Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

QT for Python VS Electron

Compare QT for Python VS Electron and see what are their differences

QT for Python logo QT for Python

Design GUI with Python: Python Bindings for Qt

Electron logo Electron

Build cross platform desktop apps with web technologies
  • QT for Python Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-25
  • Electron Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-02-01

QT for Python features and specs

  • Comprehensive Framework
    Qt for Python provides a comprehensive set of libraries and functionalities for building complex and high-performance applications, making it a great tool for developers who need extensive capabilities in their applications.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    It allows developers to write code once and deploy it across multiple platforms, such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and embedded devices, without significant modifications.
  • Consistent User Interface
    Qt for Python offers standardized widgets and UI components, ensuring that applications have a native look and feel on different platforms, enhancing the user experience.
  • Strong Community and Support
    A robust community and extensive documentation are available, which can be beneficial for learning, troubleshooting, and enhancing productivity.
  • Integration with C++
    Qt for Python can seamlessly integrate with existing C++ code, allowing developers to leverage the performance and features of C++ libraries.

Possible disadvantages of QT for Python

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and capabilities, Qt for Python may have a steep learning curve for beginners or developers who are new to the framework.
  • Complexity
    For simple applications, the complexity and overhead of the Qt framework might be overkill, making it less suitable for small-scale projects.
  • Licensing
    While Qt for Python is available under GPL and LGPL licenses, some features and tools are limited to commercial licenses, potentially increasing costs for commercial applications.
  • Performance Overhead
    Compared to native C++ Qt applications, Qt for Python might introduce a performance overhead due to the additional layer between Python and the Qt libraries.
  • Limited Native Python Feel
    Qt's C++ heritage sometimes means that the Python APIs may not feel as 'pythonic' as developers might expect, possibly requiring adjustments for Python developers used to a different programming style.

Electron features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Compatibility
    Electron allows developers to create applications that run on Windows, macOS, and Linux using a single codebase, making it easier to reach a broader audience.
  • Web Technologies
    Developers can utilize HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (including popular frameworks like React, Angular, and Vue) to build Electron apps, enabling a more accessible development process for web developers.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    Electron benefits from the vast ecosystem of Node.js, granting access to a multitude of packages and modules, and simplifying the inclusion of various functionalities in applications.
  • Auto-Update Mechanism
    Electron has built-in support for auto-updating applications, which saves developers time and effort in managing updates and improves the user experience by keeping the application up-to-date seamlessly.
  • Active Community
    An active community and extensive documentation provide a wealth of resources for developers, from tutorials to plugins, making it easier to find support and improve productivity.

Possible disadvantages of Electron

  • Large File Size
    Because Electron packages both the application code and a version of Chromium, applications tend to be significantly larger in file size compared to native counterparts.
  • High Memory Consumption
    Electron apps can consume more memory because each window runs its instance of Chromium, which can lead to inefficient resource usage, especially on systems with limited memory.
  • Performance
    Due to its reliance on web technologies and Chromium, Electron applications may not perform as well as optimally coded native apps, particularly in resource-intensive scenarios.
  • Security Concerns
    Electron's use of web technologies and features like Node.js integration increases the attack surface, requiring careful handling of security practices to prevent vulnerabilities such as injection attacks.
  • Complexity in Debugging
    Debugging Electron applications can be more complex due to the blend of backend (Node.js) and frontend (browser-like) code, requiring developers to be proficient in multiple debugging tools and techniques.

Analysis of Electron

Overall verdict

  • Electron is generally considered a good choice for creating cross-platform desktop applications, especially when rapid development and leveraging web technologies are priorities. However, it may not be suitable for applications where performance and resource efficiency are critical, as Electron apps tend to be resource-heavy compared to native applications.

Why this product is good

  • Electron is a popular framework that allows developers to build cross-platform desktop applications using web technologies like HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. One of its main advantages is that it enables the use of existing web development skills to create apps for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Electron also benefits from a large community and a rich ecosystem of tools and libraries, making development quicker and more flexible.

Recommended for

    Electron is recommended for developers or teams that already have experience with web technologies and need to create desktop applications quickly across multiple platforms. It's especially useful for applications that require a high degree of flexibility and customization in the UI, or for products that benefit from sharing a codebase with a web application. Startups and small to medium-sized businesses that prioritize development speed and cost efficiency may find Electron particularly attractive.

QT for Python videos

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Electron videos

๐Ÿ’ป Why You Should Build Desktop Software With Electron

More videos:

  • Review - What is Electron: The Hard Parts Made Easy
  • Review - Electron Matrix Review Video

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to QT for Python and Electron)
Developer Tools
17 17%
83% 83
Development Tools
6 6%
94% 94
GUI Libraries
100 100%
0% 0
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 QT for Python and Electron

QT for Python Reviews

10 Best Python Libraries for GUI
Another top Python GUI library is PySide2, or QT for Python, which offers the official Python bindings for Qt (PySide2). It enables the use of its APIs in Python applications, and the binding generator tool can be used to expose C++ projects into Python.
Source: www.unite.ai

Electron Reviews

Electron.js Alternatives For Cross-Platform Development
All of this changed when Electron.js came into the picture. The framework allowed developers to create a unique cross-platform desktop application without any hurdles. However, it uses up quite a bit of resource making it harder for developers to create lightweight applications. With this blog, we will look into suitable alternatives for Electron.js.
Source: www.atatus.com
12 Best Frameworks and Toolkits to Build Desktop Applications
If you are looking for an alternative to the Electronjs desktop application development framework, Neutralinojs is a viable option. A few applications may become bulky with Electron, but Neutralinojs can help avoid such problems.
Source: geekflare.com
10 Best Tools to Develop Cross-Platform Desktop Appsย 
Electron.js is compatible with a variety of frameworks, libraries, access to hardware-level APIs and chromium engine, and Node.js support. Electron Fiddle feature is great for experimentation as it allows developers to play around with concepts and templates. Simplification is at the center of Electron because developers donโ€™t have to spend unnecessary time on the packaging,...
Electron Alternatives๏นฃ5 Best JavaScript Frameworks for Desktop Apps
If youโ€™re a JavaScript developer, youโ€™re going to need to learn a few relatively simple things on how Electron works and itโ€™s API. You will most probably be able to set up your first Electron desktop application in just a few days.
Source: brainhub.eu
Frameworks & Tools to Develop Cross-Platform Desktop Apps โ€“ Best of
Enyo is an open-source JavaScript framework, like Electron, that allows developers to create native-quality apps for desktop, mobile, and TV. Enyo can run across all the relatively modern and standard web-based environments. Itโ€™s battle-tested and comes with a beautiful cross-platform UI toolkit for creating rich user interfaces.

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Electron seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 14 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.

QT for Python mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of QT for Python yet. Tracking of QT for Python recommendations started around Apr 2023.

Electron mentions (14)

  • Design Systems with Web Components
    So we talked a lot about the Atomic Design Principle, but you could just use that in any system and start creating. You could have Angular components, React Components, and Vue Components. But if you notice these don't easily work Everwhere. So the solution is to use Web Components because the modern browser can already understand these, and any Front-End framework can then utilize these components. You can use... - Source: dev.to / over 2 years ago
  • Building Apps with Tauri and Elixir
    For the longest time, building desktop apps was a daunting task to web developers. That is, until technologies like Electron made creating these apps more approachable to a wider audience. Today, weโ€™ve got a wide array of native applications built with solutions like Electron, Tauri, Capacitor, and many more. While these are great solutions, sometimes configuration can be tricky and the applications we create can... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
  • SvelteKit + Electron: Create your desktop web app
    I make a new Adapter for SvelteKit apps that prerenders your entire site as a collection of static files for use with Electron. - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Electron: Build Desktop Applications Using Plain Javascript
    Electron is a cross-platform shell โ€” a user interface for accessing operating system services both via command line (CLI) and graphical user interface (GUI). - Source: dev.to / over 3 years ago
  • Circuit To Turn On Desktop PC
    Electron (https://electronjs.org/) is a framework for developing cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML, and CSS. This is the technology behind many popular apps like Slack, Discord and Visual Studio Code. Join for discussions around Electron! Source: over 3 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing QT for Python and Electron, you can also consider the following products

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 .

Flutter - Build beautiful native apps in record time ๐Ÿš€

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

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.

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

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React