svgutils
Python SVG editor
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes, if you need to automate SVG figure assembly for scientific publications. The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, and solves a real problem for researchers. However, be aware that the latest release is from 2021 and Python version support is unclear—test it with your target Python version before relying on it in production pipelines.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires system development libraries libxml2-dev and libxslt-dev (or equivalent) for lxml compilation on Linux; conda installation avoids this requirement.
- Installation is straightforward via pip, but requires system development libraries for lxml (libxml2-dev and libxslt-dev on Debian-based systems).
- The package is actively maintained with recent commits.
License · maintenance · safety
permissive license (permissive) — Distributed under the MIT license, which is permissive and imposes no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in your own projects.
last release 2021-02-10 (2011 days) · last repo commit 2026-06-29 · 336 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 85,227 downloads/mo, #13,940 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install svgutils
from svgutils.svg import SVG
fig = SVG('input.svg')
fig.scale(2.0)
fig.save('output.svg')- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions beyond those listed in classifiers (2.7, 3.5)
- Current state of the codebase given the 2011-day gap between first and latest release
- Whether all documented features from the blog post and readthedocs are fully functional in version 0.3.4
What it is and what it does
svgutils is a Python library for programmatic SVG editing, designed primarily for scientists preparing publication-ready figures. It lets you load SVG files, scale and position them arbitrarily, add text labels and markers, and combine multiple SVGs into a single output. The package wraps lxml to handle the underlying XML manipulation, so you work with SVG elements and coordinates rather than raw XML.
Typical use involves loading one or more SVG files, arranging them on a canvas with specific dimensions and offsets, annotating them with labels or other markers, and saving the result. It's aimed at automating the tedious manual work of figure assembly in tools like Inkscape, particularly when you have many similar figures to prepare for journal submission.
Use it for
- Combine multiple scientific plots (e.g., from matplotlib) into a single multi-panel figure with consistent layout.
- Automatically add panel labels (A, B, C) and scale bars to a set of SVG figures for publication.
- Programmatically position and scale diagram elements without opening a GUI editor.
- Generate reproducible figure layouts as part of a data analysis pipeline or Jupyter notebook.
- Batch-process SVG files to apply consistent transformations (scaling, positioning) across many figures.
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes, if you need to automate SVG figure assembly for scientific publications.
The package is actively maintained, has low install friction, and solves a real problem for researchers. However, be aware that the latest release is from 2021 and Python version support is unclear—test it with your target Python version before relying on it in production pipelines.
Install
svgutils on PyPI
Before you install
Installation is straightforward via pip, but requires system development libraries for lxml (libxml2-dev and libxslt-dev on Debian-based systems). The package is actively maintained with recent commits.
Requires system development libraries libxml2-dev and libxslt-dev (or equivalent) for lxml compilation on Linux; conda installation avoids this requirement.
License in practice
Distributed under the MIT license, which is permissive and imposes no restrictions on use, modification, or distribution in your own projects.
Quickstart
pip install svgutils
from svgutils.svg import SVG
fig = SVG('input.svg')
fig.scale(2.0)
fig.save('output.svg')Verify before relying
- Whether the package works reliably with modern Python versions beyond those listed in classifiers (2.7, 3.5)
- Current state of the codebase given the 2011-day gap between first and latest release
- Whether all documented features from the blog post and readthedocs are fully functional in version 0.3.4
Package facts
| License | permissive license permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 1 packagelxml |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 2,011 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 85,227 / month, #13,940 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 4 - BetaEnvironment :: ConsoleIntended Audience :: Science/ResearchLicense :: OSI Approved :: MIT LicenseOperating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: Python :: 2.7Programming Language :: Python :: 3.5Topic :: Multimedia :: Graphics :: Editors :: Vector-BasedTopic :: Scientific/Engineering :: VisualizationTopic :: Text Processing :: Markup |
Evidence: svgutils-0.3.4-py3-none-any.whl
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See also lovelyplots · svglib · CairoSVG · napari-svg · sphinxcontrib-svg2pdfconverter · SciencePlots · typst · kaleido · svgwrite · dash-svg