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Comparison · Analytics
OR-Tools vs silx
A side-by-side editorial comparison of OR-Tools and silx — release velocity, themes, recent moves, and the top alternatives to consider.
OR-Tools vs silx: at a glance
What is OR-Tools?
Google's solver suite where nearly every release note is really about CP-SAT.
OR-Tools bundles constraint programming, linear solvers, routing, and graph algorithms, but the release notes make the priority obvious: CP-SAT gets the most substantive changes in every version, particularly its no_overlap_2d propagation, presolve, and cut management. Around that core, the work is platform and dependency maintenance — new Linux distro support, Python and Java version cycling, and bumping the bundled Coin-OR, HiGHS, SCIP, and abseil versions. Note that these entries carry batch-stamped crawl dates; the newest actual release here is v9.12 from early 2025.
What is silx?
silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration
silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.
OR-Tools vs silx: editorial side-by-side
OR-Tools
0.0ANALYTICS
Google's solver suite where nearly every release note is really about CP-SAT.
◆ Current state
OR-Tools bundles constraint programming, linear solvers, routing, and graph algorithms, but the release notes make the priority obvious: CP-SAT gets the most substantive changes in every version, particularly its no_overlap_2d propagation, presolve, and cut management. Around that core, the work is platform and dependency maintenance — new Linux distro support, Python and Java version cycling, and bumping the bundled Coin-OR, HiGHS, SCIP, and abseil versions. Note that these entries carry batch-stamped crawl dates; the newest actual release here is v9.12 from early 2025.
◆ Where it's heading
The suite is consolidating on fewer, better-maintained components: old graph classes were removed outright, MathOpt got a deep rework and shipped in the Python wheel, and the Python API was rewritten to PEP 8 naming. Build-level changes point the same direction — dependencies split into separate shared libraries, Windows output moved to DLLs.
◆ Prediction
CP-SAT scheduling and 2D packing propagation should keep absorbing the bulk of the effort; the entries show no other component receiving comparable sustained investment.
silx
5.0ANALYTICS
silx settles into maintenance a release after its PySide6 migration
◆ Current state
silx is in the quiet phase after a generational release. 3.1.1 is a single fix to FitWidget loading a fit function from file. The release before it, 3.1.0, was the first real feature work since the migration - asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, and dark-theme icons - and 3.0.1 was similarly small. The 3.0.0 cut that reset the Qt binding and Python floor still defines what the line is doing.
◆ Where it's heading
The cadence has slowed markedly since April, and the content has shifted from structural change to plotting and colormap refinement. That is the expected shape after a binding migration: downstream beamline code needs a stable target, so the project trades feature velocity for a quiet surface. The gap between 3.0.1 in May and 3.1.0 in August is the clearest signal of the deliberate slowdown.
◆ Prediction
Expect further point releases servicing the plotting and fitting widgets rather than another structural change, with feature work continuing to arrive in the 3.1.x minors rather than patches.
Alternatives to OR-Tools and silx
Other Analytics products tracked by Sparkpulse, ranked by recent ship velocity. Each card links to a full editorial trajectory and lets you pivot into a head-to-head comparison with either OR-Tools or silx.
Omni
Omni ships weekly, and almost every week the headline item is an AI feature.
Plotly
Plotly is turning its cloud into a metered compute platform with an enterprise on-ramp.
aniread
aniread stops asking you to know which tracker wrote the file
Rho
Rho's release machinery finally produced a stable build — and it shipped no new product.
Usermaven
Usermaven closed the loop: data comes in from anywhere, and now it goes back out.
See all OR-Tools alternatives → · See all silx alternatives →
Recent activity from OR-Tools and silx
Latest ship moves from both products, interleaved chronologically. ⚡ = editorial spark.
- 6h agosilxFitWidget fix for loading a fit function from file
- 9d agosilx3.1.0: asinh axis scaling, twilight colormaps, dark-theme icons
- 3mo agosilx3.0.1: silx view fails to disable HDF5 file locking
- 3mo agosilx3.0.0: PySide6 becomes the default Qt binding, Python 3.10 required ⚡
- 3mo agosilx3.0.0rc1: release candidate for the PySide6 migration
- 1y agoOR-ToolsDependencies split into shared libraries, Python 3.13 support, CP-SAT hint preservation
- 1y agoOR-ToolsAlmaLinux and Rocky Linux 9 support, experimental set_cover Python binding
- 1y agoOR-ToolsCP-SAT core search and presolve improvements, absl::Span migration
- 1y agoOR-ToolsPython API rewritten to PEP 8 naming; MathOpt ships in the Python wheel
- 1y agoOR-ToolsModelBuilder gains indicator constraints and hinting; MathOpt deep rework
- 1y agosilx2.2.2: plot axes limits, OpenGL axes and libhdf5 1.14 fixes
- 3y agoOR-ToolsGraph library reworked, pandas support in the Python model builder
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between OR-Tools and silx?
They serve adjacent needs but don't currently overlap on shipped themes. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. See the at-a-glance table above for a side-by-side breakdown of velocity, recent sparks, and editorial themes.
Is OR-Tools better than silx?
Sparkpulse doesn't pick a winner — we score release velocity, not feature parity. silx is currently shipping more aggressively (velocity 5.0 vs 0.0), with 0 editorial sparks in the last 30 days against 0. For your specific use case, the alternatives sections above list other Analytics products to evaluate alongside.
What are the best alternatives to OR-Tools?
Top OR-Tools alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "OR-Tools alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/or-tools for the full list with editorial commentary on each.
What are the best alternatives to silx?
Top silx alternatives in Analytics are ranked by recent ship velocity. Browse the "silx alternatives" section above for the current picks, or visit /alternatives/silx for the full list with editorial commentary on each.