Best build Alternatives in 2026
Updated
20 apps from Python package managers ranked against build on the same published basis.
- 1build vs ActiveState Platform
- 2build vs uv
- 3build vs Hatch
- 4build vs pip
- 5build vs pip-tools
- 6build vs Pixi
- 7build vs Anaconda Notebooks
- 8build vs conda-lock
- 9build vs Miniconda
- 10build vs Astral
- 11build vs PDM
- 12build vs conda
- 13build vs Miniforge
- 14build vs Poetry
- 15build vs Maturin
- 16build vs setuptools
- 17build vs Spack
- 18build vs Twine
- 20build vs Mamba
- 21build vs Rattler
build alternatives compared
| # | App | Score | Free plan | From | Runs on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ActiveState Platform | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | API, Linux, Mac, Web, Windows |
| 2 | uv | 7.3 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 3 | Hatch | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 4 | pip | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 5 | pip-tools | 7.2 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 6 | Pixi | 7.2 | Free plan | €42/mo | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 7 | Anaconda Notebooks | 7.0 | Free plan | $15/mo | Web |
| 8 | conda-lock | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 9 | Miniconda | 7.0 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 10 | Astral | 6.9 | Free plan | Free | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 11 | PDM | 6.7 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 12 | conda | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 13 | Miniforge | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 14 | Poetry | 6.6 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 15 | Maturin | 6.0 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 16 | setuptools | 6.0 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 17 | Spack | 6.0 | No | — | Linux, Mac, Windows |
| 18 | Twine | 6.0 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 20 | Mamba | 5.8 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
| 21 | Rattler | 5.8 | No | — | Windows, Mac, Linux |
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Questions about build alternatives
What is the best alternative to build?
ActiveState Platform, number 1 in Python package managers with a score of 7.3 out of 10. The others here: uv, Hatch, pip and 16 more.
What is the best free alternative to build?
ActiveState Platform is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 10 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.
How are these alternatives ranked?
Ranked on what each maker publishes: documentation depth, a free tier and the platforms it runs on.