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CustomTkinter VS PyGObject

Compare CustomTkinter VS PyGObject and see what are their differences

CustomTkinter logo CustomTkinter

CustomTkinter is a python desktop UI-library based on Tkinter, which provides modern looking and fully customizable widgets.

PyGObject logo PyGObject

PyGObject is a python extension module that allows Python programs to easily interface and make use of libraries using the GObject type system.
  • CustomTkinter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-07-16
Not present

CustomTkinter features and specs

  • Modern UI Appearance
    CustomTkinter provides a modern, flat, and visually appealing look for Tkinter applications, with rounded corners, better color schemes, and improved widget styling compared to standard Tkinter.
  • Easy Transition from Tkinter
    Since it's built on top of Tkinter and uses similar syntax and widget names, developers familiar with Tkinter can easily transition to CustomTkinter without a steep learning curve.
  • Built-in Dark and Light Mode
    CustomTkinter supports automatic and manual switching between dark and light appearance modes, making it easy to create apps that adapt to system themes or user preferences.
  • Customizable Themes
    The library allows for extensive customization through theme files (JSON), enabling developers to create and apply custom color schemes and styles across their entire application.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    CustomTkinter works across Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing a consistent look and feel across different operating systems, which is an improvement over native Tkinter's platform-dependent appearance.

Possible disadvantages of CustomTkinter

  • Limited Widget Set
    Compared to more mature GUI frameworks like PyQt or Kivy, CustomTkinter offers a smaller set of widgets, which may require additional custom development for complex applications.
  • Performance Overhead
    The additional styling and rendering logic on top of Tkinter can introduce slight performance overhead, especially in applications with many widgets or frequent UI updates.
  • Dependency on Tkinter Limitations
    Since it's built on Tkinter, CustomTkinter inherits some of Tkinter's inherent limitations, such as less flexible layout management and fewer built-in animations compared to modern frameworks.
  • Smaller Community and Ecosystem
    As a relatively newer library, CustomTkinter has a smaller community, fewer third-party extensions, and less extensive documentation compared to more established GUI frameworks.
  • Occasional Bugs and Inconsistencies
    Being under active development, users may encounter occasional bugs, inconsistent behavior across platforms, or breaking changes between version updates that require code adjustments.

PyGObject features and specs

  • Cross-Platform
    PyGObject is compatible with multiple operating systems, such as Linux, Windows, and macOS, which makes it versatile for developing applications across platforms.
  • Integration with GNOME
    PyGObject provides excellent support for GNOME applications, allowing developers to create or enhance applications that are tightly integrated with the GNOME desktop environment.
  • Object-Oriented
    PyGObject provides an object-oriented approach to using the GTK+ toolkit, allowing developers to use familiar programming paradigms and leading to more organized and manageable code.
  • Large Widget Set
    PyGObject provides access to a wide variety of widgets and tools from the GTK+ library, allowing the creation of feature-rich graphical user interfaces.
  • Automatic Memory Management
    Being a part of Python, PyGObject benefits from automatic memory management, which reduces the risk of memory leaks and simplifies the development process.

Possible disadvantages of PyGObject

  • Complexity
    PyGObject can be complex to learn and use, particularly for beginners, due to the comprehensive nature of the GTK+ toolkit and the necessity to understand GObject and its conventions.
  • Performance Overhead
    Compared to applications written directly in C with GTK+, PyGObject may introduce some performance overhead because of the Python language and its interaction with the GObject system.
  • Limited Documentation
    While resources are available, some developers may find the documentation lacking in examples or depth for certain advanced features or specific use cases.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies for PyGObject applications can be challenging, especially when dealing with various versions of GTK+ and ensuring compatibility across different environments.

Analysis of CustomTkinter

Overall verdict

  • CustomTkinter is a solid choice for Python developers who want to build modern-looking desktop GUIs without leaving the familiar Tkinter ecosystem. It provides a good balance between ease of use and visual polish, making it especially attractive for smaller to medium-sized projects.

Why this product is good

  • Built on top of standard Tkinter, so it's easy to learn if you already know Tkinter
  • Provides modern, flat-styled widgets with rounded corners and better default aesthetics than vanilla Tkinter
  • Supports light and dark mode theming out of the box, including system theme detection
  • Cross-platform support for Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Actively maintained with regular updates and a growing community
  • Free and open-source with a permissive license
  • Good documentation and examples to help beginners get started quickly
  • Customizable color themes and widget appearance without needing CSS-like styling

Recommended for

  • Python developers who want a quick way to modernize Tkinter-based UIs
  • Hobbyists and students building desktop apps for personal or academic projects
  • Small business or indie developers creating internal tools or utilities
  • Developers who prefer lightweight GUI frameworks over heavier alternatives like PyQt or Kivy
  • Projects that need dark mode support without complex theming systems
  • Anyone already familiar with Tkinter looking for an easy upgrade path

CustomTkinter videos

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PyGObject videos

PyGObject and Vala

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to CustomTkinter and PyGObject)
Rapid Application Development
Development Tools
25 25%
75% 75
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
Development
25 25%
75% 75

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare CustomTkinter and PyGObject

CustomTkinter Reviews

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PyGObject Reviews

Which Python GUI library should you use? Comparing the Python GUI libraries available in 2023
PyGObject is developed and maintained under the GNOME Foundation, who is also responsible for the GNOME desktop environment. PyGObject replaces several separate Python modules, including PyGTK, GIO and python-gnome, which were previously required to create a full GNOME/GTK application. Its initial release was in 2006 and it is licensed under an older version of LGPL (v2.1)....

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PyGObject seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 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.

CustomTkinter mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of CustomTkinter yet. Tracking of CustomTkinter recommendations started around Jul 2026.

PyGObject mentions (2)

  • Migrate from web developer to app developer
    You have a college degree specifically in web development? Which schools do this? If you know Python or Javascript, you should have no problem perusing the docs out there, and start working. A quick web search brings up a lot in regards to something like a GTK 4 Python Tutorial using PyGObject. Alternatively, there is GJS utilizing Javascript bindings. Source: over 3 years ago
  • is there is a guide to how to start on pyopject and adwaita?
    The Python/GTK3 documentation is also a good starting point if you want to learn the basics: https://pygobject.readthedocs.io/en/latest/. Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing CustomTkinter and PyGObject, you can also consider the following products

PyQt - Riverbank | Software | PyQt | What is PyQt?

Kivy - Open source Python framework for rapid development of applications that make use of innovative user interfaces, such as multi-touch apps. Installation on WindowsInstallation on Windows. Installation; What are wheels .

Tkinter - Tkinter is a Python wrapper for Tcl/Tk that offers classes to create various graphical user interfaces.

Qt - Powerful, flexible and easy to use, Qt will help you not only meet your tight deadline, but also reduce the maintainable code by an astonishing percentage.

PySimpleGUI - A simple to use GUI that can create custom GUIs

GTK - GTK+ is a multi-platform toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces.