pysimplegui
Python GUIs for Humans. Launched in 2018. NEW LGPL3 Version 6 released in 2026.
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need a quick desktop GUI and want to avoid tkinter's verbosity. PySimpleGUI has low install friction, no dependencies, and active maintenance. The LGPLv3 license is permissive for most use cases as long as you're willing to share modifications. Avoid it if you need advanced styling, cross-platform polish, or web deployment—consider Qt or web frameworks instead.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies.
- The project is actively maintained with a recent release and strong community engagement (13811 GitHub stars), though it transitioned from commercial to open-source in 2025.
License · maintenance · safety
copyleft license (copyleft) — Licensed under LGPLv3 (copyleft). You may use and modify PySimpleGUI freely, but derivative works must also be licensed under LGPLv3 and source code must be made available to users.
last release 2026-08-02 (12 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-10 · 13,811 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 114,809 downloads/mo, #12,278 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install PySimpleGUI
import PySimpleGUI as sg
layout = [[sg.Text("What's your name?")],
[sg.Input(key='-INPUT-')],
[sg.Button('Ok'), sg.Button('Quit')]]
window = sg.Window('Window Title', layout)
while True:
event, values = window.read()
if event == sg.WINDOW_CLOSED or event == 'Quit':
break
window.close()- Whether version 6 maintains full backward compatibility with version 4.60.5.1 after removing licensing components
- Current state of drag-and-drop support across Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms
- Whether PSGWeb (browser-based PySimpleGUI) is production-ready or experimental
What it is and what it does
PySimpleGUI is a wrapper around tkinter (and optionally Qt, WxPython, or Remi) that abstracts away low-level GUI complexity into a simpler, list-based layout syntax. Instead of managing callbacks and widget hierarchies directly, you define your interface as nested lists of elements, then run an event loop that returns user actions and input values as simple dictionaries. It targets developers who want to build desktop applications quickly without learning traditional GUI frameworks.
The package supports modern Python versions (3.6 through 3.15) and has no external runtime dependencies beyond Python itself. It recently transitioned from a commercial product back to open-source under LGPLv3 after the commercial venture concluded in early 2025. The project maintains active development with frequent releases and extensive documentation.
Use it for
- Build a simple data-entry form or dialog box without learning tkinter's widget API
- Prototype a desktop application rapidly for internal tools or automation scripts
- Create a GUI wrapper around a command-line Python script for non-technical users
- Add a graphical interface to a Raspberry Pi or microcontroller project using PSGMicroPython
- Develop educational applications where students need GUI experience without framework overhead
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need a quick desktop GUI and want to avoid tkinter's verbosity.
PySimpleGUI has low install friction, no dependencies, and active maintenance. The LGPLv3 license is permissive for most use cases as long as you're willing to share modifications. Avoid it if you need advanced styling, cross-platform polish, or web deployment—consider Qt or web frameworks instead.
Install
pysimplegui on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward with no runtime dependencies. The project is actively maintained with a recent release and strong community engagement (13811 GitHub stars), though it transitioned from commercial to open-source in 2025.
License in practice
Licensed under LGPLv3 (copyleft). You may use and modify PySimpleGUI freely, but derivative works must also be licensed under LGPLv3 and source code must be made available to users.
Quickstart
pip install PySimpleGUI
import PySimpleGUI as sg
layout = [[sg.Text("What's your name?")],
[sg.Input(key='-INPUT-')],
[sg.Button('Ok'), sg.Button('Quit')]]
window = sg.Window('Window Title', layout)
while True:
event, values = window.read()
if event == sg.WINDOW_CLOSED or event == 'Quit':
break
window.close()Verify before relying
- Whether version 6 maintains full backward compatibility with version 4.60.5.1 after removing licensing components
- Current state of drag-and-drop support across Windows, Linux, and macOS platforms
- Whether PSGWeb (browser-based PySimpleGUI) is production-ready or experimental
Package facts
| License | copyleft license copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.6 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | None |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 12 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 114,809 / month, #12,278 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/StableFramework :: PySimpleGUIIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU Lesser General Public License v3 (LGPLv3)Operating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.15Programming Language :: Python :: 3.6Programming Language :: Python :: 3.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.8Programming Language :: Python :: 3.9Topic :: Multimedia :: GraphicsTopic :: Software Development :: User Interfaces |
Evidence: pysimplegui-6.3-py3-none-any.whl
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