment management.
  • Environment Management
    Conda can create, export, list, remove, and manage environments that contain different versions of Python and/or various packages, enhancing reproducibility and isolation.
  • Wide Range of Packages
    Conda supports a broad spectrum of packages not limited to Python, which means it can install software and their dependencies from the C, C++, FORTRAN, and other ecosystems.
  • Binary Package Delivery
    Packages are delivered as binaries, meaning you don't have to compile anything. This speeds up the installation process and reduces the possibility of errors.
  • Easy Dependency Resolution
    Conda automatically manages dependencies, ensuring that the required packages are installed in the correct versions and reducing compatibility issues.
  • Version Control
    It allows you to manage different versions of software and switch between them seamlessly without conflict, which is crucial for development, testing, and deployment.

Possible disadvantages of Conda

  • Large Disk Space Requirement
    Conda environments can take up a significant amount of disk space due to the inclusion of multiple versions of Python and other binaries.
  • Complexity
    While Conda is powerful, its comprehensive set of features may be overwhelming for beginners who only need simpler package management.
  • Performance Overhead
    The convenience of automated dependency resolution and environment management can sometimes come at the cost of performance, particularly during the first setup.
  • Slower Package Availability
    Newer versions of some packages may take longer to become available on Conda compared to other package managers like pip, leading to potential delays in adopting the latest features.
  • Third-Party Channels
    While Conda has its main channel, many packages are hosted on third-party channels, which can lead to inconsistencies or reliability issues.
  • Not Limited to Python
    Although this is also a strength, for users who are primarily working with Python, Conda might feel over-engineered for their needs.

Python Package Index features and specs

  • Extensive Library Collection
    PyPI hosts a comprehensive collection of Python libraries and packages, enabling developers to find tools and modules for almost any task, from data analysis to web development.
  • Ease of Use
    The PyPI interface is user-friendly, and installation of packages can be quickly done using pip, Python's package installer. This makes it easy for both beginners and advanced users to manage dependencies.
  • Community Support
    Many PyPI packages are well-documented and supported by a large community of developers, which provides reassurance and assistance through forums, tutorials, and user contributions.
  • Regular Updates
    Packages on PyPI are frequently updated by maintainers to include new features, improvements, and security patches, ensuring that developers have access to the latest and most secure versions.
  • Open Source
    PyPI primarily hosts open-source packages, promoting transparency, collaboration, and the ability to modify packages to better suit individual needs.

Possible disadvantages of Python Package Index

  • Quality Assurance
    Not all packages on PyPI are of high quality or well-maintained. Some may have bugs, lack proper documentation, or not adhere to best practices, requiring users to vet packages carefully.
  • Security Risks
    There is a risk of downloading malicious packages since PyPI allows anyone to upload packages. Users need to be cautious and verify the credibility of the package authors and sources.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies can become complex, especially for large projects, as conflicts between package versions can arise, leading to potential runtime issues.
  • Overhead
    For smaller projects or those with specific needs, the sheer number of available packages can be overwhelming, making it difficult to find the most suitable one without investing a significant amount of time.
  • Legacy Packages
    Some packages on PyPI may no longer be maintained or updated, which can represent a risk if they become incompatible with newer versions of Python or other dependencies.

Analysis of Conda

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Conda is generally regarded as a good tool due to its versatility, efficiency in managing dependencies, and user-friendly features.

Why this product is good

  • Conda is considered good because it is a powerful package manager and environment manager that is language agnostic. It simplifies the installation of packages and dependencies across different programming languages, particularly beneficial for data science and machine learning tasks. It also handles library conflicts with ease, making it a preferred choice for managing complex software environments.

Recommended for

  • Data scientists
  • Machine learning engineers
  • Software developers using Python, R, or any other language needing isolated environments
  • Researchers requiring reproducible scientific environments
  • Anyone who frequently works with packages that have complex dependencies

Analysis of Python Package Index

Overall verdict

  • Yes, Python Package Index (PyPI) is considered a good resource for Python developers due to its extensive collection of packages, ease of use, and strong community support.

Why this product is good

  • Integration
    Seamlessly integrates with tools like pip to simplify package management.
  • Comprehensive
    It hosts a vast array of packages, covering almost every possible need a developer may have.
  • User friendly
    PyPI provides an easy-to-navigate interface for both uploading and downloading Python packages.
  • Community support
    Many packages come with active community support and continuous updates.

Recommended for

  • Python developers seeking packages to extend their applications.
  • Open-source contributors looking to publish and distribute Python packages.
  • Beginners in Python who need easy access to libraries and tools.

Conda videos

No Conda videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

Add video

Python Package Index videos

Python Django - Create and deploy packages to PyPI - Python Package Index

More videos:

  • Review - PIP and the Python Package Index - Open Source Language, Package Installer, Programming Python

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Conda and Python Package Index)
Front End Package Manager
Package Manager
61 61%
39% 39
Translation Service
0 0%
100% 100
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

Share your experience with using Conda and Python Package Index. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Python Package Index should be more popular than Conda. It has been mentiond 91 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.

Conda mentions (32)

  • Say Hello to UV: A Fast Python Package & Project Manager Written in Rust
    If youโ€™ve been managing Python projects long enough, youโ€™ve probably dealt with a mess of tools: pip, pip-tools, poetry, virtualenv, conda, maybe even pdm. - Source: dev.to / 6 months ago
  • The Simplest Data Architecture
    You can use isolated Python environments like venv or conda. If you do this, you'll have to manage your environments yourself, and also constantly switch between them to run your data engineering code vs dbt. - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • Python's virtual environments
    Conda is an open-source package management system and environment management system that runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is a powerful tool that allows you to create and manage virtual environments, install and update packages, and manage dependencies. Conda is particularly popular in the scientific computing community, as it provides access to a wide range of scientific computing libraries and tools. I... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Introducing Flama for Robust Machine Learning APIs
    When dealing with software development, reproducibility is key. This is why we encourage you to use Python virtual environments to set up an isolated environment for your project. Virtual environments allow the isolation of dependencies, which plays a crucial role to avoid breaking compatibility between different projects. We cannot cover all the details about virtual environments in this post, but we encourage... - Source: dev.to / almost 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Package management for multiple modules in C++, Python, Java project?
    Conda https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/ ?? I'm not sure, but I used it to download some Python packages. It's an alternative to pip, but I'm not sure about the details. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
View more

Python Package Index mentions (91)

  • Donโ€™t Let Cyber Risk Kill Your GenAI Vibe: A Developerโ€™s Guide
    This GenAI novel cyber risk is a variant of what's called typo squatting. With typo squatting, a malicious actor published its malware on some public repository (like the Node Package Manager (NPM) for Node JavaScript, the Python Package Index (PyPI) for python, or the Comprehensive R Archive Network (CRAN) for R) using a package name that is so similar to a popular package that a typo in the package name during... - Source: dev.to / 4 days ago
  • Some thoughts on personal Git hosting
    > But we still don't have a solution to search projects on potentially thousands of servers, including self-hosted ones. We do. https://mvnrepository.com/repos/central https://npmjs.com https://packagist.org/ https://pypi.org/ https://www.debian.org/distrib/packages#search_packages https://pkg.go.dev/ https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/ And many others. And we still have forums like this one and Reddit where... - Source: Hacker News / 27 days ago
  • Configuring CSP: A Test For Django 6.0
    There has been existing tooling to test and enforce CSP in Django. The most recognizable of those has been the django-csp package developed by a team at Mozilla. It is available on PyPI and does an excellent job. You might still be wondering how this answers the question: "Why Django 6.0?" In May 2024, a conversation began to explore the possibility of adding CSP support to Django. The idea was to create... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • PyPI Users Email Phishing Attack
    Ah, I was beaten to it... The Python Package Index (PyPI), a central repository of third-party Python packages, is now seeing what appears to be a fairly wide-scale phishing attack. The attackers are squatting on "pypj.org" โ€” a plausible typo, but more likely chosen to visually resemble "pypi.org" in a browser address bar. This was first reported by Python core developer Ethan Furman (@stoneleaf), who was... - Source: Hacker News / 2 months ago
  • Contributing to PyPI
    If you visit PyPI and scroll to the bottom you can see that it is available in a number of languages including Hebrew, which indicates it should also support RTL (Right-to-left) rendering. Those translations need maintenance and more translations could be added. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Conda and Python Package Index, you can also consider the following products

pkgsrc - pkgsrc is a framework for building over 17,000 open source software packages.

Python Poetry - Python packaging and dependency manager.

pip - The PyPA recommended tool for installing Python packages.

Homebrew - The missing package manager for macOS

Conan - Conan is an Action-Adventure, Hack and Slash and Single-player video game developed by Nihilistic Software and published by THQ.

Yay - Yay is an AUR helper written in go, based on the design of yaourt, apacman and pacaur.