vprof vs py-spy

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

vprof

Visual Python profiler for efficient code analysis.

py-spy

A sampling profiler for Python programs written in Rust.

At a glance

Open SourceFree Tier
◌ Declining·From $0
Open SourceFree Tier
● Established·From $0

Overview

One-liner

Visual Python profiler for efficient code analysis.

One-liner

A sampling profiler for Python programs written in Rust.

Maturity

Declining

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 working on large-scale Python projects who need detailed profiling data
Teams looking to optimize their Python applications for better performance
Individual developers seeking a visual approach to understanding code execution

✓ Best for

Developers who need to optimize the performance of their Python applications without significant overhead.
Teams working in production environments where profiling must be non-intrusive.
Individuals or teams looking for a tool that can attach to running processes and provide real-time insights.

Not ideal for

✕ Not for

Projects that require real-time profiling in production environments (vprof is primarily for development and testing)
Developers who prefer command-line tools over visual interfaces

✕ Not for

Projects requiring detailed line-by-line analysis as py-spy is a sampling profiler.
Applications written in languages other than Python, as it only supports profiling Python programs.

Strengths

↑ Strengths

Interactive visualizations for performance analysis
Detailed insights into memory usage and CPU time
Supports Python code profiling in real-time

↑ Strengths

Low-overhead sampling profiler for Python programs.
Visualizes CPU usage and flame graphs.
Can attach to running processes without restarting them.

Weaknesses

↓ Weaknesses

Limited language support, only for Python
Complex setup process for non-standard environments
Performance overhead during profiling
Limited documentation and community support

↓ Weaknesses

Limited support for multi-threaded applications
Complex setup and configuration for non-standard environments
Performance overhead when profiling I/O-bound applications
Full vprof profile →Full py-spy profile →