PyQt5

What it is and what it does

PyQt5 is a comprehensive set of Python bindings for Qt v5, a mature cross-platform C++ framework. It exposes more than 35 extension modules, allowing you to build desktop applications that run on Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, and Android with native look and feel. The bindings cover traditional UI widgets, multimedia playback, a Chromium-based web browser, location services, Bluetooth and NFC connectivity, and system integration APIs.

You install it via pip (precompiled wheels available for major platforms) and import from PyQt5 submodules to create applications. The package depends on PyQt5-sip and PyQt5-Qt5. It is mature and widely used, but the project is currently dormant—the latest release was in July 2024—so you should assess whether ongoing support matters for your use case.

Use it for:

• Build a cross-platform desktop application with native widgets and menus for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Embed a web browser or multimedia player in a Python application using Qt's Chromium engine.
• Create a configuration GUI for a C++ application, or embed PyQt5 in C++ to allow runtime scripting.
• Develop a data visualization or scientific tool with custom widgets and real-time updates.
• Build a mobile app for iOS or Android using PyQt5's cross-platform capabilities.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

PyQt5 provides Python bindings for the Qt v5 C++ framework, enabling you to build cross-platform desktop applications with native UI components, multimedia, web browsing, and system integration features.

Yes, if you need a mature, feature-complete desktop GUI framework and accept the GPL v3 copyleft license (or can obtain a commercial license). PyQt5 is stable and widely used, but its dormant maintenance status means no active bug fixes or security updates are expected—evaluate whether that risk is acceptable for your project timeline.

Install

pyqt5 on PyPI

pip install pyqt5

uv add pyqt5

poetry add pyqt5

Installing PyQt5

Before you install

Medium install friction: PyQt5 ships as precompiled wheels for common platforms (macOS arm64/x86_64, Linux x86_64, Windows 32/64-bit), but the package is dormant (756 days since last release), so no recent maintenance activity is evident.

License in practice

PyQt5 is released under GPL v3 (copyleft), which means any application linking it must also be open-source under a compatible license, or you must obtain a commercial license from Riverbank Computing Limited.

Quickstart

pip install PyQt5

import PyQt5

# PyQt5 exposes more than 35 extension modules for UI, multimedia, and system integration

Requires Python >=3.8; building from source requires Qt's qmake tool on PATH.

Verify before relying

• Whether the dormant status reflects stable maintenance or abandonment risk.
• Current state of the upstream Qt v5 support and security patches.
• Whether alternative bindings are recommended for new projects.
• Specific module names and APIs available within the 35+ extension modules.

Package facts

Evidence: PyQt5-5.15.11-cp38-abi3-macosx_11_0_arm64.whl; PyQt5-5.15.11-cp38-abi3-macosx_11_0_x86_64.whl; PyQt5-5.15.11-cp38-abi3-manylinux_2_17_x86_64.whl; PyQt5-5.15.11-cp38-abi3-win32.whl; PyQt5-5.15.11-cp38-abi3-win_amd64.whl

Tags

More Application Frameworks packages