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PyQt VS BeeWare

Compare PyQt VS BeeWare and see what are their differences

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PyQt logo PyQt

Riverbank | Software | PyQt | What is PyQt?

BeeWare logo BeeWare

Write your apps in Python and release them on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Web, and tvOS...
  • PyQt Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-10-18
  • BeeWare Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-13

PyQt features and specs

  • Comprehensive UI library
    PyQt provides a wide range of UI components, from basic widgets to advanced tools. This allows for the creation of highly sophisticated interfaces.
  • Cross-platform
    Applications built with PyQt can run on different operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux without requiring significant changes in the code.
  • Integration with Qt Designer
    Developers can use Qt Designer to design and implement their UIs visually, which can then be seamlessly integrated with Python code in PyQt.
  • Powerful event handling
    PyQt includes a highly efficient event handling system that makes it easy to manage user interactions and system events.
  • Good documentation and community support
    PyQt is well-documented, and there's a large community of developers who can provide support and share resources.
  • Python-specific advantages
    Leveraging Python's simplicity and readability, PyQt allows for rapid development and easy maintenance of applications.

Possible disadvantages of PyQt

  • License considerations
    PyQt is available under the GPL and a commercial license. If you want to create proprietary software without open-sourcing your code, you need to purchase a commercial license.
  • Steep learning curve
    While PyQt is powerful, it can have a steep learning curve for newcomers, particularly those who are not familiar with Qt and its paradigms.
  • Performance overhead
    Being a binding for Qt, some operations may have extra overhead compared to native Qt applications written in C++.
  • Dependency on external libraries
    PyQt relies on the Qt library, which means that you have to manage and distribute these dependencies along with your application.
  • Large binary sizes
    Applications created with PyQt can result in relatively large binary sizes because of the included Qt binaries.
  • Fragmentation of tools
    There can be fragmentation concerns, as PyQt must stay in sync with Qt, and different versions of Qt may introduce changes that are not immediately reflected in PyQt.

BeeWare features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    BeeWare allows developers to write applications in Python and deploy them across multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Linux, and Web, without needing to change the codebase.
  • Python Language
    Since BeeWare uses Python, it benefits from Python's simplicity, readability, and large community support, making it an attractive choice for developers already familiar with the language.
  • Native User Interfaces
    BeeWare aims to provide a native look and feel for applications, ensuring that apps look and behave as expected on each platform, which can enhance user experience.
  • Open Source Community
    BeeWare is an open-source project, encouraging community contributions and collaboration, which can lead to continuous improvements and a diverse pool of resources and support.

Possible disadvantages of BeeWare

  • Maturity and Stability
    BeeWare is still considered less mature compared to other cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter, which means it might face stability issues or lack some advanced features.
  • Limited Documentation
    Compared to more established frameworks, BeeWare may have more limited documentation and fewer learning resources, potentially posing challenges for new developers.
  • Performance Concerns
    Applications built with BeeWare might not match the performance of apps built natively or with other optimized frameworks, particularly for complex or resource-intensive applications.
  • Community Size
    Although growing, BeeWare's community is smaller than other major frameworks, possibly leading to fewer third-party libraries, extensions, and slower issue resolution.

Analysis of PyQt

Overall verdict

  • PyQt is considered a good choice for developers looking to create robust, high-performance desktop applications with Python. Its ability to leverage the powerful Qt framework makes it a reliable option for both beginners and experienced developers.

Why this product is good

  • PyQt is a set of Python bindings for the Qt libraries, allowing developers to create cross-platform applications with native look and feel. It provides comprehensive support for building GUI applications and includes an extensive range of modules and functions, making it suitable for both simple and complex projects. Additionally, it benefits from a large and active community, extensive documentation, and commercial support from Riverbank Computing.

Recommended for

  • Developers looking for cross-platform GUI toolkits
  • Projects that require a modern, native look and feel
  • Development teams requiring robust commercial support
  • Python developers interested in leveraging a well-documented and extensive framework

PyQt videos

+ Add

Python Top 3 GUI Frameworks In 2019 (PyQt5, wxPython, TKinter)

More videos:

BeeWare videos

+ Add

Russell Keith-Magee - Building a cross-platform native app with BeeWare - PyCon 2018

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PyQt and BeeWare)

PyQt

BeeWare

Development Tools
61 61%
Development Tools
39% 39
Rapid Application Development
53 53%
Rapid Application Development
47% 47
Developer Tools
44 44%
Developer Tools
56% 56
IDE
50 50%
IDE
50% 50

User comments

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Reviews

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

PyQt Reviews

25 Python Frameworks to Master
PyQt is one of the most popular sets of Python bindings for the Qt cross-platform application framework. This framework perfectly combines the simplicity of Python as a general-purpose language and the powerful Qt application framework built in C++.
Source: kinsta.com
Which Python GUI library should you use? Comparing the Python GUI libraries available in 2023
Before the Qt Company (under Nokia) released the officially supported PySide library in 2009, Riverbank Computing had released PyQt in 1998. The main difference between these two libraries is in licensing. The free-to-use version of PyQt is licensed under GNU General Public License (GPL) v3 but PySide is licensed under GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL). This means...
Source: www.pythonguis.com
10 Best Python Libraries for GUI
Developed by Riverbank Computing, PyQt5 is one of the most popular Python frameworks for GUI. The PyQt package is built around the Qt framework, which is a cross-platform framework used for creating various applications on different platforms.
Source: www.unite.ai
Top 10 Python GUI Frameworks for Developers
When it comes to creating GUIs, the PyQt5 arsenal offers the impressive QtGui and the QtDesigner module, which provide numerous visual elements that the developer can implement with a simple drag and drop. Of course, the option of creating these elements by code also exists, allowing you to create both small-scale as well as large-scale applications with ease. Python’s...
Source: towardsdatascience.com

BeeWare Reviews

The best Python frameworks for mobile development and how to use them
Less Supported Features: Google and Apple will always promote their native tooling first over alternatives. Users of non-native frameworks will be limited by whatever the most recent version of (for example) Kivy/BeeWare have implemented. You will need to be on top of the current issue list and the limitations of the current version in order to resolve any issues you’re...
Source: www.activestate.com
Top 8 Python Tools For App Development
About: BeeWare is a collection of tools and libraries for developing and distributing native applications in Python. The suite of tools and libraries works together to help a developer write cross-platform native GUI Python applications.
Source: analyticsindiamag.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, BeeWare should be more popular than PyQt. It has been mentiond 29 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.

PyQt mentions (4)

  • Python vs. JavaScript: Is It a Fair Comparison?
    JavaScript is a clear winner in the category of mobile development. There are some niche frameworks to do mobile development with Python—like Kivy and PyQT—but pretty much nobody uses them. - Source: dev.to / about 3 years ago
  • what would be the best looking GUI framework to develop a desktop python application? (other than Tkinter)
    If none of those are to your liking, you can use PyQT (or Pyside) but the learning curve is much steeper. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Is there a "Windows Forms" GUI designer for Python?
    Also, there is the PyQt module which is a comprehensive set of Python bindings for the Qt GUI. It has Qt Designer. Source: almost 4 years ago
  • Best way to install qutebrowser?
    As for PyQt, that's developed entirely independently from Qt (by Riverbank Computing). The major/minor versions usually line up with the respective Qt releases (since the Qt release introduces new APIs, so a new PyQt release is needed to expose those to Python). However, it's versioned independently, and a new patch release of PyQt might be needed before/without Qt releasing a new patch release. For more details,... Source: about 4 years ago

BeeWare mentions (29)

  • Plain – 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 / 3 months ago
  • Ask HN: Best framework to build a GUI app in Python for windows and macOS?
    I think the best one right now for python is "beeware": https://beeware.org/ You also have Kivy which is prety good: https://kivy.org/. - Source: Hacker News / over 1 year ago
  • Tkinter Designer: Quickly Turn Figma Design to Python Tkinter GUI
    Neat! I can see this being a useful way to build quick demos from a Figma design. If I follow correctly, it's building the whole UI from images from the Figma file, so isn't using any native OS styling. Thats fine for demos and some simple apps. It would interesting if it was possible to combine this with BeeWhare [0] for mobile UIs, none native style much more forgiving on mobile. 0: https://beeware.org. - Source: Hacker News / almost 2 years ago
  • Python GUIs
    A interesting option I haven’t seen mentioned here is Beeware, which describes the project with this summary: “Write your apps in Python and release them on iOS, Android, Windows, MacOS, Linux, Web, and tvOS using rich, native user interfaces. Multiple apps, one codebase, with a fully native user experience on every platform.” Source: . - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Is there a way to use turn a project into a single executable file that doesn't require anyone to do anything like install Python before using it?
    There's one other option though: BeeWare, a project supported by Anaconda. I've not used it yet, but it looks promising and the docs are solid. It claims to support shipping your app as a binary for Linux, Mac, Windows, and Android. Source: about 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing PyQt and BeeWare, 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.

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 .

PySimpleGUI - A simple to use GUI that can create custom GUIs

Tkinter - Tkinter is a Python wrapper for Tcl/Tk that offers classes to create various graphical user interfaces.

Dear PyGui - Dear PyGui is a simple to use (but powerful) Python GUI framework. Dear PyGui provides a wrapping of Dear ImGui which simulates a traditional retained mode GUI (as opposed to Dear ImGui's immediate mode paradigm).

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

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