PyQt review

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

PyQt provides Python bindings for The Qt Company's Qt application framework, aimed at teams building desktop and mobile GUI applications with Python. Its widget APIs and reusable signal/slot components support interface development, while bindings for networking, threading, SQL, SVG, OpenGL, XML, multimedia and web functionality extend beyond the interface layer. The published platform coverage includes Windows, macOS and Linux for Qt 6; PyQt 5 also supports Android and iOS. That makes PyQt a fit for Python teams seeking Qt APIs across targets, rather than developers looking for a framework focused on one platform or language.

The breadth of its Qt interface is a central consideration. PyQt exposes more than 1,000 Qt classes, and Qt Designer integration includes Python code generation. The API set includes database, networking, threading, Unicode and regular-expression functionality, as well as multimedia and embedded web-browser capabilities through Qt. Binary wheels and source distributions are installable from PyPI. These options give teams several ways to work with Qt features in Python, but the range is most relevant when a project needs Qt's broad application framework rather than a narrow GUI toolkit.

Licensing affects the choice between the GPL version and a commercial license. The GPL version uses GNU GPL version 3; the product is also dual-licensed under Riverbank's commercial license. According to the vendor's purchase information, commercial pricing is calculated for the number of developers and may be paid in USD, EUR or GBP, rather than being a fixed published amount. Teams comfortable with GPLv3 can consider that version, while organizations requiring a commercial license should account for developer-based pricing. PyQt suits teams that want Python access to Qt across desktop and mobile targets; it is less suitable when a fixed commercial price or Qt 6 mobile support is a requirement.

PyQt pros and cons

• Where it wins
  • Exposes more than 1,000 Qt classes to Python
  • Qt Designer integration can generate Python code
  • Covers GUI, database, networking, multimedia and web APIs
• Where it doesn't
  • Commercial license pricing depends on developer count
  • Android and iOS support is listed for PyQt 5, not Qt 6
  • The GPL version is licensed under GPLv3

PyQt fact sheet, pricing and score →

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Last updated 9 Oct 2026 · How we research and update