OpenTUI vs Textual
Which should you use? A side-by-side look at what each one does, who it suits, what it costs, how hard it is to set up, and where each falls short.
Open source · MIT
A TypeScript library for building terminal user interfaces, with a Zig core.
Open source · MIT
A Python framework for building terminal and web-browser user interfaces.
The short answer
Choose OpenTUI if you need…
- Developers building terminal applications in TypeScript
- React developers who want to build terminal interfaces with a familiar component model
- Solid developers who want a terminal renderer for Solid
- Teams building interactive command-line tools that need mouse and keyboard controls
Choose Textual if you need…
- Python developers who want a terminal app with buttons, tables and forms
- Developers building internal tools or dashboards that run over SSH or in a terminal
- Teams that want to share a terminal app in the browser using textual serve
- Developers who want a testing framework for their UI code
Side-by-side
| OpenTUI | Textual | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Framework |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 13.7k | 37.6k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Beginner |
| How you get it | Install with a package manager | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | TypeScript | Python |
| Last code update | 4 days ago | 27 days ago |
What each one is
OpenTUI
OpenTUI is a library for building text-based interfaces that run in a terminal. You write the interface in TypeScript, directly or through React or Solid, and lay out boxes and text with flexbox. It includes selects, inputs, and scroll boxes with keyboard and mouse controls, and the README also mentions sound, images, and 3D graphics. The README states that OpenCode uses it in production.
Textual
Textual is a Python framework for building interactive user interfaces that run in a terminal window, and can also be served to a web browser. It provides ready-made widgets such as buttons, data tables, inputs and text areas, plus a layout system and themes. People use it to make text-based apps and dashboards with a simple Python API.
Best for
OpenTUI
- Developers building terminal applications in TypeScript
- React developers who want to build terminal interfaces with a familiar component model
- Solid developers who want a terminal renderer for Solid
- Teams building interactive command-line tools that need mouse and keyboard controls
Textual
- Python developers who want a terminal app with buttons, tables and forms
- Developers building internal tools or dashboards that run over SSH or in a terminal
- Teams that want to share a terminal app in the browser using textual serve
- Developers who want a testing framework for their UI code
Strengths
OpenTUI
- Lets you write terminal interfaces in TypeScript, with optional React or Solid renderers
- Offers a flexbox layout model and built-in interactive components with keyboard and mouse support
- Is MIT licensed and has a large star count and an active repository
Textual
- Simple Python API with predefined themes that look good by default
- Includes a testing framework and a dev console for debugging
- Same app can run in a terminal or a web browser
Not ideal for
OpenTUI
- People who only need a simple one-off command-line script, since the library adds a rendering layer to learn
- Anyone who needs a graphical desktop or web interface rather than a terminal one
- Developers who cannot use Bun and Zig for the development workflow the README describes
Textual
- Non-programmers, since apps are built by writing Python code
- Projects needing a native desktop or mobile GUI, since the README describes terminal and browser targets only
- Developers who need a non-Python language, since the framework is Python-specific
Trade-offs
OpenTUI
- The README does not give a detailed beginner tutorial, so setup may take some exploration
- Development requires Bun 1.4.1 or later and Zig 0.16.0, which adds toolchain requirements
- The README is truncated and does not fully document the feature set or platform support
Textual
- Limited to what the terminal and browser targets allow; not a native GUI toolkit
- The README does not detail the web-serving limits or production hosting guidance
- Async support is optional but the framework is built on async internals, which may add learning curve
Getting started
OpenTUI
Install dependencies from the repository root
bun installFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between OpenTUI and Textual?
OpenTUI: A TypeScript library for building terminal user interfaces, with a Zig core. Textual: A Python framework for building terminal and web-browser user interfaces. OpenTUI suits developers building terminal applications in typescript, while Textual suits python developers who want a terminal app with buttons, tables and forms.
Are OpenTUI and Textual free?
OpenTUI: Free and open source. Textual: Free and open source.
Which is easier to set up, OpenTUI or Textual?
Textual is easier to get started with (rated beginner); OpenTUI is rated intermediate and usually needs more setup.
Is OpenTUI or Textual more popular?
Textual has more GitHub stars (37.6k) than OpenTUI (13.7k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to OpenTUI and Textual?
Other options people compare them with include Ink, Bubble Tea, Rich.
Keep comparing
Built from our catalogue entries for both products: open-source details come from each project's README (AI-assisted, refreshed weekly) and GitHub data; AI-tool details are editorial. Spotted something wrong? Let us know from either product's page.