Kivy
An open-source Python framework for developing GUI apps that work cross-platform, including desktop, mobile and embedded platforms.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to build cross-platform GUIs in Python and are willing to manage platform-specific dependencies. Kivy is production-stable, actively maintained, and has no known vulnerabilities. The medium install friction is a trade-off for genuine code reuse across desktop and mobile. Not recommended if you need native platform look-and-feel or tight integration with platform-specific APIs—consider platform-specific frameworks for those cases.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires system graphics libraries (OpenGL ES 2.0 support); on Windows, kivy-deps.angle, kivy-deps.sdl2, and kivy-deps.glew are installed automatically but may need Visual C++ redistributables.
- Medium install friction due to compiled dependencies (SDL2, GLEW, ANGLE on Windows) and platform-specific wheels.
- Actively maintained with recent commits; production-stable status and 18992 repository stars indicate solid community backing.
License · maintenance · safety
MIT (permissive) — MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. Bundled fonts (Roboto, DejaVuSans) and UI design elements carry separate Apache 2.0 and LGPLv2.1 licenses, which do not restrict your own code.
last release 2024-12-26 (596 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-14 · 18,992 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 279,341 downloads/mo, #8,122 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install Kivy
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.label import Label
class HelloApp(App):
def build(self):
return Label(text='Hello Kivy')
if __name__ == '__main__':
HelloApp().run()- Performance characteristics and memory footprint for complex UIs or large datasets
- Maturity and stability of iOS and Android deployment workflows via companion tools
- Real-world app store submission experience and toolchain reliability
What it is and what it does
Kivy is a production-stable Python GUI framework built on OpenGL ES 2.0 that lets you write desktop and mobile applications once and deploy them to Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. It emphasizes rapid prototyping and code reuse through a unified widget library with native multitouch support. The framework is written in Python and Cython and comes with an extensive, extensible widget set.
You use Kivy to design interactive user interfaces declaratively, bind them to event handlers, and package them for multiple platforms. It handles the platform-specific rendering and input abstraction, so your application logic remains portable. The framework depends on system graphics libraries and platform-specific binary packages (SDL2, GLEW, ANGLE), which are managed through companion packages like kivy-deps.sdl2.
Use it for
- Build a desktop application in Python that runs identically on Windows, macOS, and Linux without code changes.
- Develop a mobile app for Android or iOS using Python, avoiding platform-specific languages while sharing core logic.
- Create a touchscreen interface for embedded systems or kiosks with multitouch gesture support.
- Prototype interactive data visualization or scientific applications with real-time UI updates.
- Build games or multimedia applications that require hardware-accelerated graphics and input handling.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to build cross-platform GUIs in Python and are willing to manage platform-specific dependencies.
Kivy is production-stable, actively maintained, and has no known vulnerabilities. The medium install friction is a trade-off for genuine code reuse across desktop and mobile. Not recommended if you need native platform look-and-feel or tight integration with platform-specific APIs—consider platform-specific frameworks for those cases.
Install
kivy on PyPI
Before you install
Medium install friction due to compiled dependencies (SDL2, GLEW, ANGLE on Windows) and platform-specific wheels. Actively maintained with recent commits; production-stable status and 18992 repository stars indicate solid community backing.
Requires system graphics libraries (OpenGL ES 2.0 support); on Windows, kivy-deps.angle, kivy-deps.sdl2, and kivy-deps.glew are installed automatically but may need Visual C++ redistributables.
License in practice
MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions. Bundled fonts (Roboto, DejaVuSans) and UI design elements carry separate Apache 2.0 and LGPLv2.1 licenses, which do not restrict your own code.
Quickstart
pip install Kivy
from kivy.app import App
from kivy.uix.label import Label
class HelloApp(App):
def build(self):
return Label(text='Hello Kivy')
if __name__ == '__main__':
HelloApp().run()Verify before relying
- Performance characteristics and memory footprint for complex UIs or large datasets
- Maturity and stability of iOS and Android deployment workflows via companion tools
- Real-world app store submission experience and toolchain reliability
Package facts
| License | MIT permissive |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.8 |
| Install friction | Medium. Platform-specific wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 9 packagesKivy-Gardendocutilspygmentsrequestsfiletypekivy-deps.anglekivy-deps.sdl2kivy-deps.glewpypiwin32 |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 596 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 279,341 / month, #8,122 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableEnvironment :: MacOS XEnvironment :: Win32 (MS Windows)Environment :: X11 ApplicationsIntended Audience :: DevelopersIntended Audience :: End Users/DesktopIntended Audience :: Information TechnologyIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseNatural Language :: EnglishOperating System :: MacOS :: MacOS XOperating System :: Microsoft :: WindowsOperating System :: POSIX :: BSD :: FreeBSDOperating System :: POSIX :: LinuxProgramming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Artistic SoftwareTopic :: Games/EntertainmentTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: 3D RenderingTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: Capture :: Digital CameraTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: PresentationTopic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: ViewersTopic :: Multimedia :: Sound/Audio :: Players :: MP3Topic :: Multimedia :: Video :: DisplayTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: Human Machine InterfacesTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: VisualizationTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Application FrameworksTopic :: Software Development :: User Interfaces |
Evidence: Kivy-2.3.1-cp310-cp310-macosx_10_15_universal2.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp310-cp310-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp310-cp310-win_amd64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp311-cp311-macosx_10_15_universal2.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp311-cp311-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp311-cp311-win_amd64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp312-cp312-macosx_10_15_universal2.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp312-cp312-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp312-cp312-win_amd64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp313-cp313-macosx_10_15_universal2.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp313-cp313-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp313-cp313-win_amd64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp38-cp38-macosx_10_15_universal2.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp38-cp38-manylinux_2_17_aarch64.manylinux2014_aarch64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp38-cp38-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.manylinux2014_x86_64.whl; Kivy-2.3.1-cp38-cp38-win_amd64.whl
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