C Vs Python | 10 Most Valuable Differences You Should Know

Difference Between C and Python

The main difference between C and Python is that, C is a structure oriented programming language while Python is an object oriented programming language. In general, C is used for developing hardware operable applications, and python is used as a general purpose programming language. C language is run under a compiler, python on the other hand is run under an interpreter. Python has fully formed built-in and pre-defined library functions, but C has only few built-in functions. Python is easy to learn and implement, whereas C needs deeper understanding to program and implement.

 

 

Head To Head Comparison Between C and Python (Infographics)

Below is the top 10 Difference Between C vs Python

Key Difference Between C and Python

Both C vs Python are popular choices in the market; let us discuss some of the major difference:

• C is a foundation of python.
• Both C vs python can be used in multithreading.
• As python is object-oriented, it has its own garbage collector whereas in C user has to manage memory on his own.
• C has compiled language. The complete source code is converted into a machine language which is easier for a computer to understand. Python on the other hand is interpreted. The interpreter reads each statement line by line. This makes python slower compared to C.
• The use of for loop syntax is totally different in python. Variable doesn’t need to be incremented manually.

C vs Python Comparison Table

Below is the top comparison

C	Python
C is mainly used for hardware related applications.	Python is general purpose programming language.
Follows an imperative programming model.	Follows object-oriented programming language
Pointers available in C.	No pointers functionality available.
C is compiled.	Python is interpreted.
A limited number of built-in functions.	Large library of built-in functions.
Code execution is faster than python.	Slower compared to C as python has garbage collection.
Implementing data structures required its functions to be explicitly implemented.	Gives ease of implementing data structures with built-in insert, append functions.
It is compulsory to declare the variable type in C.	No need to declare a type of variable.
C program syntax is harder than python.	Python programs are easier to learn, write and read.
In line, an assignment is allowed.	In line, assignment gives an error. E.g. a=5 gives an error in python.

Conclusion

A tough question arises as to when to use python and when to user C. C vs Python languages are similar yet have many key differences. These languages are useful languages to develop various applications. The difference both is that python is a multi-paradigm language and C is a structured programming language. Python is a general-purpose language that is used for machine learning, natural language processing, web development and many more. C is mainly used for hardware-related application development such as operating systems, network drivers.

Before deciding on particular language keep in mind following things

• Ease of development: – python has very fewer keywords and more free English language syntax whereas C is far more difficult to write and maintain. Hence if you want an easy development process go for python.
• Performance: – Python is much slower than C as python takes significant CPU time for interpretation.

Recommended Article

This has been a useful guide to the top differences between C vs Python. Here we also discuss the key differences with infographics, and comparison table. You may also have a look at the following C vs Python articles to learn more –

1. C# vs C 
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3. C vs C++ Performance
4. Python vs Matlab