# PyVista vs VTK

## Key differences

- PyVista has 1.2× as many GitHub stars as VTK (3.9K vs 3.2K).
- VTK had more development activity over the last 12 months: 5,786 commits vs 928.
- VTK is downloaded 2.9× as often on PyPI (1.3M vs 466.3K per week).
- PyVista is licensed under MIT; VTK under BSD.
- PyVista is written primarily in Python, VTK in C++.
- VTK is the older project: its repository was created in 2010, PyVista's in 2017.

| | PyVista | VTK |
|---|---|---|
| Description | 3D plotting and mesh analysis through a streamlined interface for the Visualization Toolkit (VTK) | Open-source library for 3d Graphics, image processing and visualization. |
| GitHub stars | 3,870 | 3,224 |
| Commits (12 months) | 928 | 5,786 |
| Contributors | 218 | 257 |
| License | MIT | BSD |
| Language | Python | C++ |
| Status | Active | Active |
| Install | `pip install pyvista` | `pip install vtk` |

Source: https://awesomedataviz.com/compare/pyvista-vs-vtk/ · Data updated 2026-11-01 · Content: CC BY 4.0, Awesome Dataviz (https://awesomedataviz.com).