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F# VS Python

Compare F# VS Python and see what are their differences

F# logo F#

F# is a mature, open source, cross-platform, functional-first programming language.

Python logo Python

Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.
  • F# Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-15

We recommend LibHunt F# for discovery and comparisons of trending F# projects.

  • Python Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17

F# features and specs

  • Functional Programming Paradigm
    F# primarily supports functional programming, which promotes immutability and first-class functions, leading to more predictable and maintainable code.
  • Interoperability
    F# provides seamless interoperability with .NET libraries and languages like C#, allowing developers to leverage a vast ecosystem of tools and libraries.
  • Conciseness
    F# code tends to be concise and expressive, reducing boilerplate code and enhancing readability.
  • Type Inference
    Powerful type inference capabilities reduce the need for explicit type annotations, making the code easier to write and refactor.
  • Asynchronous Programming
    F# provides robust support for asynchronous programming, enabling the creation of responsive applications and efficient I/O handling.
  • Community and Resources
    An active community and wealth of online resources provide support and facilitate learning through forums, tutorials, and documentation.
  • Multi-Paradigm
    Despite its functional core, F# also supports imperative and object-oriented programming, offering flexibility to developers.

Possible disadvantages of F#

  • Learning Curve
    For developers coming from imperative or object-oriented backgrounds, the functional programming paradigm in F# can present a steep learning curve.
  • IDE and Tooling
    Although F# is integrated into Visual Studio, the overall tooling and IDE support for F# is not as mature as for more established languages like C#.
  • Market Demand
    The demand for F# skillsets in the job market is comparatively lower than for more mainstream languages, potentially affecting career opportunities.
  • Performance Overhead
    While generally efficient, certain operations in F# may incur performance overhead due to the functional aspects and abstractions, especially when not optimized.
  • Library Support
    Although F# can access the .NET library ecosystem, it has a relatively smaller number of libraries and frameworks specifically designed for it compared to languages like Python or JavaScript.
  • Niche Language
    F# is often considered a niche language, which can lead to a smaller community and fewer resources compared to more popular languages.

Python features and specs

  • Easy to Learn
    Python syntax is clear and readable, which makes it an excellent choice for beginners and allows for quick learning and prototyping.
  • Versatile
    Python can be used for web development, data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, automation, and more, making it a highly versatile programming language.
  • Large Standard Library
    Python comes with a comprehensive standard library that includes modules and packages for various tasks, reducing the need to write code from scratch.
  • Strong Community Support
    Python has a large and active community, which means a wealth of third-party packages, tutorials, and documentation is available for assistance.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Python is compatible with major operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing for easy development and deployment across different platforms.
  • Good for Rapid Development
    The high-level nature of Python allows for quick development cycles and fast iteration, which is ideal for startups and prototyping.

Possible disadvantages of Python

  • Performance Limitations
    Python is generally slower than compiled languages like C or Java because it is an interpreted language, which can be a drawback for performance-critical applications.
  • Global Interpreter Lock (GIL)
    The GIL in CPython, the most used Python interpreter, prevents multiple native threads from executing Python bytecodes at once, limiting multi-threading capabilities.
  • Memory Consumption
    Python can be more memory-intensive compared to some other languages, which might be a concern for applications with tight memory constraints.
  • Mobile Development
    Python is not a primary choice for mobile app development, where languages like Java, Swift, or Kotlin are more commonly used.
  • Runtime Errors
    Being a dynamically typed language, Python code can sometimes lead to runtime errors that would be caught at compile-time in statically typed languages.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies in Python projects can sometimes be complex and cumbersome, especially when dealing with conflicting versions of libraries.

F# videos

F# Software Foundation Year in Review

More videos:

  • Review - F# Blues Harp Review
  • Review - F# base Bhavika flute review by Dhyey patel ji

Python videos

Creator of Python Programming Language, Guido van Rossum | Oxford Union

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to F# and Python)
Programming Language
15 15%
85% 85
OOP
16 16%
84% 84
Generic Programming Language
Development
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare F# and Python

F# Reviews

We have no reviews of F# yet.
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Python Reviews

Pine Script Alternatives: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Indicator Languages
Technical analysis in trading has come a long way, with various programming languages emerging to support traders in developing custom indicators. While Pine Script has been a popular choice for many, alternatives like Indie, ThinkScript, NinjaScript, MetaQuotes Language (MQL), and even general-purpose languages like Python and C++ are gaining traction. Let’s explore these...
Source: medium.com
Top 5 Most Liked and Hated Programming Languages of 2022
No wonder Python is one of the easiest programming languages to work upon. This general-purpose programming language finds immense usage in the field of web development, machine learning applications, as well as cutting-edge technology in the software industry. The fact that Python is used by major tech giants such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, etc. is good enough proof as to...
Top 10 Rust Alternatives
This programming langue is typed statically and operates on a complied system. It works based on several computing languages Python, Ada, and Modula.
15 data science tools to consider using in 2021
Python is the most widely used programming language for data science and machine learning and one of the most popular languages overall. The Python open source project's website describes it as "an interpreted, object-oriented, high-level programming language with dynamic semantics," as well as built-in data structures and dynamic typing and binding capabilities. The site...
The 10 Best Programming Languages to Learn Today
Python's variety of applications make it a powerful and versatile language for different use cases. Python-based web development frameworks like Django and Flask are gaining popularity fast. It's also equipped with quality machine learning and data analysis tools like Scikit-learn and Pandas.
Source: ict.gov.ge

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Python seems to be a lot more popular than F#. While we know about 288 links to Python, we've tracked only 21 mentions of F#. 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.

F# mentions (21)

  • What's New in F# 9
    It's an open-source project with its own F# Software Foundation. If Microsoft drops it, I think it would continue. https://fsharp.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Rust panics under the hood, and implementing them in .NET
    Before Rich made Clojure for the JVM, he wrote dotLisp[1] for the CLR. Not long after Clojure was JVM hosted, it was also CLR hosted[2]. One of my first experiences with ML was F#[3], a ML variant that targets the CLR. These all predate the MIT licensed .net, but prior to that there was mono, which was also MIT licensed. 1: https://dotlisp.sourceforge.net/dotlisp.htm 2: https://github.com/clojure/clojure-clr. - Source: Hacker News / 8 months ago
  • Roc – A fast, friendly, functional language
    Oh yeah. A key hindrance of F# is that MS treats it like a side project even though it's probably their secret weapon, and a lot of the adopters are dotnet coders who already know the basics so the on-boarding is less than ideal. https://fsharp.org/ is the best place to actually start. https://fsharpforfunandprofit.com/ is the standard recommendation from there but there's finally some good youtube and other... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Building React Components Using Unions in TypeScript
    Naturally I’d recommend using a better language such as ReScript or Elm or PureScript or F#‘s Fable + Elmish, but “React” is the king right now and people perceive TypeScript as “less risky” for jobs/hiring, so here we are. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • I am a ChatGPT bot - Ask me anything #2
    Are you really a bot? Yes, I'm a small F# program that glues together the public API's provided by Reddit and OpenAI. I was created by /u/brianberns. You can find my source code here. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

Python mentions (288)

  • A Beginner's Guide to Auto-Instrumenting a Flask App with OpenTelemetry and SigNoz
    If Python is not installed, download it from python.org or use your system's package manager (e.g., sudo apt install python3 on Ubuntu). - Source: dev.to / 30 days ago
  • Scraping Infinite Scroll Pages with a 'Load More' Button: A Step-by-Step Guide
    Python Installed: Download and install the latest Python version from python.org, including pip during setup. - Source: dev.to / 4 months ago
  • Get Started with Python
    First, you'll need to install Python if you don't have it already. Go to the official Python website python.org, download the latest version, and follow the instructions. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Unlocking DuckDB from Anywhere - A Guide to Remote Access with Apache Arrow and Flight RPC (gRPC)
    Python: We’ll use Python for it’s simplicity and accessibility. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Python Packaging is Great Now: `uv` is all you need
    Bootstrapping was an often neglected problem. Should we tell people to install Python from https://python.org? The Anaconda distribution? How do we stop folks from using their system package manager and risk breaking everything? - Source: dev.to / 9 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing F# and Python, you can also consider the following products

Elixir - Dynamic, functional language designed for building scalable and maintainable applications

JavaScript - Lightweight, interpreted, object-oriented language with first-class functions

C++ - Has imperative, object-oriented and generic programming features, while also providing the facilities for low level memory manipulation

Rust - A safe, concurrent, practical language

Clojure - Clojure is a dynamic, general-purpose programming language, combining the approachability and interactive development of a scripting language with an efficient and robust infrastructure for multithreaded programming.

Java - A concurrent, class-based, object-oriented, language specifically designed to have as few implementation dependencies as possible