GTK VS UIKit

Compare GTK VS UIKit and see what are their differences

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GTK

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

UIKit

A lightweight and modular front-end framework for developing fast and powerful web interfaces

Landing page //
2021-10-17

Landing page //
2023-07-24

GTK

Website: gtk.org
$ Details

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UIKit

Website: getuikit.com
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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.

UIKit features and specs

Modularity
UIKit is highly modular, allowing developers to include only the components they need. This can lead to more efficient and faster loading webpages.
Extensive Documentation
The framework comes with extensive and well-detailed documentation, making it easier for developers to get started and effectively utilize components.
Responsive Design
UIKit is designed with responsiveness in mind, offering a sleek user experience across different screen sizes and devices.
Customization
UIKit allows for deep customization through its LESS and SCSS files, enabling developers to modify the framework according to their needs.
Active Community
There is an active community which leads to consistent updates and a wealth of shared resources and plugins.

Possible disadvantages of UIKit

Learning Curve
For beginners, UIKit can be complex and might require a learning curve to become proficient in its use.
Limited Third-Party Integrations
Compared to more mature frameworks like Bootstrap, UIKit may offer fewer third-party integrations and plugins.
Potential Overhead
Including too many unnecessary components can add to the overhead, resulting in slower load times if not managed properly.
Inconsistencies Across Browsers
Occasional inconsistencies may be noted across different browsers, which may require additional effort to resolve.
Less Recognition
UIKit is not as commonly recognized as some other frameworks, which may lead to challenges in finding developers experienced with it.

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

Analysis of UIKit

Overall verdict

Yes, UIKit is considered a good choice for web developers looking to build modern, responsive, and aesthetically pleasing applications with a focus on customization and modularity.

Why this product is good

UIKit is a front-end framework that is well-regarded for its modularity, flexibility, and comprehensive set of components. It offers a consistent and clean design system, making it easy for developers to build responsive and engaging web interfaces. Additionally, UIKit provides customization options that allow developers to create unique designs while maintaining a cohesive look and feel. The framework includes a comprehensive documentation, which helps in ease of use and implementation.

Recommended for

UIKit is recommended for developers who need a flexible and modular framework for building user interfaces, especially those who prefer a clean design system and extensive component library. It is suitable for beginners due to its comprehensible documentation and also for experienced developers looking to streamline their workflow with a reliable front-end framework.

GTK videos

+ Add

GTK4 Is Here: Why You Should Even Care

UIKit videos

+ Add

Should I Learn SwiftUI instead of UIKit?

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GTK and UIKit)

GTK

UIKit

Development Tools

51 51%

Development Tools

49% 49

Design Tools

0 0%

Design Tools

100% 100

Rapid Application Development

100 100%

Rapid Application Development

0% 0

CSS Framework

0 0%

CSS Framework

100% 100

User comments

Share your experience with using GTK and UIKit. For example, how are they different and which one is better?

Reviews

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

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....

Source: blog.logrocket.com

UIKit Reviews

22 Best Bootstrap Alternatives & What Each Is Best For

UIkit includes an extensive collection of HTML, CSS, and JS components, all easy to use and customizable. Features include a responsive grid system, navigation components, form elements, and more. Though UIkit does not offer explicit integrations, its modular nature means it can be easily incorporated into many different web development workflows and tools.

Source: thectoclub.com

15 Top Bootstrap Alternatives For Frontend Developers in 2024

One of the advantages of UIKit is that it offers a wide range of UI components, even more than Bootstrap. It also includes unique components like Totop, Thumbnav, and more. Considering its rich set of resources, UIKit can be regarded as an ideal alternative to Bootstrap.

Source: coursesity.com

Top 10 Best CSS Frameworks for Front-End Developers in 2022

UI Kit has a comprehensive collection of CSS, HTML, and JS components. It is modular and lightweight. Used for iOS application development, UIKit is one of the bestfront-end CSS frameworks.

Source: hackr.io

10 of the Best Bootstrap Alternatives

UIKit offers an easy approach to developing sophisticated web interfaces. It’s a modular front-end framework that can be used with HTML or JavaScript. With this structure, you may quickly create your web layouts with ease. This structure is perfect for laying out your website. When compared to Bootstrap, this framework offers more UI components. It also includes oddity parts...

Source: thetechhacker.com

Best CSS Frameworks in 2019

Our fourth framework to consider is UIkit. UIkit is “a lightweight and modular front-end framework for developing fast and powerful web interfaces” (UIkit). The framework comes with built-in animations, is customizable and has out-of-the-box designs.

Source: www.codeauthority.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, UIKit should be more popular than GTK. It has been mentiond 22 times since March 2021. 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

UIKit mentions (22)

100+ Must-Have Web Development Resources
UIkit: A lightweight and modular front-end framework. - Source: dev.to / 8 months ago
Building UIs with Franken UI, a Shadcn alternative
Franken UI is compatible with UIkit 3 and can work as a standalone CSS framework but can be integrated with Tailwind CSS for faster styling and customization. The design of Franken UI is influenced by shadcn/ui. It aims to provide a solution to developers who are not comfortable using React, Vue, or Svelte by leveraging UIkit for JavaScript and accessibility. - Source: dev.to / 11 months ago
SwiftUI vs. UIKit: What is the best choice for building an iOS user interface in 2024?
As an iOS engineer, you've likely encountered SwiftUI and UIkit, two popular tools for building iOS user interfaces. SwiftUI is the new cool kid on the block, providing a clean way to build iOS screens, while UIkit is the older and more traditional way to build screens for iOS. SwiftUI uses a declarative style where you describe how the UI should look, similar to Jetpack Compose in Android. UIkit, on the other... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
How To Build a Web Application with HTMX and Go
All that's left is adding a little style. I won't claim to be a frontend engineer or a UI designer, so I just used UIKit to easily add modern-looking style to the HTML table and buttons. As mentioned throughout the article, the CSS classes and other small details are excluded since they are not directly relevant to the tutorial. See the full example on GitHub to try running it for yourself. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
On the search for a truly "good" UI framework.
Can try UIKIT out if you're looking around, I've used it solely for some quick slider stuff in certain projects and use it fully in others. The docs are pretty good and they have a discord community that's fairly active. Source: almost 2 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing GTK and UIKit, 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.

Bootstrap - Simple and flexible HTML, CSS, and JS for popular UI components and interactions

wxWidgets - wxWidgets: Cross-Platform GUI Library

Semantic UI - A UI Component library implemented using a set of specifications designed around natural language

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

Materialize CSS - A modern responsive front-end framework based on Material Design