openpyxl vs XlsxWriter

Side-by-side — pricing, strengths, tradeoffs, and fit.

openpyxl

Library for reading and writing Excel files in Python.

XlsxWriter

A Python module for creating Excel .xlsx files.

At a glance

Open SourceFree Tier
· Not enough data·From $0
Open SourceFree Tier
● Established·From $0

Overview

One-liner

Library for reading and writing Excel files in Python.

One-liner

A Python module for creating Excel .xlsx files.

Maturity

Not enough data

Maturity

Established

Open source

✓ Yes

Open source

✓ Yes

Pricing

Free tier

✓ Available

Open source — free to use

Free tier

✓ Available

Open source — free to use

Starts at

$0

Starts at

$0

Model

Flat rate

Model

Flat rate

Enterprise

✕ None

Enterprise

✕ None

Best for

✓ Best for

Developers who need to automate tasks involving Excel files without requiring Microsoft Office installed
Data scientists working with datasets stored in Excel format for analysis and reporting
Automation scripts that require reading from or writing to Excel spreadsheets

✓ Best for

Developers who need to generate Excel files programmatically for reporting purposes.
Projects requiring automated export of tabular data into Excel format.

Not ideal for

✕ Not for

Projects requiring real-time collaboration features within Excel documents
Users who need advanced Excel functionalities not supported by openpyxl, such as macros execution

✕ Not for

Users looking for a tool that supports older Excel formats (.xls).
Complex spreadsheet generation tasks requiring advanced features like macros or pivot tables.

Strengths

↑ Strengths

Read and write Excel files (.xlsx, .xlsm, .xltx, .xltm)
Support for rich text formatting
Ability to create charts within Excel spreadsheets
Support for named ranges

↑ Strengths

Create Excel .xlsx files directly from Python applications.
Support for multiple worksheets within a workbook.
Ability to format cells, including text, numbers, and dates.

Weaknesses

↓ Weaknesses

Limited documentation and examples
Performance issues with large Excel files
Complex setup for advanced features like charts and formatting

↓ Weaknesses

Limited support for advanced Excel features
Performance issues with large datasets
No support for reading or modifying existing Excel files
Full openpyxl profile →Full XlsxWriter profile →