Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Cython VS py2exe

Compare Cython VS py2exe and see what are their differences

Cython logo Cython

Cython is a language that makes writing C extensions for the Python language as easy as Python...

py2exe logo py2exe

A distutils extension to create standalone Windows programs from Python scripts.
  • Cython Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-15
  • py2exe Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-04

Cython features and specs

  • Performance Improvement
    Cython can significantly increase the execution speed of Python code by translating it into C, and allowing for static typing. This can lead to performance gains for computationally intensive tasks.
  • Compatibility with Python
    Cython is designed to be fully compatible with Python, meaning that most Python code can be compiled with Cython without any modifications.
  • Integration with C/C++
    Cython facilitates easy integration with C and C++ code, enabling the use of native libraries and expanding the modularity and capability of Python programs.
  • Ease of Use
    With syntax similar to Python, Cython is relatively easy for Python developers to learn, especially compared to learning C or C++ for performance improvements.
  • Automatic C Extension Modules
    Cython can automatically generate C extension modules, which can be imported and used in Python as regular modules, simplifying the process of creating performant extensions.

Possible disadvantages of Cython

  • Complexity in Debugging
    Debugging in Cython can be more challenging than in pure Python due to the transition from Python to C, requiring tools and knowledge of both languages for effective debugging.
  • Portability Issues
    Code generated by Cython may not be as portable as pure Python code, especially across different operating systems and architectures, due to dependencies on C compilers.
  • Build Process Overhead
    Using Cython introduces additional build process requirements, including the need for a C compiler, which can increase the complexity of the deployment process.
  • Learning Curve
    Although similar to Python, mastering Cython involves understanding C concepts and how Cython compiles Python code into C, which can entail a learning curve.
  • Limited Benefits for I/O Bound Applications
    Cython excels in CPU-bound tasks but may offer limited performance benefits for I/O-bound applications, where the bottleneck is not compute speed but data input/output rates.

py2exe features and specs

  • Windows Executable
    py2exe allows you to convert Python scripts into standalone Windows executables without requiring the end-user to have Python installed.
  • Distribution Simplicity
    It simplifies distribution by packaging all necessary Python libraries and dependencies into a single executable file.
  • Customizable
    Offers a range of customization options, including the ability to include or exclude specific modules and packages, allowing for tailored executable creation.
  • Active Community
    Has a supportive community and ample online documentation, making it easier to find solutions to common problems.

Possible disadvantages of py2exe

  • Windows Only
    py2exe only works for creating Windows executables, which means it's not a cross-platform solution.
  • Configuration Complexity
    The setup process can be complex, especially for projects with many dependencies or special requirements.
  • Not Ideal for Large Applications
    The resulting executables can be quite large since they include a Python interpreter and necessary libraries, increasing both size and startup time.
  • Limited Continuity
    Though still usable, py2exe has had less active development compared to some other tools like PyInstaller, which may lead to potential issues with newer Python features.

Cython videos

Stefan Behnel - Get up to speed with Cython 3.0

More videos:

  • Review - Cython: A First Look
  • Review - Simmi Mourya - Scientific computing using Cython: Best of both Worlds!

py2exe videos

Bypass Anti­Virus using Pyinstaller and py2exe (demo)

More videos:

  • Review - Python Py2exe Compiler Screen De-Constructed

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Cython and py2exe)
Website Builder
81 81%
19% 19
Website Design
80 80%
20% 20
CMS
70 70%
30% 30
Programming Language
81 81%
19% 19

User comments

Share your experience with using Cython and py2exe. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
Log in or Post with

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Cython seems to be a lot more popular than py2exe. While we know about 48 links to Cython, we've tracked only 1 mention of py2exe. 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.

Cython mentions (48)

  • I Use Nim Instead of Python for Data Processing
    >Not type safe That's the point. Look up what duck typing means in Python. Your program is meant to throw exceptions if you pass in data that doesn't look and act how it needs to. This means that in Python you don't need to do defensive programming. It's not like in C where you spend many hundreds of lines safe-guarding buffer lengths, memory allocation, return codes, static type sizes, and so on. That means that... - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Ask HN: C/C++ developer wanting to learn efficient Python
    Https://cython.org can help with that. - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • How to make a c++ python extension?
    The approach that I favour is to use Cython. The nice thing with this approach is that your code is still written as (almost) Python, but so long as you define all required types correctly it will automatically create the C extension for you. Early versions of Cython required using Cython specific typing (Python didn't have type hints when Cython was created), but it can now use Python's type hints. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Codon: Python Compiler
    Just for reference, * Nuitka[0] "is a Python compiler written in Python. It's fully compatible with Python 2.6, 2.7, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7, 3.8, 3.9, 3.10, and 3.11." * Pypy[1] "is a replacement for CPython" with builtin optimizations such as on the fly JIT compiles. * Cython[2] "is an optimising static compiler for both the Python programming language and the extended Cython programming language... Makes writing C... - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Any faster Python alternatives?
    Profile and optimize the hotspots with cython (or whatever the cool kids are using these days... It's been a while.). Source: about 2 years ago
View more

py2exe mentions (1)

  • Games
    Sounds like you are on Windows. I think something like https://py2exe.org/ will be what you are after. I'm on Mac / Linux systems only, so I can't really provide info on how to use it, but I know there are some good tutorials out there. Source: over 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Cython and py2exe, you can also consider the following products

Numba - Numba gives you the power to speed up your applications with high performance functions written...

PyInstaller - PyInstaller is a program that freezes (packages) Python programs into stand-alone executables...

nuitka - Nuitka is a Python compiler.

cx_Freeze - cx_Freeze is a set of scripts and modules for freezing Python scripts into executables in much the...

PyPy - PyPy is a fast, compliant alternative implementation of the Python language (2.7.1).

bbfreeze - create stand-alone executables from python scripts