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Dear PyGui VS CustomTkinter

Compare Dear PyGui VS CustomTkinter and see what are their differences

Dear PyGui logo Dear PyGui

Dear PyGui is a simple to use (but powerful) Python GUI framework. Dear PyGui provides a wrapping of Dear ImGui which simulates a traditional retained mode GUI (as opposed to Dear ImGui's immediate mode paradigm).

CustomTkinter logo CustomTkinter

CustomTkinter is a python desktop UI-library based on Tkinter, which provides modern looking and fully customizable widgets.
  • Dear PyGui Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-25
  • CustomTkinter Landing page
    Landing page //
    2026-07-16

Dear PyGui features and specs

  • High Performance
    Dear PyGui is designed for optimal speed and performance, making it suitable for applications requiring real-time updates and a responsive interface.
  • Ease of Use
    The API is straightforward and user-friendly, allowing developers to quickly build GUIs without having to delve into complex details.
  • Extensive Documentation
    Dear PyGui offers comprehensive documentation and examples, aiding developers in understanding and utilizing its functionality effectively.
  • Customizable
    It allows for significant customization, letting developers tailor the appearance and behavior of the GUI according to their needs.
  • Multi-platform Support
    Dear PyGui supports multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, providing versatility and a broad targeting ability to developers.

Possible disadvantages of Dear PyGui

  • Limited Widget Set
    Compared to some other GUI libraries, Dear PyGui might offer a less extensive set of widgets, which can limit certain complex UI designs.
  • Style Limitations
    While customizable, the styling capabilities might not be as extensive as those found in other GUI frameworks, potentially affecting the aesthetic flexibility.
  • Relatively New
    Being a relatively new tool, the community and ecosystem might not be as large or mature as those of more established GUI libraries.
  • Dependency on ImGui
    As it is built on top of Dear ImGui, updates and changes in the underlying library can affect Dear PyGui, requiring developers to adapt to such changes.
  • Lack of Third-Party Integration
    There might be fewer third-party integrations available compared to more mature libraries, which could limit the extensibility of applications.

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.

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

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Dear PyGui and CustomTkinter)
Development
79 79%
21% 21
Rapid Application Development
Development Tools
68 68%
32% 32
IDE
55 55%
45% 45

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

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

MD Python Designer - A drag and drop GUI Designer that uses a combination of Tkinter and its own code.

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 .

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

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.

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