Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Deeplearning4j VS PyTorch

Compare Deeplearning4j VS PyTorch and see what are their differences

Deeplearning4j logo Deeplearning4j

Deeplearning4j is an open-source, distributed deep-learning library written for Java and Scala.

PyTorch logo PyTorch

Open source deep learning platform that provides a seamless path from research prototyping to...
  • Deeplearning4j Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16
  • PyTorch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-15

Deeplearning4j features and specs

  • Java Integration
    Deeplearning4j is written for Java, making it easy to integrate with existing Java applications. This is a significant advantage for businesses running Java systems.
  • Scalability
    It is designed for scalability and can be used in distributed environments. This is ideal for handling large-scale datasets and heavy computational tasks.
  • Commercial Support
    Deeplearning4j offers professional support through commercial entities, which can be beneficial for enterprises needing reliable assistance and maintenance.
  • Compatibility with Hardware
    It provides compatibility with GPUs and various processing environments, allowing efficient training of deep networks.
  • Ecosystem
    Deeplearning4j is part of a larger ecosystem, including tools like DataVec for data preprocessing and ND4J for numerical computing, providing a comprehensive suite for machine learning tasks.

Possible disadvantages of Deeplearning4j

  • Learning Curve
    It can have a steep learning curve, especially for developers not already familiar with the Java programming language or deep learning concepts.
  • Community Size
    The community and available resources are not as extensive as those for other deep learning libraries like TensorFlow or PyTorch. This might limit access to free and diverse community support.
  • Less Popularity
    Compared to more popular frameworks like TensorFlow or PyTorch, Deeplearning4j is less commonly used, which may affect library updates and third-party tool integrations.
  • Performance
    In some use cases, performance can lag behind other optimized frameworks that extensively use C++ and CUDA, particularly for specific models or complex operations.

PyTorch features and specs

  • Dynamic Computation Graph
    PyTorch uses a dynamic computation graph, which allows for interactive and flexible model building. This is particularly beneficial for researchers who need to modify the network architecture on-the-fly.
  • Pythonic Nature
    PyTorch is designed to be deeply integrated with Python, making it very intuitive for Python developers. The framework feels more 'native' to Python, which improves the ease of learning and use.
  • Strong Community Support
    PyTorch has a large, active, and growing community. This means abundant resources such as tutorials, forums, and third-party tools are available to help developers solve problems and share solutions.
  • Flexibility and Control
    PyTorch offers granular control over computations and provides extensive debugging capabilities. This level of control is beneficial for tasks that require precise tuning and custom implementations.
  • Support for GPU Acceleration
    PyTorch offers seamless integration with GPU hardware, which significantly accelerates the computation process. This makes it highly efficient for deep learning tasks.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    PyTorch has a rich ecosystem including libraries like torchvision, torchaudio, and torchtext, which are specialized for different data types and can significantly shorten development times.

Possible disadvantages of PyTorch

  • Limited Production Deployment Tools
    PyTorch is primarily designed for research rather than production. While deployment tools like TorchServe exist, they are not as mature or integrated as solutions offered by other frameworks like TensorFlow.
  • Lesser Adoption in Industry
    While PyTorch is popular among researchers, it has historically seen less adoption in industry compared to TensorFlow, which means there might be fewer resources for large-scale production deployments.
  • Inconsistent API Changes
    As PyTorch continues to evolve rapidly, occasionally there are breaking changes or inconsistent API updates. This can create maintenance challenges for existing codebases.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Beginners
    Despite its Pythonic design, PyTorch's focus on flexibility and control can make it slightly harder for beginners to get started compared to some other high-level libraries and frameworks.
  • Less Mature Documentation
    Although the documentation is improving, it has been historically less comprehensive and mature compared to other frameworks like TensorFlow, which can make it difficult to find detailed, clear information.

Deeplearning4j videos

Deep Learning with DeepLearning4J and Spring Boot - Artur Garcia & Dimas Cabré @ Spring I/O 2017

PyTorch videos

PyTorch in 5 Minutes

More videos:

  • Review - Jeremy Howard: Deep Learning Frameworks - TensorFlow, PyTorch, fast.ai | AI Podcast Clips
  • Review - PyTorch at Tesla - Andrej Karpathy, Tesla

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Deeplearning4j and PyTorch)
Data Science And Machine Learning
Machine Learning
100 100%
0% 0
Data Science Tools
8 8%
92% 92
AI
12 12%
88% 88

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Deeplearning4j and PyTorch

Deeplearning4j Reviews

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PyTorch Reviews

10 Python Libraries for Computer Vision
Similar to TensorFlow and Keras, PyTorch and torchvision offer powerful tools for computer vision tasks. PyTorch’s dynamic computation graph and torchvision’s datasets and pre-trained models make it easy to implement tasks such as image classification, object detection, and style transfer.
Source: clouddevs.com
25 Python Frameworks to Master
Along with TensorFlow, PyTorch (developed by Facebook’s AI research group) is one of the most used tools for building deep learning models. It can be used for a variety of tasks such as computer vision, natural language processing, and generative models.
Source: kinsta.com
Top 8 Alternatives to OpenCV for Computer Vision and Image Processing
PyTorch is another open-source machine learning framework that is widely used in academia and industry. PyTorch provides excellent support for building deep learning models, and it has several pre-trained models for computer vision tasks, making it the ideal tool for several computer vision applications. PyTorch offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easier for...
Source: www.uubyte.com
PyTorch vs TensorFlow in 2022
When we compare HuggingFace model availability for PyTorch vs TensorFlow, the results are staggering. Below we see a chart of the total number of models available on HuggingFace that are either PyTorch or TensorFlow exclusive, or available for both frameworks. As we can see, the number of models available for use exclusively in PyTorch absolutely blows the competition out of...
15 data science tools to consider using in 2021
First released publicly in 2017, PyTorch uses arraylike tensors to encode model inputs, outputs and parameters. Its tensors are similar to the multidimensional arrays supported by NumPy, another Python library for scientific computing, but PyTorch adds built-in support for running models on GPUs. NumPy arrays can be converted into tensors for processing in PyTorch, and vice...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PyTorch seems to be a lot more popular than Deeplearning4j. While we know about 132 links to PyTorch, we've tracked only 5 mentions of Deeplearning4j. 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.

Deeplearning4j mentions (5)

  • DeepLearning4j Blockchain Integration: Merging AI and Blockchain for a Transparent Future
    DeepLearning4j Blockchain Integration is more than just a convergence of technologies; it’s a paradigm shift in how AI projects are developed, funded, and maintained. By utilizing the robust framework of DL4J, enhanced with secure blockchain features and an inclusive open source model, the project is not only pushing the boundaries for artificial intelligence but also establishing a resilient model for future... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Machine Learning in Kotlin (Question)
    While KotlinDL seems to be a good solution by Jetbrains, I would personally stick to Java frameworks like DL4J for a better community support and likely more features. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Does Java has similar project like this one in C#? (ml, data)
    Would recommend taking a look at dl4j: https://deeplearning4j.org. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • just released my Clojure AI book
    We use DeepLearning4j in this chapter because it is written in Java and easy to use with Clojure. In a later chapter we will use the Clojure library libpython-clj to access other deep learning-based tools like the Hugging Face Transformer models for question answering systems as well as the spaCy Python library for NLP. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • [D] What’s the simplest, most lightweight but complete and 100% open source MLOps toolkit? -> MY OWN CONCLUSIONS
    FastAPI. Or even simpler: DL4J, to be used in Java when we need to communicate with the rest of the applications in real time. Source: about 4 years ago

PyTorch mentions (132)

  • Top Programming Languages for AI Development in 2025
    With the quick emergence of new frameworks, libraries, and tools, the area of artificial intelligence is always changing. Programming language selection. We're not only discussing current trends; we're also anticipating what AI will require in 2025 and beyond. - Source: dev.to / 3 days ago
  • Fine-tuning LLMs locally: A step-by-step guide
    Next, we define a training loop that uses our prepared data and optimizes the weights of the model. Here's an example using PyTorch:. - Source: dev.to / 23 days ago
  • 10 Must-Have AI Tools to Supercharge Your Software Development
    8. TensorFlow and PyTorch: These frameworks support AI and machine learning integrations, allowing developers to build and deploy intelligent models and workflows. TensorFlow is widely used for deep learning applications, offering pre-trained models and extensive documentation. PyTorch provides flexibility and ease of use, making it ideal for research and experimentation. Both frameworks support neural network... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Automating Enhanced Due Diligence in Regulated Applications
    Frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch can help you build and train models for various tasks, such as risk scoring, anomaly detection, and pattern recognition. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Must-Know 2025 Developer’s Roadmap and Key Programming Trends
    Python’s Growth in Data Work and AI: Python continues to lead because of its easy-to-read style and the huge number of libraries available for tasks from data work to artificial intelligence. Tools like TensorFlow and PyTorch make it a must-have. Whether you’re experienced or just starting, Python’s clear style makes it a good choice for diving into machine learning. Actionable Tip: If you’re new to Python,... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Deeplearning4j and PyTorch, you can also consider the following products

TensorFlow - TensorFlow is an open-source machine learning framework designed and published by Google. It tracks data flow graphs over time. Nodes in the data flow graphs represent machine learning algorithms. Read more about TensorFlow.

Keras - Keras is a minimalist, modular neural networks library, written in Python and capable of running on top of either TensorFlow or Theano.

TFlearn - TFlearn is a modular and transparent deep learning library built on top of Tensorflow.

Scikit-learn - scikit-learn (formerly scikits.learn) is an open source machine learning library for the Python programming language.

NumPy - NumPy is the fundamental package for scientific computing with Python

DeepPy - DeepPy is a MIT licensed deep learning framework that tries to add a touch of zen to deep learning as it allows for Pythonic programming.