Cabal vs pip
Cabal
haskell.orgpip
pip.pypa.ioSide by side
| Figure | Cabal | pip |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 8.6 (#18) | 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 |
| Installation | The Cabal download page recommends obtaining Cabal through ghcup and provides links to manually downloaded binaries for many architectures. | pip is usually installed automatically in virtual environments and with Python downloaded from python.org. |
| Lockfile support | Yes | Yes |
| Offline installation | Yes | Yes |
| Package formats | .cabal files; .tar.gz source distributions; RPM; Debian packages; Windows installers | sdist,wheel |
| Package sources | Cabal can install packages from local directories, package archives, and local or remote tarball files. | pip looks at PyPI by default and can install packages from other Python package repositories. |
| Purpose | Cabal is a system for building and packaging Haskell libraries and programs. | pip is the package installer for Python and can install packages from PyPI and other indexes. |
| Security | The official Cabal pages opened here do not state a security certification or compliance standard. | 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 official site directs users to the FAQ and troubleshooting pages, bug reports, and the cabal-devel mailing list. | The documentation directs users seeking help to GitHub Issues, the Discourse channel, and User IRC. |
| Supported platforms | Linux; macOS; FreeBSD; Windows | The current pip version is supported on Windows, Linux, and macOS, and maintainers do not support other operating systems. |
Plans
In their own words
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.