# Why Pyzed? A modern Python GUI framework for a new generation

> Why choose Pyzed for Python desktop apps: a modern look out of the box, native GPU rendering from Rust, a Pythonic API, a visual designer, hot reload and AI-ready tooling. A modern alternative to tkinter, Kivy and PyQt.

Source: https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/

Python is the first language of a whole generation of developers, but its desktop GUI story still feels
like 2005: grey widgets, layouts written by hand, restart-the-app-to-see-a-change, and a packaging step
that is a project of its own. **Pyzed** is our answer for people who grew up with VS Code, Figma, dark mode
and AI assistants, and expect their tools to look and feel like that.

(Image: An editor-style workspace built with Pyzed, in the One Dark theme)

## What you get on day one

**A modern look, with no styling work**

Dozens of components modelled on the [Zed](https://zed.dev) editor: buttons, inputs, tabs, trees,
command palettes, menus, toasts, a code editor and dockable panels. Themes (One, Ayu, Gruvbox),
dark mode and following the OS's appearance are built in.

**Native speed, drawn by Rust**

Layout, text and drawing run in Rust through [Iced](https://iced.rs) and
[wgpu](https://wgpu.rs) (Vulkan, Metal, DirectX 12 or OpenGL), with a CPU renderer as fallback.
Python only describes the interface.

**A Pythonic API**

State lives in a normal class. `view()` returns what to show, and callbacks are plain methods
or lambdas. No signals, no slots, no `.kv` files, no widget IDs to look up.

**A visual designer**

[Pyzed Design](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/editor/) lets you draw forms, edit their code in a built-in editor with
completion and diagnostics, and run them, all in one app.

**Hot reload that keeps your state**

`pyzed dev main.py`: save a file and the running window changes, with your data still there.

**Ready for AI assistants**

An [MCP server](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/guides/mcp/) gives coding agents the exact API, the docs and screenshots
of what they build, and [`pyzed.agents`](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/guides/agents/) puts models inside your app.

## The whole workflow, in a few commands

Projects are ordinary [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) projects, so dependencies, lock files, linting
([ruff](https://docs.astral.sh/ruff/)) and type checking ([ty](https://docs.astral.sh/ty/)) work the way the
rest of modern Python does. See [Create a project](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/getting-started/new-project/) and
[Build and distribute](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/packaging/build/).

## Code that reads like the UI

A counter, complete:

```python title="counter.py"
import pyzed as pz
from pyzed import ui

class Counter(pz.App):
    title = "Counter"

    def __init__(self):
        self.count = 0

    def view(self):
        return pz.center(pz.row([
            ui.button(icon="minus", on_press=lambda: setattr(self, "count", self.count - 1)),
            ui.heading(str(self.count)),
            ui.button(icon="plus", on_press=lambda: setattr(self, "count", self.count + 1)),
        ], spacing=12, align="center"))

pz.run(Counter)
```

There is no widget to find and update when the count changes: you change `self.count` and Pyzed calls
`view()` again. This is the [Elm architecture](https://guide.elm-lang.org/architecture/) that Iced uses,
and the same idea as React or SwiftUI, so it will feel familiar if you come from the web or mobile.

(Image: Pyzed components in the One Dark theme)

## Built for how people develop now

- **Edit, save, see.** Hot reload keeps the app's state, and when the new code fails, the error is shown in
  the window until you save a fix.

  (Image: A failed reload shows the error inside the window)

- **Your editor knows the API.** The package ships type information (`py.typed` and stubs for the Rust
  core), so completion and type checking work in VS Code, PyCharm, Zed and with ty or mypy.
- **Screenshots without a screen.** `app.screenshot("view.png")` renders off-screen, with no window or GPU,
  for tests, CI and documentation. Every image on this site was made that way.
- **Agents that do not guess.** Connect the [MCP server](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/guides/mcp/) to Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code
  or Zed and your assistant looks up real signatures, reads these docs and checks the code it writes. The
  docs are also published as plain text for language models in [`llms.txt`](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/llms.txt).
- **Async when you need it.** Callbacks can be `async def` functions or generators; Pyzed runs them and
  sends their results back to `update`. See [Background tasks](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/guides/async/).

## Honest limits

Pyzed is young: its first release was in 2026, while tkinter, Qt and wxPython have decades behind them.
Today it targets **desktop only** (Windows, macOS and Linux): no Android, iOS or browser builds, which
[Kivy](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-kivy/) and [Flet](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-flet/) offer. **Screen readers are not supported yet**
because Iced does not expose accessibility information ([details](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/guides/accessibility/#screen-readers)),
and its ecosystem of third-party widgets is small. The [comparison](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/comparison/) spells out where
other toolkits are the better choice.

## Compare

- [Feature comparison](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/comparison/): Pyzed next to tkinter, Qt, Kivy, Dear PyGui, Flet, Toga, NiceGUI, wxPython and CustomTkinter.
- [Benchmarks](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/benchmarks/): Startup, memory, update speed, install size and lines of code, measured and reproducible.
- [Developer experience](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/developer-experience/): From install to a packaged app: what the day-to-day feels like.
- [Pyzed vs tkinter](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-tkinter/): The standard library toolkit, side by side.
- [Pyzed vs PyQt / PySide](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-pyqt-pyside/): The most complete toolkit, and when its weight pays off.
- [Pyzed vs Kivy](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-kivy/): GPU-drawn widgets on desktop and mobile.
- [Pyzed vs Flet](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-flet/): Flutter from Python, for desktop, web and mobile.
- [Pyzed vs Dear PyGui](https://albakore.github.io/pyzed/why/vs-dear-pygui/): Immediate-mode GUIs for tools and plots.