When I first started coding in Python, my projects lived in the terminal. At the time, it felt powerful — automating tasks, scraping websites, processing data. But whenever I showed my friends, I got the same response:
“That’s cool… but can you make it look like a normal app?”
That was my wake-up call. People outside our bubble don’t want to type commands into a black window — they want buttons, menus, sliders, checkboxes, something they can see and click.
That’s when I went down the rabbit hole of GUI (Graphical User Interface) libraries in Python. Over the years, I’ve tried almost everything out there. Some libraries felt outdated, some felt futuristic, and a few became my go-to tools.
I’ll share the nine Python GUI libraries I’ve used the most, what I love about them, where they fall short, and when I’d recommend using each in 2025.
1. Tkinter — The First Step Into GUI Land
Tkinter was my very first GUI library. It comes pre-installed with Python, so I didn’t need to install anything extra.
My first project? A calculator with ugly gray buttons — but clicking my own button for the first time felt like pure magic.
Install: Nothing! Tkinter is included with Python.
Example:
import tkinter as tk
root = tk.Tk()
root.title("My First Tkinter App")
label = tk.Label(root, text="Hello, Tkinter!")
label.pack(padx=20, pady=20)
root.mainloop()
When I use it: teaching beginners, small hobby projects, quick prototypes.
👉 Great for beginners and quick prototypes, but don’t expect modern design out of the box.
2. PyQt6 — Professional and Polished
When I wanted to build something professional, I turned to PyQt. Suddenly, I had access to menus, toolbars, animations, and more.
The Qt Designer tool was a game-changer — drag, drop, and watch a real app appear.
The only catch? Licensing. If you’re building closed-source apps, you need a commercial license.
Install:
pip install PyQt6
Example:
from PyQt6.QtWidgets import QApplication, QLabel
app = QApplication([])
label = QLabel("Hello, PyQt6!")
label.show()
app.exec()
👉 Best for professional-grade apps where you want polish and lots of built-in tools.
When I use it: serious desktop apps where looks and functionality matter.
3. PySide6 — PyQt’s Twin With Fewer Headaches
After running into PyQt’s licensing issues, I switched to PySide. To my surprise, it felt almost identical — because it’s also backed by Qt.
The big win is the LGPL license, which is much friendlier.
Install:
pip install PySide6
Example:
from PySide6.QtWidgets import QApplication, QLabel
app = QApplication([])
label = QLabel("Hello, PySide6!")
label.show()
app.exec()
👉 My current go-to for serious apps in 2025.
When I use it: long-term professional apps where I want the power of Qt without licensing worries.
4. Kivy — Python Goes Mobile
I’ll never forget the first time I wrote a Kivy app on my laptop and ran the exact same code on my Android phone. It felt like magic.
Kivy is built for touch interfaces, supports gestures, and works across desktop and mobile.
The downside? It doesn’t look “native” to iOS or Android — it has its own style.
Install:
pip install kivy
Example:
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.label import Label
class MyApp(App):
def build(self):
return Label(text="Hello, Kivy!")
MyApp().run()
👉 Perfect if you want to experiment with mobile or touch-friendly apps.
When I use it: mobile apps, touch-first projects, experimental interactive tools.
5. wxPython — Blending In With Native Apps
A client once told me: “I want it to look like a real Windows app.” That’s when wxPython saved the day.
It uses native OS widgets, so apps feel right at home. On Windows, it looks like Windows. On macOS, like macOS.
Install:
pip install wxPython
Example:
import wx
app = wx.App()
frame = wx.Frame(None, title="Hello, wxPython!")
frame.Show()
app.MainLoop()
👉 Solid choice if you need your app to blend in naturally with the operating system.
When I use it: cross-platform desktop apps where blending in with the OS is essential.
6. Dear PyGui — A Different Kind of GUI
Dear PyGui doesn’t feel like a traditional GUI toolkit — it’s GPU-accelerated, making it insanely fast.
I first tried it for a data dashboard, and the smoothness blew me away. It even comes with built-in plotting.
Install:
pip install dearpygui
Example:
import dearpygui.dearpygui as dpg
dpg.create_context()
with dpg.window(label="Example Window"):
dpg.add_text("Hello, Dear PyGui!")
dpg.add_button(label="Click Me")
dpg.create_viewport(title="Dear PyGui Demo")
dpg.setup_dearpygui()
dpg.show_viewport()
dpg.start_dearpygui()
dpg.destroy_context()
👉 Ideal for engineers, scientists, and anyone building real-time visualization tools.
When I use it: dashboards, visualization tools, apps where speed matters more than a native look.
7. FLTK (via Python Bindings) — Lightweight and Efficient
When I worked on a Raspberry Pi project, I needed something tiny and fast. That’s when I found FLTK.
It’s not flashy, but it works even on low-resource devices.
Install:
pip install pyfltk
Example:
import fltk
def main():
window = fltk.Fl_Window(300, 200, "Hello, FLTK")
button = fltk.Fl_Button(100, 80, 100, 40, "Click Me")
window.end()
window.show()
fltk.Fl.run()
main()
👉 Best when you need performance over appearance.
When I use it: embedded systems, low-power environments, or when I need something extremely lightweight.
8. Toga — The Future of Python GUIs
Toga is part of the BeeWare project, and I love its vision: write one Python app, run it everywhere — desktop, mobile, even web.
It’s still young, so expect rough edges, but I see it as Python’s most future-proof GUI toolkit.
Install:
pip install toga
Example:
import toga
from toga.style import Pack
from toga.style.pack import CENTER
def build(app):
return toga.Label("Hello, Toga!", style=Pack(text_align=CENTER))
def main():
return toga.App("Toga Demo", "org.example.toga", startup=build)
if __name__ == "__main__":
main().main_loop()
👉 Great for experiments, but I wouldn’t bet my production app on it just yet.
When I use it: side projects, experiments, or when I want to test cross-platform deployment.
9. PyGUI — Pure Python Minimalism
PyGUI doesn’t get much attention, but I like its philosophy. It’s small, lightweight, and very Pythonic.
No extra complexity, no unnecessary layers. I once built a tiny tool with it, and it was refreshing to just focus on the logic without fighting with a huge framework.
Install:
pip install PyGUI
Example:
from GUI import Application, Window, Label
app = Application()
win = Window(title="Hello, PyGUI")
label = Label("Simple and Pythonic!")
win.place(label, left=20, top=20)
win.show()
app.run()
👉 A good choice if you want something simple without a massive framework.
When I use it: small apps where I value simplicity over features.
Final Thoughts
Building GUIs with Python has been one of the most rewarding parts of my coding journey. Each library taught me something new — from the simplicity of Tkinter to the polish of PySide, and even the excitement of running the same Kivy app on my laptop and phone.
What I’ve learned is this: there’s no one-size-fits-all. The “best” library depends on what you’re building. Start small, experiment, and don’t be afraid to switch tools as your projects grow.
At the end of the day, nothing beats the feeling of seeing your code come alive in a real window you can click, drag, and interact with. That’s when Python stops being just text in a terminal — and starts feeling like magic.
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