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iPython VS WinPython

Compare iPython VS WinPython and see what are their differences

iPython logo iPython

iPython provides a rich toolkit to help you make the most out of using Python interactively.

WinPython logo WinPython

The easiest way to run Python, Spyder with SciPy and friends out of the box on any Windows PC...
  • iPython Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-07
  • WinPython Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-09-18

iPython features and specs

  • Interactive Computing
    IPython provides a rich toolkit to help you make the most out of using Python interactively. This includes powerful introspection, rich media display, session logging, and more.
  • Ease of Use
    IPython includes features like syntax highlighting, tab completion, and easy access to the help system, which make writing and understanding code easier for users.
  • Rich Display System
    It supports rich media like images, videos, LaTeX, and HTML, making it very useful for data visualization and educational purposes.
  • Extensibility
    IPython is highly extensible and can be customized with a range of plugins, extensions, and different backends to suit various needs.
  • Enhanced Debugging
    It features enhanced debugging capabilities, including an improved traceback support and better handling of exceptions.

Possible disadvantages of iPython

  • Learning Curve
    For beginners, the extensive feature set of IPython may be overwhelming and have a steep learning curve.
  • Resource Intensive
    IPython, particularly Jupyter notebooks, can be resource-intensive, leading to slow performance on large datasets or complex computations.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies can be challenging, especially when using multiple packages in the same environment, which can lead to conflicts.
  • Limited IDE Features
    While IPython has many interactive features, it lacks some of the more advanced IDE features such as comprehensive code refactoring tools and integrated version control.
  • Exporting and Sharing
    Although you can export notebooks in various formats, sharing them in a way that preserves full interactivity can be complex compared to traditional scripts.

WinPython features and specs

  • Portable
    WinPython is completely portable and can be run directly from a USB device without the need for installation, making it easy to use on different machines.
  • Pre-configured Environment
    It comes with a wide range of pre-installed packages commonly used in scientific computing, data analysis, and machine learning, saving time required for setup.
  • Standalone
    It includes a standalone version of Python and can be used alongside other Python installations without conflict, allowing for multiple environments.
  • Ease of Use
    The interface is user-friendly, including a comprehensive control panel that lets users manage their packages and environment easily.
  • Open Source
    WinPython is open-source, allowing users to modify and contribute to its development, fostering a collaborative improvement route.

Possible disadvantages of WinPython

  • Windows Only
    As the name suggests, WinPython is only available for Windows users, making it irrelevant for users of other operating systems like macOS or Linux.
  • Large Size
    The distribution is relatively large compared to other distributions, which can be a downside when dealing with limited storage or downloading bandwidth.
  • Update Management
    Managing updates for both the Python version and the individual packages can be cumbersome compared to alternatives like Anaconda, which can handle updates more seamlessly.
  • Resource Intensive
    It might consume more system resources, which can be a limitation for users working on machines with limited specifications compared to lighter setups.
  • Less Popular
    WinPython might have less community support and fewer resources available online compared to more popular distributions like Anaconda, which could be a concern for beginners seeking help.

iPython videos

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WinPython videos

[ENG] Python programming 1: WinPython/Anaconda Installation

More videos:

  • Review - #1 WinPython - installing, saving & loading
  • Review - Install Python 3 in Windows 10 | Winpython best Windows Python 3 IDE for win10 win7

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to iPython and WinPython)
Python IDE
63 63%
37% 37
Text Editors
64 64%
36% 36
IDE
67 67%
33% 33
Data Science And Machine Learning

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

WinPython might be a bit more popular than iPython. We know about 19 links to it since March 2021 and only 19 links to iPython. 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.

iPython mentions (19)

  • Modern Python REPL in Emacs using VTerm
    As alluded to in Poetry2Nix Development Flake with Matplotlib GTK Support, I’m currently in the process of getting my “new” python workflow up to speed. My second problem, after dependency and environment management, was that fancy REPLs like ipython or ptpython don’t jazz well with the standard comint based inferior python repl that comes with python-mode. One can basically only run ipython with the... - Source: dev.to / 12 months ago
  • Wanting to learn how to code, but completely lost.
    Third, if possible use a command line interpreter to test things out. I recommend ipython for this purpose. You can use your browser's developer console this way if you are learning Javascript. Source: about 2 years ago
  • IJulia: The Julia Notebook
    IJulia is an interactive notebook environment powered by the Julia programming language. Its backend is integrated with that of the Jupyter environment. The interface is web-based, similar to the iPython notebook. It is open-source and cross-platform. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • How to "end" a loop in the REPL?
    Also, take a look at installing iPthon to give you a much richer shell environment. This underpins Jupyter Notebooks, so is well known, proven and trusted. Source: about 2 years ago
  • State of Object Oriented Shells for *nix
    I know this isn't quite what you're asking for, but IPython (https://ipython.org/) is very capable as a Python + bash (or other) shell, as it allows you to easily integrate the system shell into the interactive environment. Although they now recommend Xonsh (https://xon.sh/) for such purposes. Source: about 2 years ago
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WinPython mentions (19)

  • One path to connecting a Python script to a COM application on Windows
    STEP 1: Python on Windows What to install Download and install WinPython from https://winpython.github.io. I researched Python on Windows and in very short order understood that WinPython is the way to go. While it’s stated audience is scientists, data scientists and education, it fully serves the needs of personal projects. Also, it is available as a portable distribution with no requirement to register with... - Source: dev.to / about 1 year ago
  • qBitTorrent search plugins - portable python runtime ?
    How can I use the portable version of winpython from https://winpython.github.io to configure into qbittorrent to detect the runtime pre-requisites so that my portable qbittorent search can work? Thx in advanced. #portablepython. Source: about 2 years ago
  • What you guys use to process data? Excel? r? python?
    You equally are barred from e.g., WinPython which can work without an installation into the OS, too? Then - mechanically speaking - it wouldn't matter that the USB ports are permanently plastered with some polymer. Source: about 2 years ago
  • Jupyterlab Desktop
    Thank for answering. I understand that the interpreter situation can be annoying. There is WinPython [0] to circumvent that to some degree. I feel like if I don’t do it the „VSCode and py-file“ way, it’ll be more and more difficult to keep everything together when teaching about modularity and putting functions in helper scripts, putting tests in other directories and such. I think it’s just because I got used to... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • How to learn Python without installation
    One option would be to use a portable Python runtime. Like this one: https://winpython.github.io/. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing iPython and WinPython, you can also consider the following products

PyCharm - Python & Django IDE with intelligent code completion, on-the-fly error checking, quick-fixes, and much more...

Portable Python - Minimum bare bones portable python distribution with PyScripter as development environment.

Jupyter - Project Jupyter exists to develop open-source software, open-standards, and services for interactive computing across dozens of programming languages. Ready to get started? Try it in your browser Install the Notebook.

IDLE - Default IDE which come installed with the Python programming language.

Anaconda - Anaconda is the leading open data science platform powered by Python.

PyScripter - PyScripter is a free and open-source Python Integrated Development Environment (IDE) created with...