Qt5 vs wxWidgets

Overview

wxWidgets

Stacks21

Followers75

Votes19

GitHub Stars6.9K

Forks1.9K

Qt5

Stacks91

Followers136

Votes12

Qt5 vs wxWidgets: What are the differences?

Toolset and Language Compatibility: One key difference between Qt5 and wxWidgets is the toolset and language compatibility. Qt5 is primarily compatible with C++ and provides its own set of tools for developing applications. On the other hand, wxWidgets supports multiple programming languages such as C++, Python, and Perl, allowing developers to choose the language they are most comfortable with.
Platform Support: Qt5 and wxWidgets also differ in terms of platform support. Qt5 is known for its extensive cross-platform support and allows developers to build applications for Windows, macOS, Linux, and various embedded systems. In contrast, wxWidgets provides support for a wide range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Unix, and even some mobile platforms such as Android and iOS.
GUI Design: Another significant difference lies in the GUI design approach. Qt5 follows a declarative approach to UI design using its own markup language called QML. This allows for more flexibility in designing graphical interfaces and creating visually appealing applications. On the other hand, wxWidgets follows a more traditional procedural approach where GUI components are created programmatically using the wxWidgets API.
License: Qt5 and wxWidgets have different licensing models. Qt5 is available under both commercial and open-source licenses, allowing developers to choose between a free open-source version or a commercial license for commercial use. On the other hand, wxWidgets is released under a modified version of the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) which allows for free distribution of applications.
Community and Documentation: Qt5 and wxWidgets also differ in terms of community support and documentation. Qt5 has a large and active community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and resources available, making it easier for developers to find support and learn the framework. While wxWidgets also has a supportive community, it may not be as large as Qt's community, resulting in a relatively smaller pool of resources and support available.
Ecosystem and Third-Party Libraries: Lastly, the ecosystems surrounding Qt5 and wxWidgets differ in terms of available third-party libraries and tools. Qt has a well-established ecosystem with a wide range of libraries, tools, and plugins, offering additional functionality and features to developers. In comparison, while wxWidgets also has a decent collection of third-party libraries, it may not be as extensive as Qt's ecosystem.

In Summary, Qt5 and wxWidgets differ in terms of toolset and language compatibility, platform support, GUI design approach, licensing, community support, and ecosystem of third-party libraries.

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Detailed Comparison

wxWidgets	Qt5
It is a C++ library that lets developers create applications for Windows, macOS, Linux and other platforms with a single code base. It has popular language bindings for Python, Perl, Ruby and many other languages, and unlike other cross-platform toolkits, it gives applications a truly native look and feel because it uses the platform's native API rather than emulating the GUI. It's also extensive, free, open-source and mature.	It is a full development framework with tools designed to streamline the creation of applications and user interfaces for desktop, embedded, and mobile platforms.
Support for gesture events (GSoC 2017 project); Getting JavaScript code return value from wxWebView (also GSoC 2017 project); New wxSecretStore class for securely storing user passwords; New, available in parallel with the existing one, CMake build system; Support for context-sensitive translations.	full development framework ; Internationalization support; embedded toolchains
Statistics
GitHub Stars 6.9K	GitHub Stars -
GitHub Forks 1.9K	GitHub Forks -
Stacks 21	Stacks 91
Followers 75	Followers 136
Votes 19	Votes 12
Pros & Cons
Pros 5 Native looking UI 4 Learning Curve 3 Cross platform 2 Permissive license. Commercial with static linkage. 2 Open source Cons 1 Uses Qt for GUI (wxQt)	Pros 2 Very good documentation 2 Open source 2 Easy to learn and use 2 Cross platform 2 C++
Integrations
Perl C++ Windows Linux Python macOS Ruby	Python Windows Linux macOS

What are some alternatives to wxWidgets, Qt5?

Electron

With Electron, creating a desktop application for your company or idea is easy. Initially developed for GitHub's Atom editor, Electron has since been used to create applications by companies like Microsoft, Facebook, Slack, and Docker. The Electron framework lets you write cross-platform desktop applications using JavaScript, HTML and CSS. It is based on io.js and Chromium and is used in the Atom editor.

Sciter

It brings a stack of web technologies to desktop UI development. Web designers, and developers, can reuse their experience and expertise in creating modern looking desktop applications.

JavaFX

It is a set of graphics and media packages that enables developers to design, create, test, debug, and deploy rich client applications that operate consistently across diverse platforms.

React Native Desktop

Build OS X desktop apps using React Native.

JUCE

It is a C++ framework for low-latency applications, with cross-platform GUI libraries to get your apps running on Mac OS X, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android.

Proton Native

Create native desktop applications through a React syntax, on all platforms.

NodeGUI

It is an open source library for building cross-platform native desktop applications with JavaScript and CSS like styling. It is based on Qt5 and NOT chromium, hence it is memory and cpu efficient.

pygame

It is a cross-platform set of Python modules designed for writing video games. It includes computer graphics and sound libraries designed to be used with the Python programming language.

SDL

It is a cross-platform development library designed to provide low level access to audio, keyboard, mouse, joystick, and graphics hardware via OpenGL and Direct3D.

Element

Element is a Vue 2.0 based component library for developers, designers and product managers, with a set of design resources.

Related Comparisons

Qt5 vs wxWidgets: What are the differences?

Toolset and Language Compatibility: One key difference between Qt5 and wxWidgets is the toolset and language compatibility. Qt5 is primarily compatible with C++ and provides its own set of tools for developing applications. On the other hand, wxWidgets supports multiple programming languages such as C++, Python, and Perl, allowing developers to choose the language they are most comfortable with.
Platform Support: Qt5 and wxWidgets also differ in terms of platform support. Qt5 is known for its extensive cross-platform support and allows developers to build applications for Windows, macOS, Linux, and various embedded systems. In contrast, wxWidgets provides support for a wide range of platforms including Windows, macOS, Linux, Unix, and even some mobile platforms such as Android and iOS.
GUI Design: Another significant difference lies in the GUI design approach. Qt5 follows a declarative approach to UI design using its own markup language called QML. This allows for more flexibility in designing graphical interfaces and creating visually appealing applications. On the other hand, wxWidgets follows a more traditional procedural approach where GUI components are created programmatically using the wxWidgets API.
License: Qt5 and wxWidgets have different licensing models. Qt5 is available under both commercial and open-source licenses, allowing developers to choose between a free open-source version or a commercial license for commercial use. On the other hand, wxWidgets is released under a modified version of the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL) which allows for free distribution of applications.
Community and Documentation: Qt5 and wxWidgets also differ in terms of community support and documentation. Qt5 has a large and active community with extensive documentation, tutorials, and resources available, making it easier for developers to find support and learn the framework. While wxWidgets also has a supportive community, it may not be as large as Qt's community, resulting in a relatively smaller pool of resources and support available.
Ecosystem and Third-Party Libraries: Lastly, the ecosystems surrounding Qt5 and wxWidgets differ in terms of available third-party libraries and tools. Qt has a well-established ecosystem with a wide range of libraries, tools, and plugins, offering additional functionality and features to developers. In comparison, while wxWidgets also has a decent collection of third-party libraries, it may not be as extensive as Qt's ecosystem.

In Summary, Qt5 and wxWidgets differ in terms of toolset and language compatibility, platform support, GUI design approach, licensing, community support, and ecosystem of third-party libraries.

Qt5 vs wxWidgets

Overview