Pros of Plyer

• Broader platform support, including iOS, Android, and desktop systems
• More comprehensive feature set beyond just Bluetooth functionality
• Simpler, more abstracted API for cross-platform development

Cons of Plyer

• Less specialized for Bluetooth operations compared to PyBluez
• May have more overhead due to its broader scope
• Potentially slower development cycle for Bluetooth-specific features

Code Comparison

PyBluez example:

import bluetooth

nearby_devices = bluetooth.discover_devices(lookup_names=True)
for addr, name in nearby_devices:
    print(f"Address: {addr}, Name: {name}")

Plyer example:

from plyer import bluetooth

bluetooth.start_discovery()
devices = bluetooth.get_discovered_devices()
for device in devices:
    print(f"Address: {device['address']}, Name: {device['name']}")

Summary

Plyer offers a more versatile toolkit for cross-platform development with a wider range of features, while PyBluez specializes in Bluetooth functionality. PyBluez may be more suitable for projects focused solely on Bluetooth operations, whereas Plyer is better suited for applications requiring broader platform support and additional features beyond Bluetooth.

Pros of Bleak

• Cross-platform support (Windows, macOS, Linux) for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)
• Asynchronous API design, leveraging Python's asyncio for better performance
• Active development and maintenance, with regular updates and bug fixes

Cons of Bleak

• Limited to BLE devices only, not supporting classic Bluetooth
• Steeper learning curve due to its asynchronous nature
• May require additional dependencies for certain platforms

Code Comparison

Bleak example:

import asyncio
from bleak import BleakClient

async def main():
    address = "XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX"
    async with BleakClient(address) as client:
        await client.write_gatt_char(CHARACTERISTIC_UUID, b"Hello World!")

asyncio.run(main())

PyBluez example:

import bluetooth

nearby_devices = bluetooth.discover_devices(lookup_names=True)
for addr, name in nearby_devices:
    print(f"Address: {addr}, Name: {name}")

Summary

Bleak offers modern, cross-platform BLE support with an asynchronous API, making it suitable for complex IoT projects. PyBluez provides a simpler interface for both classic Bluetooth and BLE but lacks cross-platform consistency and active development. Choose Bleak for BLE-focused, high-performance applications, and PyBluez for simpler, classic Bluetooth tasks or legacy systems.

Pros of bluepy

• Focused on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices, providing more specialized functionality
• More actively maintained with recent updates and contributions
• Better documentation and examples for BLE-specific use cases

Cons of bluepy

• Limited to Linux systems, reducing cross-platform compatibility
• Requires root privileges for certain operations, which may be a security concern
• Steeper learning curve for users new to BLE concepts

Code Comparison

bluepy example:

from bluepy.btle import Scanner, DefaultDelegate

scanner = Scanner().withDelegate(DefaultDelegate())
devices = scanner.scan(10.0)
for dev in devices:
    print(f"Device {dev.addr} ({dev.addrType}), RSSI={dev.rssi} dB")

PyBluez example:

import bluetooth

nearby_devices = bluetooth.discover_devices(lookup_names=True)
for addr, name in nearby_devices:
    print(f"Device {addr} - {name}")

PyBluez offers a simpler API for general Bluetooth operations, while bluepy provides more detailed control over BLE-specific features. PyBluez has broader platform support but may lack some advanced BLE capabilities found in bluepy.