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PySimpleGUI VS FLTK

Compare PySimpleGUI VS FLTK and see what are their differences

PySimpleGUI logo PySimpleGUI

A simple to use GUI that can create custom GUIs

FLTK logo FLTK

Fast Light Toolkit - Fast Light Toolkit (FLTK)
  • PySimpleGUI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-18
  • FLTK Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-01-18

PySimpleGUI features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    PySimpleGUI is designed to be easy to use for beginners, with a simpler API compared to other GUI frameworks like Tkinter or PyQt. This reduces the learning curve for new users.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    The library runs on multiple platforms including Windows, macOS, and Linux, allowing developers to write code that works across different environments.
  • Simplified Codebase
    PySimpleGUI abstracts the complexity of GUI programming, allowing developers to create graphical interfaces with less code, which can improve readability and reduce development time.
  • Integration with Other Frameworks
    PySimpleGUI can work on top of tkinter, Qt, WxPython, and Remi, thus giving users the flexibility to switch between underlying frameworks with minimal code changes.
  • Community Support
    The project is open source with active community support and frequent updates, which helps in getting assistance and improvements consistently.

Possible disadvantages of PySimpleGUI

  • Limited Advanced Features
    While PySimpleGUI is excellent for simple applications, it may lack advanced features required for complex GUI applications compared to more comprehensive frameworks like PyQt.
  • Performance
    PySimpleGUI might not be as optimized for performance as lower-level GUI frameworks, which can be a drawback for applications with intensive graphical requirements.
  • Dependency on Underlying Libraries
    PySimpleGUI's functionality is dependent on the underlying GUI frameworks it wraps, such as Tkinter or Qt, which may limit its capability to innovate beyond what those frameworks offer.
  • Lack of Native Look and Feel
    The GUI created with PySimpleGUI might not always match the native look and feel of the underlying operating system, which can affect user experience.
  • Smaller Ecosystem
    Compared to more established GUI frameworks like PyQt or Tkinter, PySimpleGUI has a smaller ecosystem, which might limit the availability of third-party extensions or plugins.

FLTK features and specs

  • Lightweight
    FLTK is designed to be small and simple, making it easy to compile and port across different platforms without consuming significant system resources.
  • Cross-Platform
    FLTK supports major operating systems like Windows, macOS, and Linux, making it a versatile choice for applications that need to operate across these platforms with minimal changes.
  • Fast Performance
    FLTK's lightweight nature ensures rapid execution and responsiveness, which is crucial for graphical applications that require quick updates and fluid interactions.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source toolkit, FLTK allows developers to modify the source code to suit specific needs and contribute to its development, fostering a collaborative community.
  • Easy to Learn
    FLTK's API is considered straightforward and easy to learn for developers familiar with C++, reducing the learning curve for new users.

Possible disadvantages of FLTK

  • Limited Features
    Compared to other modern GUI toolkits, FLTK provides fewer built-in widgets and lacks certain advanced features, which may require additional development effort.
  • Old-Style Look and Feel
    The user interface components of FLTK can appear outdated compared to more modern GUI frameworks, potentially affecting the visual appeal of applications.
  • Less Community Support
    FLTK has a smaller community and less frequently updated documentation compared to more popular frameworks, which can make finding help and resources more challenging.
  • Limited Third-Party Libraries
    There are fewer third-party libraries and extensions available for FLTK, which might limit the ease of extending functionality or integrating with other tools and technologies.
  • Single Thread Limitation
    FLTK predominantly works within a single-threaded context for GUI operations, requiring careful management when incorporating multi-threading in applications.

PySimpleGUI videos

Real Python Podcast – Episode 17 – Linear Programming, PySimpleGUI, and More

FLTK videos

P3D Core2 'Frosting' , More FLTK GUI goodies

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to PySimpleGUI and FLTK)
Rapid Application Development
Development Tools
45 45%
55% 55
Developer Tools
100 100%
0% 0
Cross-Platform 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 PySimpleGUI and FLTK

PySimpleGUI Reviews

25 Python Frameworks to Master
It’s a great option for creating simple and easy-to-use graphical user interfaces in Python and allows you to add a GUI to your already working scripts pretty easily. PySimpleGUI wraps the power of 4 different GUI libraries, PySide, Tkinter, wxPython, and Remi.
Source: kinsta.com
Which Python GUI library should you use? Comparing the Python GUI libraries available in 2023
PySimpleGUI aims to simplify GUI application development for Python. It doesn't reinvent the wheel but provides a wrapper around other existing frameworks such as Tkinter, Qt (PySide 2), WxPython and Remi. By doing so, it not only lowers the barrier to creating a GUI but also allows you to easily migrate from one GUI framework to another by simply changing the import...
10 Best Python Libraries for GUI
PySimpleGUI was developed back in 2018 to make it easier for Python beginners to get started with GUI development. A lot of the other frameworks require more complicated work, but PySimpleGUI enables you to begin right away without worrying about the advanced intricacies of other libraries.
Source: www.unite.ai
Top 10 Python GUI Frameworks for Developers
Isn’t the name of this framework a dead giveaway of what it is meant to do? Getting back to the topic, those starting fresh with Python application development may find a lot of Python GUI frameworks daunting at first. Mike B. created PySimpleGUI in 2018 to make it easier for Python newbies to get into GUI development without spending too much time getting into the...

FLTK Reviews

We have no reviews of FLTK yet.
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, FLTK seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 2 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.

PySimpleGUI mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of PySimpleGUI yet. Tracking of PySimpleGUI recommendations started around Mar 2021.

FLTK mentions (2)

  • declarative GUI libraries
    It’s not declarative, but small, cross platform, old school C++, and has a graphical UI designer that writes the C++ code for you. Since you mentioned Rust, it has Rust bindings too: http://fltk.org . It has different schemes that make it look more modern than the default scheme…. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • not sure about a file i found in my \AppData\Roaming folder (fltk.org)
    Hello, I was recently looking through my \AppData\Roaming and found a folder called fltk.org and I am not sure of why it is there or where it has come from. Does this folder come from any games that can be downloaded or something? Source: about 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing PySimpleGUI and FLTK, you can also consider the following products

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

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.

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

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

MD Python Designer - A drag and drop GUI Designer that uses a combination of Tkinter and its own code.

wxWidgets - wxWidgets: Cross-Platform GUI Library