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wxWidgets VS Codename One

Compare wxWidgets VS Codename One and see what are their differences

wxWidgets logo wxWidgets

wxWidgets: Cross-Platform GUI Library

Codename One logo Codename One

iOS, Android, Windows Phone native app development in Java.
  • wxWidgets Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-07-21
  • Codename One Landing page
    Landing page //
    2022-04-28

wxWidgets features and specs

  • Cross-Platform
    wxWidgets allows developers to create applications that run on different platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, and more, without changing the codebase.
  • Native Look and Feel
    It provides a native look and feel on each platform by using the native GUI components, making applications appear more integrated with the host OS.
  • Wide Range of Widgets
    wxWidgets offers a rich set of widgets and controls, supporting complex interfaces and various types of user interactions.
  • Extensive Documentation
    The library is well-documented, with numerous tutorials, guides, and an active community to help developers troubleshoot and expand their understanding.
  • Open Source
    Being open source, wxWidgets provides the flexibility to customize and modify the library to better fit specific needs without licensing costs.

Possible disadvantages of wxWidgets

  • Steep Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive features and the complexity of configuring UI components, new users may find it challenging to learn and utilize effectively.
  • Large Binary Size
    Applications built with wxWidgets can become quite large, which might be a drawback for developers focusing on lightweight applications.
  • Platform-Specific Bugs
    Since wxWidgets aims to provide native components for each platform, sometimes this leads to platform-specific bugs that can complicate cross-platform consistency.
  • Limited Modern Features
    While wxWidgets is robust, it might lack some of the modern, cutting-edge features found in newer libraries and frameworks in terms of design and ease of use.
  • Dependency Management
    Managing dependencies for different platforms can be cumbersome, requiring additional effort in the build and deployment processes.

Codename One features and specs

  • Cross-Platform Development
    Codename One allows developers to create applications that run on multiple platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, and more, using a single codebase. This reduces the need for platform-specific development and maintenance.
  • Java-Based
    It uses Java as its primary programming language, which is widely known and used, making it accessible for a large pool of developers and leveraging existing Java skills.
  • Cloud-Based Build
    Codename One offers a cloud-based build service, which simplifies the process of compiling and packaging apps for various platforms without the need for separate SDK installations on the developer's machine.
  • Rich UI Components
    The platform provides a wide array of customizable UI components, allowing developers to create modern and visually appealing interfaces that can be tailored to fit different platform styles.
  • Easy Portability and Testing
    Apps can be easily tested across different platforms using simulators, and Codename One provides tools to check platform-specific behavior, improving portability and reducing platform-specific issues.

Possible disadvantages of Codename One

  • Performance Limitations
    Due to the nature of cross-platform frameworks, Codename One may not match the performance of native applications, especially for more complex or resource-intensive applications.
  • Limited Access to Native Features
    While Codename One aims to abstract platform differences, access to some specific native features might be limited or require additional bridging via native interfaces.
  • Learning Curve for New Users
    Developers unfamiliar with the Codename One framework or its component model may face a learning curve before becoming proficient in using it effectively.
  • Community and Support
    While there is a community around Codename One, it may not be as large or active as communities for some other, more widely-used cross-platform frameworks, which might affect the availability of community-based support or resources.
  • Dependency on Cloud Services
    The reliance on cloud-based build services can be a limitation if developers prefer or require complete offline operations, or if there are any service downtimes impacting project timelines.

Analysis of wxWidgets

Overall verdict

  • wxWidgets is a solid choice for developers who need a reliable, cross-platform GUI library with a native look and behavior. Its open-source nature and mature backing make it especially appealing for projects requiring wide platform compatibility.

Why this product is good

  • Platform Independence: wxWidgets allows you to create applications that can run on multiple platforms, such as Windows, macOS, and Linux, without changing the underlying code.
  • Open Source: As an open-source library, wxWidgets is free to use and has a large community supporting it, providing extensive documentation and forums for assistance.
  • Comprehensive Feature Set: wxWidgets provides a wide range of controls and tools that enable developers to build feature-rich applications.
  • Native Look and Feel: The library utilizes the native API of the host system, which means applications built with wxWidgets often look and behave like native applications.
  • Mature and Well-Tested: Having been around for many years, wxWidgets is a mature framework with well-tested tools and a history of stability and reliability.

Recommended for

  • Developers building cross-platform desktop applications.
  • Projects that require native look and feel on different operating systems.
  • Open-source enthusiasts or developers who prefer using community-supported frameworks.
  • Teams seeking a mature and well-documented GUI solution.

wxWidgets videos

Cross Platform Graphical User Interfaces in C++

More videos:

  • Demo - More Cross Platform Graphical User Interfaces in C++: Custom Controls

Codename One videos

Top Five New Features of Codename One 6.0 - Chat

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to wxWidgets and Codename One)
Development Tools
84 84%
16% 16
Developer Tools
59 59%
41% 41
Rapid Application Development
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 wxWidgets and Codename One

wxWidgets Reviews

We have no reviews of wxWidgets yet.
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Codename One Reviews

10 React Native Alternatives
Additionally, Codename one generates native OS binaries that developers can upload to Apple/Google/Microsoft, etc.
Top Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks
Created in 2012, Codename One is a leading open-source, cross-platform framework for developing cross-platform apps for iOS, Android, web, or desktop. Using Codename One, developers can write code in Java or Kotlin and make it native to different platforms. And as Codename One is WORA (write once run anywhere) framework, a single codebase is required for different platforms....
Source: www.pangea.ai

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, wxWidgets seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 9 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.

wxWidgets mentions (9)

  • Lazarus Release 4.0
    > produce relatively small binaries for simple applications The problem is that you need to have a huge Java runtime installed or use something like Jlink which still produces very large binaries for GUI apps. I think wxWidgets is the Lazarus alternative that is the closest to what grandparent was asking for. https://wxwidgets.org/. - Source: Hacker News / 22 days ago
  • What do you think about using a game engine for UI?
    In general, people must make a choice between portability, and the breadth of optimizations. For multi-platform builds, there are single code-base frameworks available: https://quasar.dev/ For MacOS, Linux Gtk, and Windows native builds there are mature free libraries that allow both FOSS and commercial static linking: https://wxwidgets.org/ Game engines are designed to solve a single set of use-cases for... - Source: Hacker News / 5 months ago
  • Understanding the Layout Process in Qt Widgets
    Why do your prefer it over https://wxwidgets.org given the licenses? Personally, I was keen on Qt right up to the 5.x change over. =3. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Building KiCad 6.0.11 from source - wxWidgets problem
    I decided to compile from scratch the latest wxWidgets from wxwidgets.org. And I compiled and installed successfully for both X11 and GTK. Source: over 1 year ago
  • Tic tac toe ine c++ ?
    Some say qt, others wxwidgets, u++, sfml, here is a video from quick search on wxwidgets and c++ for beginners https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOIbK4bJKS8 Choosethem depending on learning curve and where they will take you, you might learn something harder because it takes you farther to where you want to go. Source: over 2 years ago
View more

Codename One mentions (0)

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

What are some alternatives?

When comparing wxWidgets and Codename One, 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.

Flutter - Build beautiful native apps in record time 🚀

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

Ionic Framework - A front-end SDK to develop applications with HTML5 , CSS3 and JavaScript.

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

React Native - A framework for building native apps with React