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Head-to-head · Package Managers

Conan vs pip

  • Updated Oct 2026
  • Both researched from official sources
  • 6 checks side by side
Higher score Conan #7 in Package Managers 8.6/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 5 of 5 features Visit Conan
pip #8 in Package Managers 8.5/10 Free plan Free plan✓ 4 of 5 features Visit pip

Conan leads on 0 checks, pip on 0, and 6 are even. Who comes out ahead on the 6 yes/no, price and count checks where we have data for both products. The editor score weighs everything else too.

Our verdict

  • Highest scoreConan · 8.6/10
  • Free planboth
  • Most featuresConan · 5 of 5

Conan scores higher on our rubric for package managers: 8.6 against 8.5 out of 10; our editors rank them #7 and #8.

Conan is the better fit for native C and C++ dependencies. pip is the better fit for flexible Python package installation.

  • Conan fits best

    Native C and C++ dependencies

  • pip fits best

    Flexible Python package installation

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Side by side

Feature Conan 8.6/10 Visit ↗ pip 8.5/10 Visit ↗
At a glance
Editor score 8.6 8.5
Ranking #7 in Package Managers #8 in Package Managers
Best for Native C and C++ dependencies Flexible Python package installation
Pricing model Free Free
Starting price Free Free plan
Free plan ✓ ✓
Free trial — —
Deployment Self-hosted, Desktop Self-hosted
Platforms Windows, macOS, Linux Windows, macOS, Linux
Support Docs, Community Community, Docs
Built for Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise Solo, Small business, Mid-market, Enterprise
Features Conan 5/5 · pip 4/5
Dependency resolution ✓ ✓
Lockfile support ✓ ✓
Workspace support ✓ (best) Not checked yet
Private registry auth ✓ ✓
Offline installation ✓ ✓
Specs
Package formats Conan recipes and binary packages sdist, wheel
Supported platforms Linux, Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, embedded and bare-metal targets Linux, macOS, Windows, Python
Our review
Pros
  • Dependency graphs, lockfiles, and profiles support reproducible native builds.
  • Precompiled binaries and local caches can reduce repeated build work.
  • Broad integrations cover CMake, Visual Studio/MSBuild, Docker, and Meson.
  • Installs from PyPI, private indexes, VCS URLs, and local projects
  • Backtracking resolution supports requirements and constraints files
  • Caching and wheelhouses support repeatable or offline installation
Cons
  • Experimental workspaces are subject to breaking changes.
  • Package workflows require recipe and profile concepts to be understood.
  • Hosted repository capabilities are separate from the free Conan client.
  • Lockfile generation through pylock.toml is experimental
  • Offline installation requires creating a wheelhouse first
  • Workspace support is not established in the published positioning
Our verdict

Conan is a decentralized, open-source package manager for C and C++ projects. It is designed for teams that need to define package recipes, declare dependencies, build or obtain precompiled binaries, and exchange packages through…

Read the review →

pip is an open-source command-line package installer for Python. It is suited to developers and teams that need to install packages from PyPI, private package indexes, version-control URLs, local project directories, distribution files,…

Read the review →
  1. ConanPackage Managers 8.6Free plan
  2. pipPackage Managers 8.5Free plan

Strengths and trade-offs

  • Conan — where it wins

    • Dependency graphs, lockfiles, and profiles support reproducible native builds.
    • Precompiled binaries and local caches can reduce repeated build work.
    • Broad integrations cover CMake, Visual Studio/MSBuild, Docker, and Meson.

    Where it doesn't

    • Experimental workspaces are subject to breaking changes.
    • Package workflows require recipe and profile concepts to be understood.
    • Hosted repository capabilities are separate from the free Conan client.

  • pip — where it wins

    • Installs from PyPI, private indexes, VCS URLs, and local projects
    • Backtracking resolution supports requirements and constraints files
    • Caching and wheelhouses support repeatable or offline installation

    Where it doesn't

    • Lockfile generation through pylock.toml is experimental
    • Offline installation requires creating a wheelhouse first
    • Workspace support is not established in the published positioning
  • Conan8.6/10 · Free plan

    A capable open-source choice for managing native C and C++ dependencies across platforms.

    Visit ConanFull verdict →
  • pip8.5/10 · Free plan

    A flexible, open-source installer for Python packages across major desktop platforms.

    Visit pipFull verdict →

More comparisons

All package managers comparisons → · Full ranking →

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Last updated · How we research and update