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pyglet VS Kivy

Compare pyglet VS Kivy and see what are their differences

pyglet logo pyglet

Cross-platform windowing and multimedia library for Python.

Kivy logo Kivy

Open source Python framework for rapid development of applications that make use of innovative user interfaces, such as multi-touch apps. Installation on WindowsInstallation on Windows. Installation; What are wheels .
  • pyglet Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-08
  • Kivy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

pyglet features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Pyglet is designed to work on Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to create applications that are easily portable across different operating systems.
  • No External Dependencies
    Pyglet does not require any external dependencies or additional installations, simplifying the setup process and reducing potential compatibility issues.
  • Rich Media Support
    Pyglet natively supports a wide range of image, audio, and video formats, facilitating the development of multimedia applications.
  • OpenGL Integration
    Offers comprehensive support for OpenGL, enabling developers to create high-performance graphics and make use of advanced rendering techniques.
  • Event-Driven Architecture
    Pyglet provides a flexible event-driven architecture, making it easier to manage user inputs and other events in a clean and organized manner.

Possible disadvantages of pyglet

  • Limited Community and Resources
    Compared to some other libraries, Pyglet has a smaller community and fewer tutorials or online resources, which can make learning and problem-solving more challenging.
  • Performance
    While Pyglet is adequate for many applications, it might not be the best choice for very high-performance requirements or very large-scale games without significant optimization.
  • Less Abstraction for Beginners
    Unlike some other libraries or frameworks, Pyglet requires a good understanding of graphics programming concepts as it doesn't abstract as much detail away, which might be intimidating for beginners.
  • Sparse Development Updates
    Pyglet's updates and new releases are somewhat infrequent, which might lead to concerns about long-term maintenance and feature additions.

Kivy features and specs

  • Cross-Platform
    Kivy allows you to write your application code once and run it on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, reducing development time and effort.
  • Open Source
    Kivy is an open-source framework, which means it is free to use and has a community-driven development model. This also allows developers to contribute to its improvement.
  • Rich User Interface
    Kivy provides a wide range of widgets and controls that can be customized to create highly interactive and attractive user interfaces.
  • Touch Support
    Kivy is designed with built-in support for multitouch events, making it a good choice for applications that require touch interactions.
  • Dynamic and Fast
    Thanks to its use of Cython, Kivy applications can achieve high performance and responsiveness.
  • Consistent Look and Feel
    Kivy apps maintain a consistent look and feel across all supported platforms, which can lead to a better user experience.

Possible disadvantages of Kivy

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Kivy can be challenging for beginners due to its custom language (Kv) and lack of extensive documentation.
  • Limited Community Support
    Compared to more established frameworks, Kivy has a smaller user community, which can make finding help and resources more difficult.
  • Lagging behind in Platform Integration
    Kivy may not offer the same level of integration with native platform features (such as navigation and notifications) as other frameworks like React Native or Flutter.
  • Debugging Complexity
    Debugging Kivy applications can be complex, especially when dealing with cross-platform issues, as the error messages are not always straightforward.
  • Performance Issues on Some Platforms
    Performance may not be consistent across all platforms, particularly on iOS devices where Kivy apps might suffer from performance degradation.
  • Limited Third-Party Libraries
    The ecosystem of third-party libraries and plugins is not as extensive as those available for other popular frameworks, which might limit functionality.

pyglet videos

Pyglet Python and OpenGL - part 01 - Hello Triangle

More videos:

  • Review - PyCon.DE 2018: 3D Graphics in Python with Ratcave and Pyglet - Nicholas A. Del Grosso

Kivy videos

Kivy Intro - Mobile and Desktop App Dev w/ Python

More videos:

  • Review - Starting on a GUI: WXpython vs Kivy #MP55

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to pyglet and Kivy)
Game Development
28 28%
72% 72
Game Engine
28 28%
72% 72
3D Game Engine
21 21%
79% 79
Rapid Application Development

User comments

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Reviews

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

pyglet Reviews

Top 6 Python Framework for Game Development | by Ankur Kumar | unikaksha | Medium
Pyglet is a windowing and multimedia library used to create games and other visually-rich applications using Python. Windowing, game controls, user interface event management, OpenGL graphics, joysticks, picture, and video loading, and sound and background music playing are all supported by this program. Pyglet runs on Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux.
Source: medium.com

Kivy Reviews

25 Python Frameworks to Master
Unlike PyQt, Kivy is free and open-source, isnโ€™t a wrapper around an external UI library, and is licensed under the MIT license, which means you can ship and monetize your Kivy apps.
Source: kinsta.com
Which Python GUI library should you use? Comparing the Python GUI libraries available in 2023
The look and feel of Kivy is extremely customizable, allowing it to be used as an alternative to libraries like Pygame (for making games with Python). The developers have also released a number of separate libraries for Kivy. Some provide Kivy with better integration and access to certain platform-specific features, or help package your application for distribution on...
10 Best Python Libraries for GUI
Kivy was written with a mix of Python and Cython, and it helps build some of the most intuitive user interfaces with multi-touch applications. These multi-touch applications help implement Natural User Interface (NUI), which is a type of interface where the user naturally learns about the various interactions while theyโ€™re usually invisible.
Source: www.unite.ai
Top 6 Python Framework for Game Development | by Ankur Kumar | unikaksha | Medium
Kivy is a Python game development framework for businesses. Itโ€™s an open-source Python library that lets programmers easily construct apps with unique user interfaces, such as multi-touch apps. Kivy assists in developing apps for Windows, Linux, and iOS devices such as iPhones, iPads, and Android devices such as phones and tablets.
Source: medium.com
Top 10 Python GUI Frameworks for Developers
With Kivy, interface designers can code once and deploy to multiple platforms, while the built-in support for OpenGL ES 2 allows them to use modern and powerful graphics and design techniques. The most common use of the Kivy GUI framework in the real-world can be seen in our Android and iOS applications. Other widespread implementations of the framework can be seen in the...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Kivy should be more popular than pyglet. It has been mentiond 48 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.

pyglet mentions (7)

  • I need a good python game engine.
    Years ago I had some success with pyglet. It seems to still be actively developed! I haven't seen anything about swf files though. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Minecraft-like engine...having a hard time getting geometry on screen fast enough
    Bottom of the page: https://pyglet.org/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Pglet โ€“ Web UI framework for back end developers
    Already exists: https://ollycope.com/software/piglet-templates/latest/ also this one is very popular too: http://pyglet.org/ I would personally avoid the current name as it sounds phonetically the same as the above. - Source: Hacker News / almost 4 years ago
  • What's the best game-engine for making RPG games with Python?
    First, you can use Python plus a library like Pyglet or Cocos2D or Arcade or Pygame. The only one of these that I have any experience with is Pygame, but it looks like none of these are "engines" in the modern sense. Working with them means doing everything from your favorite Python IDE. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • In a nutshell: Aren't game engines just pre-programmed instructions written for the user?
    In the same way, if your goal is to make a game, why go to the trouble of writing all the code to do basic things like loading images and drawing sprites and playing sounds when you could just type "import pyglet"? Source: about 4 years ago
View more

Kivy mentions (48)

  • Ask HN: What Toolchains Are People Using for Desktop App Development in 2025?
    Because I mainly work with python, I am using Kivy (https://kivy.org/). Earlier I was HTMX, Jinja templates, Flask, Tailwind and little vanilla JS. It was too inelegant for my taste. I am considering moving to either Swift, or JS/Svelete. - Source: Hacker News / about 2 months ago
  • Plain โ€“ a web framework for building products with Python
    There are some things available, and people are working on it. Coincidentally, one of those people is Russell Keith-Magee of Django fame, who founded the BeeWare project. https://beeware.org/ https://beeware.org/about/team/freakboy3742/ https://kivy.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 6 months ago
  • How to Develop a User Data Storage Registration Form Using Python.
    We will create this complete Python registration form using Kivy. We get started by installing Kivy, a powerful Python framework for building interactive applications. - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • Ask HN: Can I create a mobile and Web App using Python/Python Framework?
    For reference, YouTube runs on Python[1,2,3]: > 1. Python and Django: YouTubeโ€™s backend is predominantly written in Python, offering a balance of performance and readability. > 2. Google Cloud Platform... > 3. Java and C++: YouTube also utilizes Java and C++ for specific backend services, as they provide better performance for certain tasks. --- A long time ago, I looked into these Python frameworks: -... - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Python GUI libraries? <3
    I suggest you use kivy which is suitable for the desktop but also has the advantage of being one of few options for creating Python based native(ish) mobile apps (for IoS and Android app stores). Source: almost 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing pyglet and Kivy, you can also consider the following products

Godot Engine - Feature-packed 2D and 3D open source game engine.

Unity - The multiplatform game creation tools for everyone.

Pygame - Pygame is a set of Python modules designed for writing games.

Blender - Blender is the open source, cross platform suite of tools for 3D creation.

BYOND - BYOND is the premier community for making and playing online multiplayer games.

Unreal Engine - Unreal Engine 4 is a suite of integrated tools for game developers to design and build games, simulations, and visualizations.