There is no universally "best" GUI library — only the best fit for your goal. These tables and the decision guide below make the trade-offs explicit.
A high-level overview across the most common selection criteria.
| Library | Install | Look & feel | Learning curve | Widget richness | Mobile | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkinter | Bundled | Dated (better w/ ttk) | Easy | Basic–Medium | No | PSF (free) |
| CustomTkinter | pip | Modern | Easy | Medium | No | MIT |
| PyQt6 | pip | Polished | Steep | Very high | Limited | GPL / commercial |
| PySide6 | pip | Polished | Steep | Very high | Limited | LGPL |
| wxPython | pip | Native | Medium | High | No | wxWindows (free) |
| Kivy | pip | Custom (uniform) | Medium | Medium | Yes | MIT |
| Dear PyGui | pip | Tool/ImGui style | Medium | Medium–High | No | MIT |
| Flet | pip | Material | Easy | Medium | Yes | Apache 2.0 |
| PySimpleGUI | pip | Inherits backend | Easiest | Basic–Medium | No | Check current terms |
Ratings are general guidance; verify current licensing and platform support against each project's official documentation.
| Library | Rendering | Startup / footprint | Desktop | Web | Best-fit workload |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tkinter | CPU (Tk) | Light | Win/mac/Linux | No | Small tools, learning |
| PyQt / PySide | CPU (Qt) | Heavier | Win/mac/Linux | via QtWebEngine | Large pro apps |
| wxPython | Native | Medium | Win/mac/Linux | No | Native desktop apps |
| Kivy | GPU/OpenGL | Medium | + Android/iOS | Limited | Mobile, games, touch |
| Dear PyGui | GPU | Light–Medium | Win/mac/Linux | No | Real-time dashboards |
| Flet | Flutter | Heavier | + mobile | Yes | Cross-platform apps |
Match your dominant constraint to a recommendation.
→ Tkinter. Zero install, simplest concepts, endless tutorials. Add CustomTkinter once you want it to look modern.
→ PySide6 / PyQt6. Rich widgets, signals/slots, Qt Designer, and a structure that scales to large codebases and teams.
→ Kivy (touch/games) or Flet (Material apps that also target web & desktop from one codebase).
→ wxPython (uses native controls) or PyGObject/GTK on Linux/GNOME.
→ Dear PyGui. GPU-accelerated, high-FPS, built-in plotting and node editors for instruments and dashboards.
→ PySimpleGUI for a list-based layout, or CustomTkinter for a few polished screens.
If you genuinely don't know, start with Tkinter + ttk to learn the concepts, then graduate to PySide6 when the project outgrows it. These two cover the overwhelming majority of desktop needs.
Need mobile (Android/iOS)? ─ yes ─▶ Kivy or Flet
│ no
▼
Need it to also run in a browser? ─ yes ─▶ Flet
│ no
▼
Large, complex, long-lived app? ─ yes ─▶ PySide6 / PyQt6
│ no
▼
Must look 100% native per OS? ─ yes ─▶ wxPython / GTK
│ no
▼
Real-time plots / high FPS? ─ yes ─▶ Dear PyGui
│ no
▼
Want modern look, minimal effort? ─ yes ─▶ CustomTkinter
│ no
▼
Default ─────────────────────────────▶ Tkinter + ttk
Useful guides and tools (from webpage_links.xlsx).