pyqtgraph

What it is and what it does

PyQtGraph is a visualization library designed for mathematics, science, and engineering applications that need fast, interactive graphics despite being written entirely in Python. It achieves performance by leveraging numpy for numerical computation, Qt's GraphicsView framework for 2D rendering, and OpenGL for 3D display. The library integrates directly with PyQt5, PyQt6, or PySide6, making it suitable for building custom scientific applications with interactive plots, real-time data visualization, and embedded graphics.

The package requires Python 3.10+ and a compatible Qt framework (Qt 5.15 or Qt 6.8+), with numpy 2.0+ as a core dependency. Additional features like 3D graphics, image processing, HDF5 export, and Jupyter support are available through optional third-party libraries. The library is actively maintained and widely used in scientific and engineering tools.

Use it for:

• Build interactive real-time plotting dashboards for scientific instruments or data acquisition systems.
• Create 2D and 3D visualizations of numerical data with numpy arrays in custom PyQt applications.
• Develop image processing and analysis tools with fast rendering and interactive controls.
• Embed live data plots and graphs in laboratory or engineering software with minimal overhead.
• Visualize scientific simulations or computational results with interactive exploration capabilities.

Worth the install?

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

PyQtGraph is a pure-Python graphics library for building scientific and engineering visualizations with PyQt5, PyQt6, or PySide6, using numpy for computation and Qt's graphics framework for fast 2D and 3D rendering.

Yes. PyQtGraph is a mature, actively maintained library with low install friction, no known vulnerabilities, and a permissive MIT license. It is the right choice if you need fast, interactive scientific graphics in a PyQt application and are willing to depend on Qt and numpy. If you need standalone plotting without Qt, PyQtGraph may not be necessary.

Install

pyqtgraph on PyPI

pip install pyqtgraph

uv add pyqtgraph

poetry add pyqtgraph

Installing pyqtgraph

Before you install

Low friction: pure Python wheel with only numpy and colorama as runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with recent releases; last commit 2026-08-11. Supports current Python versions and modern Qt versions.

License in practice

MIT license is permissive; you can use, modify, and distribute PyQtGraph with minimal restrictions in commercial or open-source projects.

Quickstart

pip install pyqtgraph

import pyqtgraph as pg
import numpy as np

app = pg.mkQApp()
plot = pg.plot(np.random.normal(size=10))
app.exec()

Requires PyQt5, PyQt6, or PySide6 to be installed separately; Qt 5.15 or Qt 6.8+ required.

Verify before relying

• Whether optional dependencies (scipy, pyopengl, h5py, etc.) are automatically installed or must be added separately for their features.
• Performance characteristics for large datasets or high-frequency updates compared to other visualization approaches.
• Specific minimum Qt patch versions required beyond 5.15 and 6.8+.

Package facts

Evidence: pyqtgraph-0.14.0-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Python Modules packages