Apache Maven vs pip
Apache Maven
maven.apache.orgpip
pip.pypa.ioSide by side
| Figure | Apache Maven | pip |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.8 (#8) | 8.8 (#7) |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | pip can determine and install package dependencies, and its resolver can backtrack when version choices are incompatible. |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | pom,jar,maven-plugin,ejb,war,ear,rar | sdist,wheel |
| Private registry auth | Yes | Yes |
| Purpose | Apache Maven is a build tool for Java projects that uses a project object model (POM) to manage compilation, testing, and documentation. | pip is the package installer for Python and can install packages from PyPI and other indexes. |
| Security | Maven's security model assumes users trust the POM, code, dependencies, and repositories used in a build; users building untrusted code must provide isolation. | The documentation says pip does not check for remote tampering by default, but hash-checking mode and binary-only installs can provide a more secure installation method. |
| Support | The Maven site recommends its users mailing list for help and also points users to documentation, issue management, wiki resources, and Slack. | The documentation directs users seeking help to GitHub Issues, the Discourse channel, and User IRC. |
| Supported platforms | Windows,macOS,Linux | The current pip version is supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and maintainers do not support other operating systems. |
Plans
In their own words
Apache Maven
Apache Maven is a free build tool for Java projects. It uses a project object model, or POM, and plugins to manage compilation, testing and documentation through a uniform build system. Maven manages dependencies, including transitive dependencies and automatic updates, and can download them from a central repository. Project metadata can produce outputs such as JARs, WARs and distributions. Maven can also generate project information, including changelogs, cross-referenced sources, dependency lists and unit test reports. Java or scripting-language plugins extend it, and it can work with source control systems such as Subversion or Git to manage tag-based releases. It runs on Windows, macOS and Linux. Maven 3.10 and later requires JDK 8 or above to execute, while toolchains can target other JDK versions. Its project layout is opinionated, so projects with unusual structures that cannot be reorganized may have to give up some Maven features or Maven itself. The software is distributed under Apache License 2.0; its listed plan costs nothing.
pip
pip installs Python packages from PyPI and other package indexes, as well as from version control URLs, local project directories, and source archives. It supports source distributions and wheels, resolves dependencies, and can install an environment specified in a requirements file. Its install command can produce a JSON report of installed packages. pip runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows, and the current version supports CPython 3.10 through 3.15 and the latest PyPy3. Other operating systems and Python versions are not supported by its maintainers. It is commonly included in virtual environments and Python downloads from python.org; ensurepip and get-pip.py are also installation options. An experimental standalone zip application is available, but its documentation advises against production use. pip is free. It does not collect telemetry, though it sends non-identifying details such as Python version and operating system to the remote indexes it accesses. Remote tampering checks are not enabled by default; hash-checking mode and binary-only installs are listed as more secure options.