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GTK VS Photon Micro GUI

Compare GTK VS Photon Micro GUI and see what are their differences

GTK logo GTK

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

Photon Micro GUI logo Photon Micro GUI

Open-source, resolution independent GUI library in C++
  • GTK Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • Photon Micro GUI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-17

GTK features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    GTK supports multiple platforms including Linux, Windows, and macOS, making it versatile for developing applications across different operating systems.
  • Rich Widget Set
    GTK provides a comprehensive set of widgets for GUIs, allowing developers to create complex and highly functional user interfaces.
  • Open Source
    Being open-source, GTK offers developers the ability to inspect, modify, and distribute their modifications, fostering a community of collaboration and innovation.
  • Language Bindings
    GTK supports multiple programming languages through various bindings, including C, Python, and JavaScript, thereby offering flexibility to developers.
  • Consistent Look and Feel
    GTK strives to maintain a consistent look and feel across applications and platforms, providing a unified user experience.

Possible disadvantages of GTK

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For beginners, GTK can present a steep learning curve due to its comprehensive nature and the depth of its APIs.
  • Performance Overhead
    GTK applications can sometimes exhibit performance issues, especially on less powerful hardware, due to the extensive features and capabilities it includes.
  • Limited Native Support on macOS
    Although GTK is cross-platform, native support and integration on macOS can be limited compared to its support on Linux and Windows.
  • Heavy Dependencies
    GTK applications often require a significant amount of dependencies, which can lead to larger application sizes and more complex installation processes.
  • Documentation Quality
    While GTK has extensive documentation, the quality and depth can sometimes be inconsistent, which may hinder learning and troubleshooting for developers.

Photon Micro GUI features and specs

No features have been listed yet.

Analysis of GTK

Overall verdict

  • Yes, GTK is a good choice for developers looking to create cross-platform desktop applications. It is especially beneficial for those who prioritize open-source software and appreciate a well-documented, community-supported framework.

Why this product is good

  • GTK, which stands for GIMP Toolkit, is a highly versatile and widely-used open-source library for creating graphical user interfaces. It is praised for its ease of use, comprehensive documentation, and ability to produce visually appealing, native-looking interfaces across different operating systems. With a large community and a wealth of resources, GTK is continuously updated, ensuring it remains relevant for modern application development. Developers also appreciate its integration capabilities with various programming languages like C, C++, Python, and more.

Recommended for

  • Developers creating cross-platform desktop applications
  • Open-source software enthusiasts
  • Projects requiring consistent look and feel across different operating systems
  • Those seeking integration with programming languages like C, C++, and Python

GTK videos

GTK4 Is Here: Why You Should Even Care

Photon Micro GUI videos

No Photon Micro GUI videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GTK and Photon Micro GUI)
Development Tools
87 87%
13% 13
Rapid Application Development
Cross-Platform Development
Developer Tools
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 GTK and Photon Micro GUI

GTK Reviews

Best GUI frameworks for Go
The go-gtk package is a Go binding for the GTK toolkit. The package enables Go developers to use the GTK library in Go with similar features as the GTK library. The package is performant, well-documented, and actively maintained. The go-gtk package depends on the GTK library to function, and you’ll need to have GTK installed on your machine to build GUI applications in Go....

Photon Micro GUI Reviews

We have no reviews of Photon Micro GUI yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Photon Micro GUI might be a bit more popular than GTK. We know about 6 links to it since March 2021 and only 6 links to GTK. 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.

GTK mentions (6)

  • What GNOME needs to progress faster? (More contributors, money, better docs etc.)
    Wha? An example of a barebones GTK JavaScript app is right there on the front page. One click on the bindings link, will send you to the official GNOME-hosted GitLab repo for gjs, which in-turn, has links to official API documentation. Source: over 2 years ago
  • GTK 4 & JavaScript - how to start?
    I think what is lacking is a kind of introduction similar to what you have written in your post now. Myself, I am totally new to GTK. I come as a user of Gnome. All I knew until today was that to develop applications for Gnome, preferably I should use something called GTK. And I heard so much about the recent version that came out - GTK 4. So I started to look for a Getting Started tutorial for GTK 4, to build... Source: about 3 years ago
  • GTK 4 & JavaScript - how to start?
    BTW, I think the GTK team should really step up their game in terms of how to encourage new people into their ecosystem. Seeing that windows screenshot in the official tutorial makes me think I'm dealing with some old technology. Also, the official gtk.org has two separate tutorials that show very similar applications being built. Source: about 3 years ago
  • CTA: We need Web Developers to Contribute to GNOME!
    Faces of GNOME Faces of GNOME is an initiative to create something similar to People of Mozilla / Mozillians which is a directory of active, current or past GNOME Contributors. Faces of GNOME (Current Demo HERE) aims to give a space for every GNOME Contributor, GNOME Foundation Member and more. It is being designed to showcase the list of current Maintainers, People that spoke at GNOME Conferences/Events, GNOME... Source: over 3 years ago
  • Software Engineering student looking to get started developing apps on the pinephone
    My advice is to basically learn how to write GTK apps using Python. Source: over 3 years ago
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Photon Micro GUI mentions (6)

  • Digital Audio Workstation Front End Development Struggles
    There's a relatively new C++ GUI library literally called "Elements". Not sure how it works though, but the way it looks, and the music background of its creator makes it appear designed for DAWs. https://github.com/cycfi/elements. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Introducing Slint 1.0 - The Next-Generation GUI Toolkit with C++20 APIs
    Further, if you we want a "modern" C++ GUI framework what actually would be modern would be to use mechanisms in the language itself as a quasi-DSL from within the language. This is something like what Joel de Guzman is doing with Elements. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Boost.URL ACCEPTED, get the beta now!
    It's a complex domain. The closest we have at the moment is Elements which hasn't been proposed for Boost (yet?) but is by Joel de Guzman, the primary author of Boost.Spirit. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Is there any MIT/BSD licensed UI framework for C++ ?
    Elements was mentioned as a specific example of an MIT-licensed GUI library on the CPPcast episode from 5 May 2022. Source: about 3 years ago
  • GUI for software, not games, but lighter than Qt ?
    If you don't want to use Qt I honestly think your best bet may be to become an early adopter of cycfi elements depending on your project. Elements is still rough but is useable for small applications. I think when it is finished it will be the best choice for a retained mode GUI library, but right now it is missing a lot of things (e.g. The standard common dialogs, "open", "Save as", etc.) , and has basically zero... Source: about 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GTK and Photon Micro GUI, you can also consider the following products

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.

IUP Portable User Interface - IUP is a multi-platform toolkit for building graphical user interfaces.

wxWidgets - wxWidgets: Cross-Platform GUI Library

Dear ImGui - Dear ImGui: Bloat-free Graphical User interface for C++ with minimal dependencies

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

Electron - Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies