Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Theano VS PyTorch

Compare Theano VS PyTorch and see what are their differences

Theano logo Theano

Theano is a Python library that allows you to define, optimize, and evaluate mathematical expressions involving multi-dimensional arrays efficiently. Theano features: tight integration with NumPy – Use numpy.

PyTorch logo PyTorch

Open source deep learning platform that provides a seamless path from research prototyping to...
  • Theano Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-19
  • PyTorch Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-07-15

Theano features and specs

  • Symbolic Differentiation
    Theano provides symbolic differentiation, allowing for automatic computation of gradients, which is particularly useful for machine learning algorithms.
  • Optimized GPU Computation
    Theano can utilize GPU acceleration to speed up computation, making it efficient for intensive numerical operations.
  • Extensibility
    It is highly extensible and flexible, allowing users to integrate custom operations and gradients into their workflows.
  • Mathematical Expression Optimization
    Theano optimizes the symbolic expressions for efficient computation, reducing overhead in large-scale numerical tasks.
  • Community and Resources
    Although no longer officially maintained, it still has a significant user base and plenty of resources and tutorials available.

Possible disadvantages of Theano

  • No Longer Maintained
    Official maintenance and updates for Theano have been discontinued, which may lead to compatibility and security issues.
  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its symbolic approach, Theano can be challenging for beginners to learn and understand compared to more straightforward frameworks.
  • Limited High-level Features
    Compared to modern frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch, Theano lacks some high-level abstractions and features that simplify model building.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies and compatibility can be difficult, as newer software updates might break Theano's functions.
  • Performance Benchmarking
    In some scenarios, Theano’s performance might not match up with newer, more optimized deep learning libraries.

PyTorch features and specs

  • Dynamic Computation Graph
    PyTorch uses a dynamic computation graph, which allows for interactive and flexible model building. This is particularly beneficial for researchers who need to modify the network architecture on-the-fly.
  • Pythonic Nature
    PyTorch is designed to be deeply integrated with Python, making it very intuitive for Python developers. The framework feels more 'native' to Python, which improves the ease of learning and use.
  • Strong Community Support
    PyTorch has a large, active, and growing community. This means abundant resources such as tutorials, forums, and third-party tools are available to help developers solve problems and share solutions.
  • Flexibility and Control
    PyTorch offers granular control over computations and provides extensive debugging capabilities. This level of control is beneficial for tasks that require precise tuning and custom implementations.
  • Support for GPU Acceleration
    PyTorch offers seamless integration with GPU hardware, which significantly accelerates the computation process. This makes it highly efficient for deep learning tasks.
  • Rich Ecosystem
    PyTorch has a rich ecosystem including libraries like torchvision, torchaudio, and torchtext, which are specialized for different data types and can significantly shorten development times.

Possible disadvantages of PyTorch

  • Limited Production Deployment Tools
    PyTorch is primarily designed for research rather than production. While deployment tools like TorchServe exist, they are not as mature or integrated as solutions offered by other frameworks like TensorFlow.
  • Lesser Adoption in Industry
    While PyTorch is popular among researchers, it has historically seen less adoption in industry compared to TensorFlow, which means there might be fewer resources for large-scale production deployments.
  • Inconsistent API Changes
    As PyTorch continues to evolve rapidly, occasionally there are breaking changes or inconsistent API updates. This can create maintenance challenges for existing codebases.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Beginners
    Despite its Pythonic design, PyTorch's focus on flexibility and control can make it slightly harder for beginners to get started compared to some other high-level libraries and frameworks.
  • Less Mature Documentation
    Although the documentation is improving, it has been historically less comprehensive and mature compared to other frameworks like TensorFlow, which can make it difficult to find detailed, clear information.

Theano videos

Theano 5 function 用法 (神经网络 教学教程tutorial)

PyTorch videos

PyTorch in 5 Minutes

More videos:

  • Review - Jeremy Howard: Deep Learning Frameworks - TensorFlow, PyTorch, fast.ai | AI Podcast Clips
  • Review - PyTorch at Tesla - Andrej Karpathy, Tesla

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Theano and PyTorch)
AI
17 17%
83% 83
Data Science And Machine Learning
Data Science Tools
0 0%
100% 100
Business & Commerce
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

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

Theano Reviews

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PyTorch Reviews

10 Python Libraries for Computer Vision
Similar to TensorFlow and Keras, PyTorch and torchvision offer powerful tools for computer vision tasks. PyTorch’s dynamic computation graph and torchvision’s datasets and pre-trained models make it easy to implement tasks such as image classification, object detection, and style transfer.
Source: clouddevs.com
25 Python Frameworks to Master
Along with TensorFlow, PyTorch (developed by Facebook’s AI research group) is one of the most used tools for building deep learning models. It can be used for a variety of tasks such as computer vision, natural language processing, and generative models.
Source: kinsta.com
Top 8 Alternatives to OpenCV for Computer Vision and Image Processing
PyTorch is another open-source machine learning framework that is widely used in academia and industry. PyTorch provides excellent support for building deep learning models, and it has several pre-trained models for computer vision tasks, making it the ideal tool for several computer vision applications. PyTorch offers a user-friendly interface that makes it easier for...
Source: www.uubyte.com
PyTorch vs TensorFlow in 2022
When we compare HuggingFace model availability for PyTorch vs TensorFlow, the results are staggering. Below we see a chart of the total number of models available on HuggingFace that are either PyTorch or TensorFlow exclusive, or available for both frameworks. As we can see, the number of models available for use exclusively in PyTorch absolutely blows the competition out of...
15 data science tools to consider using in 2021
First released publicly in 2017, PyTorch uses arraylike tensors to encode model inputs, outputs and parameters. Its tensors are similar to the multidimensional arrays supported by NumPy, another Python library for scientific computing, but PyTorch adds built-in support for running models on GPUs. NumPy arrays can be converted into tensors for processing in PyTorch, and vice...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, PyTorch seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 133 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.

Theano mentions (0)

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

PyTorch mentions (133)

  • Grasping Computer Vision Fundamentals Using Python
    To aspiring innovators: Dive into open-source frameworks like OpenCV or PyTorch, experiment with custom object detection models, or contribute to projects tackling bias mitigation in training datasets. Computer vision isn’t just a tool, it’s a bridge between the physical and digital worlds, inviting collaborative solutions to global challenges. The next frontier? Systems that don’t just interpret visuals, but... - Source: dev.to / 6 days ago
  • Top Programming Languages for AI Development in 2025
    With the quick emergence of new frameworks, libraries, and tools, the area of artificial intelligence is always changing. Programming language selection. We're not only discussing current trends; we're also anticipating what AI will require in 2025 and beyond. - Source: dev.to / 20 days ago
  • Fine-tuning LLMs locally: A step-by-step guide
    Next, we define a training loop that uses our prepared data and optimizes the weights of the model. Here's an example using PyTorch:. - Source: dev.to / about 1 month ago
  • 10 Must-Have AI Tools to Supercharge Your Software Development
    8. TensorFlow and PyTorch: These frameworks support AI and machine learning integrations, allowing developers to build and deploy intelligent models and workflows. TensorFlow is widely used for deep learning applications, offering pre-trained models and extensive documentation. PyTorch provides flexibility and ease of use, making it ideal for research and experimentation. Both frameworks support neural network... - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
  • Automating Enhanced Due Diligence in Regulated Applications
    Frameworks like TensorFlow and PyTorch can help you build and train models for various tasks, such as risk scoring, anomaly detection, and pattern recognition. - Source: dev.to / 3 months ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Theano and PyTorch, you can also consider the following products

TensorFlow - TensorFlow is an open-source machine learning framework designed and published by Google. It tracks data flow graphs over time. Nodes in the data flow graphs represent machine learning algorithms. Read more about TensorFlow.

Open Text Magellan - OpenText Magellan - the power of AI in a pre-wired platform that augments decision making and accelerates your business. Learn more.

Keras - Keras is a minimalist, modular neural networks library, written in Python and capable of running on top of either TensorFlow or Theano.

Kira - Gain visibility into contract repositories, accelerate and improve the accuracy of contract review, mitigate risk of errors, win new business, and improve the value you provide to your clients.

Scikit-learn - scikit-learn (formerly scikits.learn) is an open source machine learning library for the Python programming language.

BAAR - BAAR is a Business Workflow Automation platform to help you automate digital security.