Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

GTK VS Uno Platform

Compare GTK VS Uno Platform and see what are their differences

GTK logo GTK

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

Uno Platform logo Uno Platform

Build Mobile, Desktop and WebAssembly apps with C# and XAML.
  • GTK Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-17
  • Uno Platform Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-01

Uno Platform

$ Details
free
Platforms
Android iOS MacOS Windows WebAssembly Linux
Startup details
Country
Canada

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.

Uno Platform features and specs

  • .NET IDEs
    Seamlessly integrate Uno Platform with Visual Studio, VS Code, and JetBrains Rider for a unified, cross-platform .NET development experience
  • Cross-Platform Development
    Uno Platform allows developers to build applications for multiple platforms (Windows, iOS, Android, WebAssembly, and macOS) using a single codebase, which can significantly reduce development time and effort.
  • Hot Reload
    Instantly see code changes across web, desktop, and mobile apps with Uno Platform's powerful Hot Reload feature
  • Native Performance
    Uno Platform applications leverage native controls and performances of each targeted platform, ensuring that apps run efficiently and provide a smooth user experience.
  • Integration with Visual Studio
    Uno Platform seamlessly integrates with Visual Studio, offering a familiar and powerful development environment for .NET developers with extensive debugging and design tools.
  • Support for XAML
    Uno Platform supports XAML for designing UI, making it easier for developers familiar with Microsoft's WPF, UWP, and Xamarin.Forms to transition their skills and projects to different platforms.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source framework, Uno Platform benefits from community contributions and transparency, allowing developers to examine the code, contribute, or customize the framework to suit their needs.
  • Frequent Updates
    The platform has a robust and active development team, which ensures regular updates, improvements, and new feature additions.

Possible disadvantages of Uno Platform

  • Learning Curve
    Developers who are not familiar with XAML or .NET may find it challenging to get up to speed with the Uno Platform, requiring an investment in learning the technologies involved.
  • Limited Third-Party Library Support
    While Uno Platform is growing, it currently has less extensive third-party library support compared to more established frameworks like React Native or Flutter, which may limit functionality.
  • Performance Overhead in WebAssembly
    While WebAssembly support is a powerful feature, it could introduce performance overhead compared to natively-built web applications, potentially affecting load times and responsiveness.
  • Complexity in Device-Specific Customizations
    Though Uno Platform aims for a unified codebase, implementing platform-specific features or customizations can add complexity and may require conditional compilation or additional code per platform.
  • Dependency on Microsoft Ecosystem
    Uno Platform heavily relies on the Microsoft ecosystem, including tools like Visual Studio, which may not be ideal for developers or teams preferring different development environments or toolchains.

GTK videos

GTK4 Is Here: Why You Should Even Care

Uno Platform videos

Uno Platform Part 1

More videos:

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to GTK and Uno Platform)
Development Tools
41 41%
59% 59
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 Uno Platform

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....

Uno Platform Reviews

We have no reviews of Uno Platform yet.
Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Uno Platform seems to be a lot more popular than GTK. While we know about 72 links to Uno Platform, we've tracked only 6 mentions of 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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Uno Platform mentions (72)

  • Any devs actually getting a leg up using AI tools?
    As-is today, AI tools provide some productivity gains. However, they are not replacements for experienced developers. At Uno Platform we are investing in tools which make developers productive within their current environments, such as Hot Design. Also, we are keeping a close eye and thinking of these useful scenarios to apply AI to, as we don’t believe just adding a simple LLM to it will actually add value. So,... - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • Servo in 2024: stats, features and donations
    Https://platform.uno/ is an option for building web apps with xaml. - Source: Hacker News / 3 months ago
  • Should JavaScript be split into two languages? Google proposal divides opinion
    > And even if it were accomplished in a central open source library like Flutter, that adds a considerable amount to the package size of any application. The download really isn't much different to a typical website. That Flutter demo in wasm is 2 megabytes. Avalonia UI's WebAssembly uses canvas in C#: https://avaloniaui.net/ Uno Platform's WebAssembly implementation uses the DOM rather than drawing to... - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Should JavaScript be split into two languages? Google proposal divides opinion
    > I'd rather we just move to native cross platform applications and stop using a document browser to build interactive applications Here you go. Do both native and wasm: https://avaloniaui.net/ https://platform.uno/ https://flutter.dev/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • Why I'm skeptical of rewriting JavaScript tools in "faster" languages
    Ah, so what you want is Uno. It uses WebAssembly and the DOM: https://platform.uno/ > Why did I even bother replying to you, sigh. I think it's because you're overwrought. Don't fear WebAssembly. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing GTK and Uno Platform, 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.

Avalonia - A multi-platform .NET UI framework

wxWidgets - wxWidgets: Cross-Platform GUI Library

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

Flutter - Build beautiful native apps in record time 🚀

Electron - Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies