What is the difference between pip and uv?

pip installs Python packages. uv manages entire Python projects including dependencies, virtual environments, Python versions, and lockfiles. uv is 10-100x faster than pip for dependency resolution and installation.

Should I switch from pip to uv?

For new projects, uv is the better choice because it handles dependency locking, virtual environment creation, and Python version management in one tool. For existing projects, uv provides a pip-compatible interface (uv pip install) that gives an immediate speed boost with no structural changes.

Can uv replace pip completely?

uv can replace pip for most workflows. It installs packages, manages virtual environments, locks dependencies, and handles Python versions. The uv pip interface provides drop-in compatibility for existing pip-based workflows and scripts.

What's the difference between pip and uv?

by Tim Hopper

pip and uv both install Python packages from PyPI, but they solve different problems. pip installs packages. uv manages entire Python projects: dependencies, environments, interpreters, and lockfiles.

Side-by-side comparison

	pip	uv
Install a package	`pip install requests`	`uv add requests`
Install from requirements	`pip install -r requirements.txt`	`uv add -r requirements.txt`
Create a virtual environment	`python -m venv .venv`	`uv venv` (or automatic with `uv sync`)
Lock dependencies	`pip lock` (experimental, pip 25.1+) or pip-tools	`uv lock` (built in)
Install from a PEP 751 lockfile	`pip install -r pylock.toml` (experimental, pip 26.1+)	`uv sync`
Run a script	`python script.py` (after activating venv)	`uv run script.py`
Run inline-metadata script (PEP 723)	`pip install --requirements-from-script script.py` (pip 26+)	`uv run script.py`
Pin to a past date	`pip install --uploaded-prior-to 2024-01-01 ...` (pip 26+); `--uploaded-prior-to P3D` (pip 26.1+)	`exclude-newer = "7 days"` in `uv.lock`
Install Python itself	Requires pyenv or system package	`uv python install 3.12`
Run CLI tools	Requires pipx	`uvx ruff check .`
Dependency file	requirements.txt	pyproject.toml + `uv.lock`
Cross-platform lockfile	No (`pip lock` targets the current platform only)	Yes

Performance

uv resolves and installs dependencies 10-100x faster than pip. The gap comes from parallel downloads, aggressive caching of metadata and artifacts, and a resolver written in a compiled language. Cold installs that take minutes with pip often finish in seconds with uv.

Environment management

pip operates on whatever Python environment is active. Creating and activating a virtual environment requires separate tools (venv or virtualenv):

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate   # macOS/Linux
pip install requests

uv creates and manages virtual environments automatically. uv run ensures the environment exists and matches the lockfile before executing a command:

uv add requests
uv run python app.py

No activation step, no risk of installing into the wrong environment.

Dependency tracking

pip installs packages but does not record which were explicitly requested. Keeping a requirements.txt in sync with the environment is a manual process, and the file contains no distinction between direct and transitive dependencies.

pip 25.1 added an experimental pip lock command that writes PEP 751 pylock.toml files, and pip 26.1 added an experimental install side (pip install -r pylock.toml). Both are still single-platform: the generated lockfile is only valid for the Python version and platform that produced it. Sharing a lock across macOS and Linux developers still requires pip-tools or a platform-matrix pipeline.

uv tracks dependencies in pyproject.toml and pins exact versions in uv.lock. Adding or removing a package updates both files automatically. The lockfile is cross-platform by default, and the virtual environment becomes disposable because uv sync can rebuild it from the lockfile at any time.

Scope

pip focuses on package installation. Building a complete workflow still requires combining it with other tools:

venv or virtualenv for environments
pip-tools for cross-platform dependency locking (pip’s own pip lock covers a single platform)
pyenv for Python version management
pipx for isolated CLI tools

uv replaces all of these with a single binary. It handles Python version management, virtual environments, dependency locking, CLI tool execution (uvx), project scaffolding (uv init), and package publishing (uv publish).

When pip is the right choice

pip ships with Python and requires no extra installation. It remains a reasonable default for quick experiments, CI images that already have it pre-installed, or projects locked into a requirements.txt workflow. pip 26.0 (January 2026) strengthened that baseline further by adding --requirements-from-script for PEP 723 inline scripts and --uploaded-prior-to for datetime-based package filtering, so several workflows that once required uv now work with pip alone. uv still provides a pip-compatible interface (uv pip install) that drops into existing pip-based workflows with no structural changes, giving an immediate speed boost.

Switching from pip to uv

For existing projects with a requirements.txt, migration takes a few commands:

uv init --bare
uv add -r requirements.txt

See How to migrate from requirements.txt to pyproject.toml with uv for the full process including dev dependencies and cleanup.

uv reference documents all uv commands
pip reference covers pip’s capabilities
Did pip 26 close the gap with uv? audits the pip 25 and 26 releases that landed several uv features
Why use native uv commands instead of uv pip compares uv’s two interfaces
Why choose pyproject.toml over requirements.txt? explains the benefits of declarative dependency management
How to install uv covers installation on all platforms
Create your first Python project walks through starting a new uv project

Last updated on April 28, 2026

What's the difference between a distribution package and an import package?When should I choose pixi over uv?

Please submit corrections and feedback...