📘 Introduction

Choosing the right Python package manager is a key decision for any developer working in Python. For years, pip has been the default choice—simple, reliable, and deeply integrated with the Python ecosystem. But a new contender has entered the ring: uv, a blazing-fast package manager developed by the creators of Ruff. It promises dramatically faster installs and modern features designed for today’s Python workflows.

In this blog post, we’ll break down the pros and cons of pip vs. uv, explore performance benchmarks, and help you decide which one suits your needs best. Let’s dive in! ⚡

✅ What Is pip?

pip is the default package installer for Python, bundled with Python since version 3.4. It downloads and installs packages from PyPI (the Python Package Index) and is used by nearly every Python developer today.

Key features:

  • Supports requirements.txt and constraints
  • Compatible with virtual environments
  • Works with setuptools, wheel, and build
  • Integrates with venv and virtualenv

🔥 What Is uv?

uv is a new package manager written in Rust that focuses on performance and modern DX (developer experience). It’s part of the Astral toolchain and is drop-in compatible with pip, pip-compile, and virtualenv.

Key features:

  • Up to 10–100x faster than pip
  • Drop-in replacement for multiple tools: pip, pip-compile, virtualenv
  • Installs packages in parallel
  • Native Rust performance with fewer dependencies

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