Top 7 Frameworks Python GUI in 2020

5 min readOct 14, 2020

Python is a widely used programming language and has a community of nearly 4.3 million. It has a wide range of applications from Web development to desktop Graphical User Interfaces(GUI). Python GUI Framework helps us to learn more about Python programming. You can create the best Python GUI in Python programming. Here we’ve listed the best Python GUI framework/toolkit that you can use. Before we proceed for the details of each framework, let us see what is Graphical User Interface.

What Is A Graphical User Interface (GUI)?

It is an interface through which users can communicate with electronic devices like computers, mobiles and other devices. This interface uses symbols, icons, menus and other graphics to display data. Related users control the text based interface, where commands and data are in text form. Graphical user interface representations are managed and manipulated by pointing devices like mouse and touchscreen. The need for the GUI framework is very genuine because in the first computer the text interface is created by the keyboard. To initiate responses from a computer needs, the command fired by the keyboard needs exact spelling and this creates difficulties and inappropriate interface. Python is there to help you to solve this issue. For developers, it has different options for GUI frameworks. Let us see Python GUI frameworks.

Python GUI Frameworks-

1. Kivy-

It is an open-source Python library for rapid app development and it uses innovative user interfaces like multi-touch applications. Kivy GUI library for Python is created around the main loop that makes it compatible for game development. This framework is stable with Kivy’s graphics engine and uses modern & fast graphics pipelines. Kivy framework is a cross-platform and runs on Windows, Linux, Android, iOS and Raspberry Pi, OS X.

Kivy Installation: In windows

Before you install Kivy, update the Kivy pip and wheel.

python -m pip install -upgrade pip wheel setuptools

Install dependencies

python -m pip install docutils pygments pypiwin32kivy.deps.sdl2 kivy.deps.glew
python -m pip install kivy.deps.gstreamer
python -m pip install kivy.deps.angle

Now, install Kivy

python -m pip install kivy

2. PySide GUI-

It is a python binding for the QT side. It is a Python extension or API for QT and is probably industry standards for user interface development for cross-platform. One of the great advantages is- you can run your graphical user interface using PySide in Linux, Mac and Windows without changing your source code much. PyQT and PySide are relatively the same, just a difference is the way they are open source and licensed.

PySide is comparatively indulgent than the other Python GUI builder. So, if you try to program that you want to use professionally then go with Pyside. When you go with PySide, select a Python version 2.7 or 2.8.

Let us see PySide installation on Mac-

First, install or create QT 4.8 or use the following code-

$ brew install qt

Now, install the wheel by pip. Use the following code.

$ pip install -U PySide

Install PySide: In windows-

First install the pip(python package manager). For this you can use the following code-

pip install -U PySide

Use the following code to install PySide in your system.

Easy_install -U PySide

3. Libavg-

Libavg is an open-source high-level development platform for media centric apps. It uses Python as a scripting language, written in High-speed C++ and uses modern OpenGL for display output. This framework is better for developing modern touch UIs and supports most of the touch driver models, including Windows touch, Linux, TUIO and XInput. Also it has a lot of features like, it supports a large number of display elements that generally advanced modern graphics-intensive applications requires, layout engine supports lots of display elements on screen at a time and also a hardware-accelerated video output and so on.

Libavg GUI Installation: In Windows

First of all, download the Python 2.7 version and then download Visual C++ runtimes.
Secondly, download CMU 1394 Digital Camera Driver and Libavg installer.

Use following command to access average utilities-

C:\Python27\scripts

Now execute the test using following command-

C:\>cd \Python27\lib\site-packages\lib\site-packages\libavg\test
C:\..\>c:\Python27\python Test.py

Now you can run the test.

Ran 273 tests in 11.231s
OK

4. WxPython-

It is an open-source cross-platform GUI toolkit for Python and implemented as a set of Python extensions modules that wrap GUI components of popular wxWidgets cross-platform library written in C++. With the use of WxPython, developers can create native user interfaces for their Python apps that run on Windows, Linux, Mac and other Unix-like systems. Programming language is Python so wxPython programs are easy to write and understand. Wax python has a value top on the Wx Python as it has enhanced features.

5. Tkinter-

It is a Python’s standard GUI framework, generally package switch Python using Tk. It is popular for its ease of use and graphical user interface. Tkinter is open source and accessible under the Python License. Biggest advantage of selecting Tkinter is that- as it comes by default, there are a lot of resources, both codes and reference books. Also there is a wide community available for you to help. Tk is a convenient and compatible toolkit for developers to work with. Tkinter is used as a design with Framework libraries in Data Science and Python.

6. Pyforms GUI-

It is the latest Python GUI. In general, it is a cross-platform framework with less codes. Pyforms is modular and encourages code reusability. It belongs to OpenGL, PyQt and other libraries too. It is a set of 22 controls that are based on a ControlBase object. Moreover it includes web browser and Open GL Pyforms GUI in Python 3 framework to let the execution of Pyforms applications in Windows GUI mode. The framework of the promotion development creativeness through given an API in python. And it allows the app execution developed for GUI and web mode in the console.

Advantages of Pyforms-

Code is organized in modules and can be reused with other.
Prototyping of application is simple and fast.
Framework interfaces are simply described using a small code of python.
Allows coding of advance functionalities by less effort.

7. Wax Python GUI-

It is a GUI toolkit to develop and modify Python user interface app. The main aim of wax GUI is to complete the features as compared to WxPython. It is popular due to its simplicity and user friendliness. Wax python has a value top on the Wx Python because of it’s improved features. It is a wrapper for Cross-stage GUI API called as a toolkit wxWidgets written in C++ for Python. This implemented as a PY extension module native code. Various well known Choices are PyGTK, its successor PyGObject, and PyQt.