pip vs easy_install¶

setuptools was released in 2004, as part of setuptools. It was notable at the time for installing packages from PyPI using requirement specifiers, and automatically installing dependencies.

pip came later in 2008, as alternative to setuptools, although still largely built on top of setuptools components. It was notable at the time for not installing packages as Eggs or from Eggs (but rather simply as ‘flat’ packages from sdists), and introducing the idea of Requirements Files, which gave users the power to easily replicate environments.

Here’s a breakdown of the important differences between pip and easy_install now: