FTXUI vs tview
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 C++ library for building terminal user interfaces with no dependencies.
Open source · MIT
A Go library for building interactive terminal user interfaces with ready-made widgets.
The short answer
Choose FTXUI if you need…
- C++ developers who want interactive text-based tools in the terminal
- Developers who want a library with no external dependencies
- Projects that need layouts like boxes, grids, and flexible spacing in a console
- Developers who want to use the library through CMake, Bazel, vcpkg, or Conan
Choose tview if you need…
- Go developers building interactive command-line tools with menus, forms, or tables
- Developers who want prebuilt terminal widgets instead of drawing everything by hand
- Projects that need a terminal dashboard or file browser written in Go
Side-by-side
| FTXUI | tview | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Library | Library |
| Price | Free and open source | Free and open source |
| Licence | MIT | MIT |
| GitHub stars | 10.9k | 14.1k |
| Setup difficulty | Intermediate | Intermediate |
| How you get it | Clone and build from source | Install with a package manager |
| Main language | C++ | Go |
| Last code update | 5 days ago | 3 months ago |
What each one is
FTXUI
FTXUI is a C++ library that lets programmers draw interactive interfaces inside a terminal window, with layouts, colors, borders, buttons and mouse or keyboard input. It uses a functional style where the interface is described as a tree of elements. It is meant for building text-based tools that run in a console rather than in a graphical window.
tview
tview is a Go package that provides common building blocks for terminal programs, such as input forms, tables, lists, tree views, text areas, and modal windows. Developers use it to create interactive screens that run inside a terminal instead of a graphical window. The README says the components can be customized and extended.
Best for
FTXUI
- C++ developers who want interactive text-based tools in the terminal
- Developers who want a library with no external dependencies
- Projects that need layouts like boxes, grids, and flexible spacing in a console
- Developers who want to use the library through CMake, Bazel, vcpkg, or Conan
tview
- Go developers building interactive command-line tools with menus, forms, or tables
- Developers who want prebuilt terminal widgets instead of drawing everything by hand
- Projects that need a terminal dashboard or file browser written in Go
Strengths
FTXUI
- The README states it has no dependencies
- It is available through many package managers and build systems, including CMake FetchContent
- It includes examples, documentation, tests, and a WebAssembly build of its examples
tview
- Covers many common widget types, including forms, tables, trees, and lists
- The README lists many real projects that use it, such as K9s
- Includes examples in a demos folder and a GitHub Wiki
Not ideal for
FTXUI
- People who are not writing C++ code, since the README describes only a C++ library
- Projects needing a graphical desktop window, because FTXUI renders to the terminal
- Teams that need Windows support as a primary target, since the README lists Linux and macOS as the main targets with Windows added by contributors
tview
- People who want to use a finished app rather than write code, since this is a library and needs a Go program around it
- Developers not using Go, because the package is written for the Go language
- Projects needing a graphical desktop or web interface
Trade-offs
FTXUI
- It is a C++ library, so you need to be comfortable with C++ and a build system
- The README describes Windows support as added by contributors rather than as a main target
- The README is truncated here, so details about the full API and stability are not confirmed
tview
- The README's install instruction points to the master branch, and the latest release shown is v0.42.0 with no binaries
- Requires writing Go code; there is no standalone program to download
- The README shown is truncated, so detailed API behavior is not fully covered here
Getting started
FTXUI
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/ArthurSonzogni/FTXUItview
Add the package to your Go project
go get github.com/rivo/tview@masterFrequently asked questions
What is the difference between FTXUI and tview?
FTXUI: A C++ library for building terminal user interfaces with no dependencies. tview: A Go library for building interactive terminal user interfaces with ready-made widgets. FTXUI suits c++ developers who want interactive text-based tools in the terminal, while tview suits go developers building interactive command-line tools with menus, forms, or tables.
Are FTXUI and tview free?
FTXUI: Free and open source. tview: Free and open source.
Is FTXUI or tview more popular?
tview has more GitHub stars (14.1k) than FTXUI (10.9k). Popularity isn't the same as fit — check which one matches your use case above.
What are other alternatives to FTXUI and tview?
Other options people compare them with include Textual, Terminal.Gui, CustomTkinter, xterm.js, Bubble Tea.
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.