Is Python or Java better for beginners?

Python is significantly easier to learn for beginners due to its simple syntax and immediate feedback. Java's verbosity can be overwhelming initially.

Which pays more — Java or Python?

Both have strong salaries. Python developers tend to earn more due to AI/ML demand, but enterprise Java roles also pay very well.

Java vs Python

Updated March 19, 2026

Java

General-purpose, object-oriented language running on the Java Virtual Machine since 1995.

Enterprise software and Android development

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Python

Dynamic, interpreted language dominating AI/ML with mature scientific computing libraries.

Data science, AI, and rapid prototyping

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Short Answer

Java is a statically typed, compiled language that dominates enterprise software, Android development, and large-scale backend systems. Python is dynamically typed, easier to learn, and leads in AI/ML. Java runs faster; Python is written faster.

Our Verdict

Java for enterprise, Android, and performance. Python for AI/ML, data science, and rapid development. Both are top-5 global programming languages.

Java5

10Python

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Enterprise software and Android development

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Key Differences at a Glance

🔹

Typing System: Static vs Dynamic

⚡

Execution Speed: Java wins (Faster (JVM) vs Slower (interpreted))

🔹

Learning Curve: Python wins (Gentler vs Steeper)

See all 5 differences

Key Facts & Figures

Metric	Java	Python	Diff
Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)	Baseline (0%)	—	—
Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)	75%	—	—
Android Development Market Share(%)	5-10%	—	—
Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)	$107,500	—	—

Key Differences

Java

Attribute

Python

Static

Typing System

Dynamic

Faster (JVM)🏆

Execution Speed

Slower (interpreted)

Steeper

Learning Curve

Gentler🏆

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Last updated: March 19, 2026Human reviewed

Full Comparison

Attribute	Java	Python

Stack Overflow Ranking (2024)	#4	#3
Stack Overflow Most Used (2024)	#3	—

Lines of Code (Hello World equiv.)	5 lines	1 line

Execution Speed (relative)	Fast	~2-10x slower
Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)	Baseline (0%)	—
K2 Clean Build Time (Kotlin) / Standard Compilation (Java)(% improvement)	Baseline	—
Kotlin/Native Performance Improvement(%)	N/A	—
ASP.NET Core/Spring Boot API Performance(% faster response time)	Baseline (Spring Boot 6.2ms avg)	—
Show 7 more attributes JVM/CLR Runtime Startup Time(milliseconds) 1,200-1,800ms (cold start) — Execution Speed Moderate (interpreted) — JSON API Request Throughput(requests/second) 25,000 req/s — Execution Speed (Matrix Multiplication Benchmark)(relative speed (Julia = 1.0x)) 0.05-0.1x (50-100x slower) — Memory Usage (Typical Data Processing)(relative efficiency) 0.7x (more memory consumed) — Execution Speed (Fibonacci 30)(seconds) 4.8 seconds — Memory Footprint (Idle Process)(MB) 25-35 MB —

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)	75%	—
Android Development Market Share(%)	5-10%	—
Industry Job Market Share(percent of data science roles)	99%	—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)	$107,500	—
Developer Salary Premium(%)	Baseline	—
Average Developer Salary (2025)(USD/year)	$148,000	—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)	Nullable by default (requires Optional)	—

Virtual Threading Maturity	Production-ready (Java 21+)	—

Multiplatform Support(targets)	JVM only (GraalVM for native)	—
Cross-Platform Support	Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, embedded via JVM	—

Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)	30+ years	—
Active Developer Community(millions)	9.4 million	10+ million developers
AI/ML Libraries	TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn	—
Machine Learning Market Share(%)	92%	—
Total Packages Available(packages)	500,000+ (PyPI)	—
Show 2 more attributes ML Framework Maturity(production-ready frameworks) TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, XGBoost (mature) — Available Packages(package count) 530,000+ packages —

Null Safety Mechanism	Optional + defensive coding	—
Concurrency Model	Virtual Threads (platform threads abstraction)	Threading (GIL limits true parallelism)
Multiplatform Capability	JVM-only (GraalVM AOT experimental)	—

Enterprise Market Share(%)	~75% of JVM workloads	—

Current Stable Release (2026)	Java 26 (March 17, 2026)	—

Global Job Postings (2026)(thousands)	142,000	—

Docker Container Size (.NET 8 vs Java 21)(MB)	486 MB base image	—

Lines of Code (boilerplate reduction)(% vs Java baseline)	Baseline (100%)	—

Memory Usage (typical app)(MB heap)	512-1024 MB	—

Latest Version (2026)	3.14 (released Jan 3, 2026)	—

Production ML Readiness(scale 1-10)	9.5/10	—

Statistical Test Complexity(lines of code average)	15-50 lines (GLM, GAM)	—

Data Visualization Learning Curve(hours to proficiency)	20-30 hours	—

Community Size (Stack Overflow)(questions tagged)	2.2 million+ questions	—

Syntax Learning Difficulty(beginner friendliness 1-10)	9/10 (readable, intuitive)	—
Type System	Dynamically-typed (runtime checking)	—
Type System Enforcement	Optional runtime (duck typing)	—

Cross-Language Integration (2026)(libraries available)	rpy2, PypeR for R integration	—

Production Website Adoption (All Sites)(%)	1.2%	—
Top 1,000 Websites Adoption(%)	2.3%	—

Execution Model	Interpreted with bytecode compilation	—

Beginner Learning Difficulty(difficulty rating (1-10))	2-3 (very easy)	—

Latest Stable Release Version(version number)	3.13.x (2024)	—
Compilation Time (Medium Project)(seconds)	0 seconds (interpreted)	—

Time to Productivity (Beginner)(weeks)	1-2 weeks	—

Stack Overflow Developer Survey Rank(ranking)	Top 5 but behind Rust	—
Global Developer Population(millions)	4.5+ million	—

Average Job Salary (USA 2026)(USD/year)	$138,000	—

GitHub Monthly Active Contributors(contributors)	2,594,006	—
YoY Contributor Growth Rate(%)	-8%	—

Web Developer Job Listings Market Share(%)	18%	—
Median Developer Annual Salary(USD)	$111,000	—

AI-Generated Code Errors (Type-Related)(%)	94%	—

ML/AI Model Training Ecosystem Maturity	Industry standard (TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, scikit-learn)	—

Adoption in Data Science Roles(%)	95%	—

Java

Python

Stack Overflow Ranking (2024)

Stack Overflow Most Used (2024)

—

Lines of Code (Hello World equiv.)

5 lines

1 line

Execution Speed (relative)

Fast

~2-10x slower

Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)

Baseline (0%)

—

K2 Clean Build Time (Kotlin) / Standard Compilation (Java)(% improvement)

Baseline

—

Kotlin/Native Performance Improvement(%)

N/A

—

ASP.NET Core/Spring Boot API Performance(% faster response time)

Baseline (Spring Boot 6.2ms avg)

—

Show 7 more attributes

JVM/CLR Runtime Startup Time(milliseconds)

1,200-1,800ms (cold start)

—

Execution Speed

Moderate (interpreted)

—

JSON API Request Throughput(requests/second)

25,000 req/s

—

Execution Speed (Matrix Multiplication Benchmark)(relative speed (Julia = 1.0x))

0.05-0.1x (50-100x slower)

—

Memory Usage (Typical Data Processing)(relative efficiency)

0.7x (more memory consumed)

—

Execution Speed (Fibonacci 30)(seconds)

4.8 seconds

—

Memory Footprint (Idle Process)(MB)

25-35 MB

—

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)

75%

—

Android Development Market Share(%)

5-10%

—

Industry Job Market Share(percent of data science roles)

99%

—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)

$107,500

—

Developer Salary Premium(%)

Baseline

—

Average Developer Salary (2025)(USD/year)

$148,000

—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)

Nullable by default (requires Optional)

—

Virtual Threading Maturity

Production-ready (Java 21+)

—

Multiplatform Support(targets)

JVM only (GraalVM for native)

—

Cross-Platform Support

Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, embedded via JVM

—

Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)

30+ years

—

Active Developer Community(millions)

9.4 million

10+ million developers

AI/ML Libraries

TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn

—

Machine Learning Market Share(%)

92%

—

Total Packages Available(packages)

500,000+ (PyPI)

—

Show 2 more attributes

ML Framework Maturity(production-ready frameworks)

TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, XGBoost (mature)

—

Available Packages(package count)

530,000+ packages

—

Null Safety Mechanism

Optional + defensive coding

—

Concurrency Model

Virtual Threads (platform threads abstraction)

Threading (GIL limits true parallelism)

Multiplatform Capability

JVM-only (GraalVM AOT experimental)

—

Enterprise Market Share(%)

~75% of JVM workloads

—

Current Stable Release (2026)

Java 26 (March 17, 2026)

—

Global Job Postings (2026)(thousands)

142,000

—

Docker Container Size (.NET 8 vs Java 21)(MB)

486 MB base image

—

Lines of Code (boilerplate reduction)(% vs Java baseline)

Baseline (100%)

—

Memory Usage (typical app)(MB heap)

512-1024 MB

—

Latest Version (2026)

3.14 (released Jan 3, 2026)

—

Production ML Readiness(scale 1-10)

9.5/10

—

Statistical Test Complexity(lines of code average)

15-50 lines (GLM, GAM)

—

Data Visualization Learning Curve(hours to proficiency)

20-30 hours

—

Community Size (Stack Overflow)(questions tagged)

2.2 million+ questions

—

Syntax Learning Difficulty(beginner friendliness 1-10)

9/10 (readable, intuitive)

—

Type System

Dynamically-typed (runtime checking)

—

Type System Enforcement

Optional runtime (duck typing)

—

Cross-Language Integration (2026)(libraries available)

rpy2, PypeR for R integration

—

Production Website Adoption (All Sites)(%)

1.2%

—

Top 1,000 Websites Adoption(%)

2.3%

—

Execution Model

Interpreted with bytecode compilation

—

Beginner Learning Difficulty(difficulty rating (1-10))

2-3 (very easy)

—

Latest Stable Release Version(version number)

3.13.x (2024)

—

Compilation Time (Medium Project)(seconds)

0 seconds (interpreted)

—

Time to Productivity (Beginner)(weeks)

1-2 weeks

—

Stack Overflow Developer Survey Rank(ranking)

Top 5 but behind Rust

—

Global Developer Population(millions)

4.5+ million

—

Average Job Salary (USA 2026)(USD/year)

$138,000

—

GitHub Monthly Active Contributors(contributors)

2,594,006

—

YoY Contributor Growth Rate(%)

-8%

—

Web Developer Job Listings Market Share(%)

18%

—

Median Developer Annual Salary(USD)

$111,000

—

AI-Generated Code Errors (Type-Related)(%)

94%

—

ML/AI Model Training Ecosystem Maturity

Industry standard (TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, scikit-learn)

—

Adoption in Data Science Roles(%)

95%

—

Full Comparison

Attribute	Java	Python

Stack Overflow Ranking (2024)	#4	#3
Stack Overflow Most Used (2024)	#3	—

Lines of Code (Hello World equiv.)	5 lines	1 line

Execution Speed (relative)	Fast	~2-10x slower
Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)	Baseline (0%)	—
K2 Clean Build Time (Kotlin) / Standard Compilation (Java)(% improvement)	Baseline	—
Kotlin/Native Performance Improvement(%)	N/A	—
ASP.NET Core/Spring Boot API Performance(% faster response time)	Baseline (Spring Boot 6.2ms avg)	—
Show 7 more attributes JVM/CLR Runtime Startup Time(milliseconds) 1,200-1,800ms (cold start) — Execution Speed Moderate (interpreted) — JSON API Request Throughput(requests/second) 25,000 req/s — Execution Speed (Matrix Multiplication Benchmark)(relative speed (Julia = 1.0x)) 0.05-0.1x (50-100x slower) — Memory Usage (Typical Data Processing)(relative efficiency) 0.7x (more memory consumed) — Execution Speed (Fibonacci 30)(seconds) 4.8 seconds — Memory Footprint (Idle Process)(MB) 25-35 MB —

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)	75%	—
Android Development Market Share(%)	5-10%	—
Industry Job Market Share(percent of data science roles)	99%	—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)	$107,500	—
Developer Salary Premium(%)	Baseline	—
Average Developer Salary (2025)(USD/year)	$148,000	—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)	Nullable by default (requires Optional)	—

Virtual Threading Maturity	Production-ready (Java 21+)	—

Multiplatform Support(targets)	JVM only (GraalVM for native)	—
Cross-Platform Support	Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, embedded via JVM	—

Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)	30+ years	—
Active Developer Community(millions)	9.4 million	10+ million developers
AI/ML Libraries	TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn	—
Machine Learning Market Share(%)	92%	—
Total Packages Available(packages)	500,000+ (PyPI)	—
Show 2 more attributes ML Framework Maturity(production-ready frameworks) TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, XGBoost (mature) — Available Packages(package count) 530,000+ packages —

Null Safety Mechanism	Optional + defensive coding	—
Concurrency Model	Virtual Threads (platform threads abstraction)	Threading (GIL limits true parallelism)
Multiplatform Capability	JVM-only (GraalVM AOT experimental)	—

Enterprise Market Share(%)	~75% of JVM workloads	—

Current Stable Release (2026)	Java 26 (March 17, 2026)	—

Global Job Postings (2026)(thousands)	142,000	—

Docker Container Size (.NET 8 vs Java 21)(MB)	486 MB base image	—

Lines of Code (boilerplate reduction)(% vs Java baseline)	Baseline (100%)	—

Memory Usage (typical app)(MB heap)	512-1024 MB	—

Latest Version (2026)	3.14 (released Jan 3, 2026)	—

Production ML Readiness(scale 1-10)	9.5/10	—

Statistical Test Complexity(lines of code average)	15-50 lines (GLM, GAM)	—

Data Visualization Learning Curve(hours to proficiency)	20-30 hours	—

Community Size (Stack Overflow)(questions tagged)	2.2 million+ questions	—

Syntax Learning Difficulty(beginner friendliness 1-10)	9/10 (readable, intuitive)	—
Type System	Dynamically-typed (runtime checking)	—
Type System Enforcement	Optional runtime (duck typing)	—

Cross-Language Integration (2026)(libraries available)	rpy2, PypeR for R integration	—

Production Website Adoption (All Sites)(%)	1.2%	—
Top 1,000 Websites Adoption(%)	2.3%	—

Execution Model	Interpreted with bytecode compilation	—

Beginner Learning Difficulty(difficulty rating (1-10))	2-3 (very easy)	—

Latest Stable Release Version(version number)	3.13.x (2024)	—
Compilation Time (Medium Project)(seconds)	0 seconds (interpreted)	—

Time to Productivity (Beginner)(weeks)	1-2 weeks	—

Stack Overflow Developer Survey Rank(ranking)	Top 5 but behind Rust	—
Global Developer Population(millions)	4.5+ million	—

Average Job Salary (USA 2026)(USD/year)	$138,000	—

GitHub Monthly Active Contributors(contributors)	2,594,006	—
YoY Contributor Growth Rate(%)	-8%	—

Web Developer Job Listings Market Share(%)	18%	—
Median Developer Annual Salary(USD)	$111,000	—

AI-Generated Code Errors (Type-Related)(%)	94%	—

ML/AI Model Training Ecosystem Maturity	Industry standard (TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, scikit-learn)	—

Adoption in Data Science Roles(%)	95%	—

Java

Python

Stack Overflow Ranking (2024)

Stack Overflow Most Used (2024)

—

Lines of Code (Hello World equiv.)

5 lines

1 line

Execution Speed (relative)

Fast

~2-10x slower

Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)

Baseline (0%)

—

K2 Clean Build Time (Kotlin) / Standard Compilation (Java)(% improvement)

Baseline

—

Kotlin/Native Performance Improvement(%)

N/A

—

ASP.NET Core/Spring Boot API Performance(% faster response time)

Baseline (Spring Boot 6.2ms avg)

—

Show 7 more attributes

JVM/CLR Runtime Startup Time(milliseconds)

1,200-1,800ms (cold start)

—

Execution Speed

Moderate (interpreted)

—

JSON API Request Throughput(requests/second)

25,000 req/s

—

Execution Speed (Matrix Multiplication Benchmark)(relative speed (Julia = 1.0x))

0.05-0.1x (50-100x slower)

—

Memory Usage (Typical Data Processing)(relative efficiency)

0.7x (more memory consumed)

—

Execution Speed (Fibonacci 30)(seconds)

4.8 seconds

—

Memory Footprint (Idle Process)(MB)

25-35 MB

—

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)

75%

—

Android Development Market Share(%)

5-10%

—

Industry Job Market Share(percent of data science roles)

99%

—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)

$107,500

—

Developer Salary Premium(%)

Baseline

—

Average Developer Salary (2025)(USD/year)

$148,000

—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)

Nullable by default (requires Optional)

—

Virtual Threading Maturity

Production-ready (Java 21+)

—

Multiplatform Support(targets)

JVM only (GraalVM for native)

—

Cross-Platform Support

Linux, Windows, macOS, BSD, embedded via JVM

—

Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)

30+ years

—

Active Developer Community(millions)

9.4 million

10+ million developers

AI/ML Libraries

TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn

—

Machine Learning Market Share(%)

92%

—

Total Packages Available(packages)

500,000+ (PyPI)

—

Show 2 more attributes

ML Framework Maturity(production-ready frameworks)

TensorFlow, PyTorch, scikit-learn, XGBoost (mature)

—

Available Packages(package count)

530,000+ packages

—

Null Safety Mechanism

Optional + defensive coding

—

Concurrency Model

Virtual Threads (platform threads abstraction)

Threading (GIL limits true parallelism)

Multiplatform Capability

JVM-only (GraalVM AOT experimental)

—

Enterprise Market Share(%)

~75% of JVM workloads

—

Current Stable Release (2026)

Java 26 (March 17, 2026)

—

Global Job Postings (2026)(thousands)

142,000

—

Docker Container Size (.NET 8 vs Java 21)(MB)

486 MB base image

—

Lines of Code (boilerplate reduction)(% vs Java baseline)

Baseline (100%)

—

Memory Usage (typical app)(MB heap)

512-1024 MB

—

Latest Version (2026)

3.14 (released Jan 3, 2026)

—

Production ML Readiness(scale 1-10)

9.5/10

—

Statistical Test Complexity(lines of code average)

15-50 lines (GLM, GAM)

—

Data Visualization Learning Curve(hours to proficiency)

20-30 hours

—

Community Size (Stack Overflow)(questions tagged)

2.2 million+ questions

—

Syntax Learning Difficulty(beginner friendliness 1-10)

9/10 (readable, intuitive)

—

Type System

Dynamically-typed (runtime checking)

—

Type System Enforcement

Optional runtime (duck typing)

—

Cross-Language Integration (2026)(libraries available)

rpy2, PypeR for R integration

—

Production Website Adoption (All Sites)(%)

1.2%

—

Top 1,000 Websites Adoption(%)

2.3%

—

Execution Model

Interpreted with bytecode compilation

—

Beginner Learning Difficulty(difficulty rating (1-10))

2-3 (very easy)

—

Latest Stable Release Version(version number)

3.13.x (2024)

—

Compilation Time (Medium Project)(seconds)

0 seconds (interpreted)

—

Time to Productivity (Beginner)(weeks)

1-2 weeks

—

Stack Overflow Developer Survey Rank(ranking)

Top 5 but behind Rust

—

Global Developer Population(millions)

4.5+ million

—

Average Job Salary (USA 2026)(USD/year)

$138,000

—

GitHub Monthly Active Contributors(contributors)

2,594,006

—

YoY Contributor Growth Rate(%)

-8%

—

Web Developer Job Listings Market Share(%)

18%

—

Median Developer Annual Salary(USD)

$111,000

—

AI-Generated Code Errors (Type-Related)(%)

94%

—

ML/AI Model Training Ecosystem Maturity

Industry standard (TensorFlow, PyTorch, JAX, scikit-learn)

—

Adoption in Data Science Roles(%)

95%

—

Java vs Python

Java

Python

Short Answer

Our Verdict

Track this comparison

Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

Related Comparisons

Related Articles

Explore Entities

More Technology

People Also Compare

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

Java

Pros

Cons

Python

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Where to Buy

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Java vs Python

Java

Python

Short Answer

Our Verdict

🔔Track this comparison

Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

Related Comparisons

Related Articles

Explore Entities

More Technology

People Also Compare

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

Java

Pros

Cons

Python

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Where to Buy

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Track this comparison