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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 .

Kivy

Kivy Reviews and Details

This page is designed to help you find out whether Kivy is good and if it is the right choice for you.

Screenshots and images

  • Kivy Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-15

Features & Specs

  1. Cross-Platform

    Kivy allows you to write your application code once and run it on multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android, reducing development time and effort.

  2. Open Source

    Kivy is an open-source framework, which means it is free to use and has a community-driven development model. This also allows developers to contribute to its improvement.

  3. Rich User Interface

    Kivy provides a wide range of widgets and controls that can be customized to create highly interactive and attractive user interfaces.

  4. Touch Support

    Kivy is designed with built-in support for multitouch events, making it a good choice for applications that require touch interactions.

  5. Dynamic and Fast

    Thanks to its use of Cython, Kivy applications can achieve high performance and responsiveness.

  6. Consistent Look and Feel

    Kivy apps maintain a consistent look and feel across all supported platforms, which can lead to a better user experience.

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Videos

Kivy Intro - Mobile and Desktop App Dev w/ Python

Starting on a GUI: WXpython vs Kivy #MP55

Social recommendations and mentions

We have tracked the following product recommendations or mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you see what people think about Kivy and what they use it for.
  • Ask HN: What Toolchains Are People Using for Desktop App Development in 2025?
    Because I mainly work with python, I am using Kivy (https://kivy.org/). Earlier I was HTMX, Jinja templates, Flask, Tailwind and little vanilla JS. It was too inelegant for my taste. I am considering moving to either Swift, or JS/Svelete. - Source: Hacker News / 9 months ago
  • Plain โ€“ 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 / about 1 year ago
  • How to Develop a User Data Storage Registration Form Using Python.
    We will create this complete Python registration form using Kivy. We get started by installing Kivy, a powerful Python framework for building interactive applications. - Source: dev.to / about 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Can I create a mobile and Web App using Python/Python Framework?
    For reference, YouTube runs on Python[1,2,3]: > 1. Python and Django: YouTubeโ€™s backend is predominantly written in Python, offering a balance of performance and readability. > 2. Google Cloud Platform... > 3. Java and C++: YouTube also utilizes Java and C++ for specific backend services, as they provide better performance for certain tasks. --- A long time ago, I looked into these Python frameworks: -... - Source: Hacker News / about 2 years ago
  • Python GUI libraries? <3
    I suggest you use kivy which is suitable for the desktop but also has the advantage of being one of few options for creating Python based native(ish) mobile apps (for IoS and Android app stores). Source: over 2 years 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 2 years ago
  • Ask HN: Current best GUI and render window stack?
    I'm a big fan of https://kivy.org/ it looks modern and has a wide range of components. - Source: Hacker News / over 2 years ago
  • Python GUIs
    Anyone has some experience with Kivy [1]? It seems that it checks off some of my requirements, like cross-platform, supporting touch interfaces, ease of development, allows complex/fancy UIs as well, etc. [1] https://kivy.org/. - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (June 2023)
    SEEKING WORK | France (UTC-1) | Remote | Full stack developer My name is Mathieu Virbel, and I am a consultant on system and software architecture with over 12 years of experience as a freelance and 20 years in the field. I have a passion for creating innovative and user-friendly applications. I specialize in using the open-source Kivy framework to develop desktop and mobile applications, but I am also skilled in... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (June 2023)
    Notable Projects: Kivy ( https://kivy.org/ ) My name is Mathieu Virbel, and I am a consultant on system and software architecture with over 12 years of experience as a freelance and 20 years in the field. I have a passion for creating innovative and user-friendly applications. I specialize in using the open-source Kivy framework to develop desktop and mobile applications, but I am also skilled in other... - Source: Hacker News / almost 3 years ago
  • Rails is the Best web framework I have ever worked with. Rails is โค๏ธโค๏ธโค๏ธ.
    Apart from those libraries, I really liked: * https://github.com/Textualize/rich for beautiful CLI output * https://kivy.org/ for GUI * https://python-visualization.github.io/folium/quickstart.html#Getting-Started for maps * https://github.com/antscloud/fretboardgtr for guitar diagrams * https://github.com/sourabhv/FlapPyBird with PyGame. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • CustomTkinter is an easy to use desktop UI library based on Tkinter
    Kivy is decent and is available under the MIT License. Source: about 3 years ago
  • GUI in python
    I'd recommend kivy. https://kivy.org/ OpenGL accelerated, cross platform - supports Linux, Windows, MacOS, RaspberryPi, and mobile... Android, OSX. It is a native python framework, and well documented. This is my preferred full-featured GUI. There is a sister project called kivyMD, that extends kivy with Material design widgets - https://kivymd.readthedocs.io/en/1.1.1/ this provides a clean very modern look. Source: about 3 years ago
  • Link Regex
    Your app needs to be able to load links that are close together, even if there are links in a footer. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I have a Python script that queries an API with request, but, how do I make it run in the background on my Android smartphone as opposed to my laptop?
    You could play around with a framework that supports python, e.g. Kivy. Source: over 3 years ago
  • PYTHON: which tool/library/method is the best to make an APP?
    You could use https://kivy.org/ - but to be totally honest, Python isn't the best language to make an app. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Can python be used for anything else except of backend development?
    Technically you can, with the Kivy framework, but I don't think I've ever run into an example of a popular app actually having been made with Kivy. I think that again it kind of falls into the "toy project" area, at least for the mobile side of things. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Raspberry Pi based gauge cluster
    Take a look at the Kivy framework for something running on a GUI (Pi with a connected HDMI screen - or on the Rpi Tochscreen). Source: over 3 years ago
  • How do I make my Text game written in python public?
    As for making an app out, there are options like native-web-app, Beeware, and Kivy. Maybe checkout the Standalone section on the Distribute Your Python Code at Real Python. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Need some help determining if Python is the right way to go
    I would use Kivy, it is a python based GUI. Easy to use and well documented. As I mentioned there is a significant learning curve. https://kivy.org/. Source: over 3 years ago
  • I have a few questions
    It might be worth looking into 'Kivy'... "The Open Source Python App development Framework" which can be found at https://kivy.org ... Their slogan is "With a single codebase, you will be able to deploy apps on Windows, Linux, macOS, iOS, abs Android! Source: over 3 years ago

Summary of the public mentions of Kivy

Kivy is a compelling open-source framework that caters predominantly to the development of intuitive user interfaces, particularly in multi-touch applications. Its appeal is marked by several attributes that make it a preferred choice for developers aiming to build cross-platform applications. Kivy is positioned prominently within categories such as Developer Tools, Rapid Application Development, Python Tools, and Python Web Frameworks, standing in competition with frameworks like Unity, Godot Engine, or Unreal Engine, thanks to its niche focus in Python development.

One of the standout points about Kivy is its licensing model. Unlike frameworks like PyQt, Kivy is not a wrapper around an external UI library and, critically, operates under the permissive MIT license. This offers developers the flexibility to both ship and monetize applications built using the framework, a clear advantage for commercial software development.

A significant strength of Kivy is its versatility and cross-platform capability, which is frequently highlighted across various mentions. Developers stress that Kivy allows code to be written once and deployed across multiple platforms, including Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. This portability is particularly valuable in the modern, multi-device landscape. Coupled with built-in support for OpenGL ES 2, Kivy can leverage powerful graphics technologies and modern design techniques, necessary for applications that demand graphical sophistication.

Kivy's architecture allows for the development of natural user interfaces, where user interactions are intuitive and inherently understood. It's written using a combination of Python and Cython, enabling performance-tuned, responsive applications. This makes Kivy not only an attractive option for GUI development but also for creating applications that need to be responsive and engaging, like games โ€” a sector where Kivy is effectively utilized alongside alternatives such as Pygame.

Moreover, Kivy extends its functionality through a suite of auxiliary libraries, which enhance platform-specific features and streamline application packaging for distribution. It even includes a project to facilitate porting Python applications to Android, though similar functionality for iOS is limited to Python 2.7 as of the latest feedback.

While the community regards Kivy positively for its capabilities and flexibility, some opinions question its suitability for commercial-grade applications, particularly on mobile platforms. Feedback on its ease of development and documentation is mixed, yet it is often commended for allowing the development of complex applications with relatively straightforward syntax.

Overall, Kivy presents a robust framework option for developers comfortable with Python, requiring cross-platform deployment. Its cost-free nature (backed by a permissive MIT license), extensive support for different operating systems, and modern UI capabilities make it a viable solution, especially in education, prototyping, or niche application settings. However, prospective users must weigh its constraints, especially concerning Android and iOS platform-specific challenges and consider whether Kivyโ€™s unique offerings align with their project goals.

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Kivy discussion

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  1. User avatar
    Vinho
    ยท over 2 years ago
    ยท Reply

    This software is wonderful and I love using it since it help save my time.

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