Compare the Top Scripting Languages in 2025
Scripting languages are programming languages that are used to automate tasks and to create complex applications. They are usually high-level languages, making them easier to read and write than other languages. Examples of scripting languages include Python, JavaScript, and PHP. Scripts written in these languages can be used to automate processes, create complex user interfaces, manipulate data, and more. Scripting languages are relatively easy to learn, and can help speed up development times. As with any language, there are pros and cons to using scripting languages - some may be more suitable for certain tasks than others. Here's a list of the best scripting languages:
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1
Python
Python
The core of extensible programming is defining functions. Python allows mandatory and optional arguments, keyword arguments, and even arbitrary argument lists. Whether you're new to programming or an experienced developer, it's easy to learn and use Python. Python can be easy to pick up whether you're a first-time programmer or you're experienced with other languages. The following pages are a useful first step to get on your way to writing programs with Python! The community hosts conferences and meetups to collaborate on code, and much more. Python's documentation will help you along the way, and the mailing lists will keep you in touch. The Python Package Index (PyPI) hosts thousands of third-party modules for Python. Both Python's standard library and the community-contributed modules allow for endless possibilities.Starting Price: Free -
2
PowerShell
Microsoft
PowerShell is a cross-platform task automation and configuration management framework, consisting of a command-line shell and scripting language. Unlike most shells, which accept and return text, PowerShell is built on top of the .NET Common Language Runtime (CLR), and accepts and returns .NET objects. This fundamental change brings entirely new tools and methods for automation. Unlike traditional command-line interfaces, PowerShell cmdlets are designed to deal with objects. An object is structured information that is more than just the string of characters appearing on the screen. Command output always carries extra information that you can use if you need it. If you've used text-processing tools to process data in the past, you'll find that they behave differently when used in PowerShell. In most cases, you don't need text-processing tools to extract specific information. You directly access portions of the data using standard PowerShell object syntax. -
3
PHP
PHP
Fast, flexible and pragmatic, PHP powers everything from your blog to the most popular websites in the world. The PHP development team announces the immediate availability of PHP 8.0.20. When using the PHP.net website, there is even no need to get to a search box to access the content you would like to see quickly. You can use short PHP.net URLs to access pages directly.Starting Price: Free -
4
Visual Basic
Microsoft
Visual Basic is an object-oriented programming language developed by Microsoft. Using Visual Basic makes it fast and easy to create type-safe .NET apps. Visual Basic focuses on supplying more of the features of the Visual Basic Runtime (microsoft.visualbasic.dll) to .NET Core and is the first version of Visual Basic focused on .NET Core. Many portions of the Visual Basic Runtime depend on WinForms and these will be added in a later version of Visual Basic. .NET is a free, open-source development platform for building many kinds of apps. With .NET, your code and project files look and feel the same no matter which type of app you're building. You have access to the same runtime, API, and language capabilities with each app. A Visual Basic program is built up from standard building blocks. A solution comprises one or more projects. A project in turn can contain one or more assemblies. Each assembly is compiled from one or more source files.Starting Price: Free -
5
IronPython
IronPython
IronPython is an open-source implementation of the Python programming language which is tightly integrated with .NET. IronPython can use .NET and Python libraries, and other .NET languages can use Python code just as easily. Experience a more interactive .NET and Python development experience with Python Tools for Visual Studio. IronPython is an excellent addition to .NET, providing Python developers with the power of the .NET. Existing .NET developers can also use IronPython as a fast and expressive scripting language for embedding, testing, or writing a new application from scratch. The CLR is a great platform for creating programming languages, and the DLR makes it all the better for dynamic languages. Also, the .NET (base class library, presentation foundation, etc.) gives developers an amazing amount of functionality and power. IronPython uses Python syntax and standard libraries and so your Python code will need to be updated accordingly.Starting Price: Free -
6
Ruby
Ruby Language
Wondering why Ruby is so popular? Its fans call it a beautiful, artful language. And yet, they say it’s handy and practical. Since its public release in 1995, Ruby has drawn devoted coders worldwide. In 2006, Ruby achieved mass acceptance. With active user groups formed in the world’s major cities and Ruby-related conferences filled to capacity. Ruby-Talk, the primary mailing list for discussion of the Ruby language, climbed to an average of 200 messages per day in 2006. It has dropped in recent years as the size of the community pushed discussion from one central list into many smaller groups. Ruby is ranked among the top 10 on most of the indices that measure the growth and popularity of programming languages worldwide (such as the TIOBE index). Much of the growth is attributed to the popularity of software written in Ruby, particularly the Ruby on Rails web framework.Starting Price: Free -
7
Perl
Perl
Perl is a highly capable, feature-rich programming language with over 30 years of development. Perl is a highly capable, feature-rich programming language with over 30 years of development. Perl runs on over 100 platforms from portables to mainframes and is suitable for both rapid prototyping and large scale development projects. "Perl" is a family of languages, "Raku" (formerly known as "Perl 6") is part of the family, but it is a separate language which has its own development team. Its existence has no significant impact on the continuing development of "Perl". Perl includes powerful tools for processing text that make it ideal for working with HTML, XML, and all other mark-up and natural languages. Perl can handle encrypted Web data, including e-commerce transactions.Starting Price: Free -
8
R
The R Foundation
R is a language and environment for statistical computing and graphics. It is a GNU project which is similar to the S language and environment which was developed at Bell Laboratories (formerly AT&T, now Lucent Technologies) by John Chambers and colleagues. R can be considered as a different implementation of S. There are some important differences, but much code written for S runs unaltered under R. R provides a wide variety of statistical (linear and nonlinear modelling, classical statistical tests, time-series analysis, classification, clustering, …) and graphical techniques, and is highly extensible. The S language is often the vehicle of choice for research in statistical methodology, and R provides an Open Source route to participation in that activity. One of R’s strengths is the ease with which well-designed publication-quality plots can be produced, including mathematical symbols and formulae where needed.Starting Price: Free -
9
Julia
Julia
Julia was designed from the beginning for high performance. Julia programs compile to efficient native code for multiple platforms via LLVM. Julia uses multiple dispatch as a paradigm, making it easy to express many object-oriented and functional programming patterns. The talk on the Unreasonable Effectiveness of Multiple Dispatch explains why it works so well. Julia is dynamically typed, feels like a scripting language, and has good support for interactive use. Julia provides asynchronous I/O, metaprogramming, debugging, logging, profiling, a package manager, and more. One can build entire Applications and Microservices in Julia. Julia is an open source project with over 1,000 contributors. It is made available under the MIT license.Starting Price: Free -
10
Lua
Lua Language
Lua is a powerful, efficient, lightweight, embeddable scripting language. It supports procedural programming, object-oriented programming, functional programming, data-driven programming, and data description. Lua combines simple procedural syntax with powerful data description constructs based on associative arrays and extensible semantics. Lua is dynamically typed, runs by interpreting bytecode with a register-based virtual machine, and has automatic memory management with incremental garbage collection, making it ideal for configuration, scripting, and rapid prototyping. Lua has a deserved reputation for performance. To claim to be "as fast as Lua" is an aspiration of other scripting languages. Several benchmarks show Lua as the fastest language in the realm of interpreted scripting languages. Lua is fast not only in fine-tuned benchmark programs, but in real life too. Substantial fractions of large applications have been written in Lua.Starting Price: Free -
11
GameMaker Language (GML)
YoYo Games
The GameMaker Language (also called simply GML) is the proprietary GameMaker scripting language. This language is structured to permit users to create their games in an intuitive and flexible way while offering all the power of any other major programming language. It is also the basis for GML Visual and can be used in conjunction with that if required. Each event has its own tab in the editor and you can add, edit, or remove code from them at any time (for more information on events see Object Events). The code itself must have a basic structure and can contain resource indices, variables, functions, expressions, keywords, etc. all of which are explained in the sections below. If you are a novice to programming or making the switch from GML Visual, it is recommended that you start with the page on basic code structure and then read through all the other pages in this section, testing code from each one within GameMaker itself.Starting Price: Free -
12
Apache Groovy
The Apache Software Foundation
Apache Groovy is a powerful, optionally typed and dynamic language, with static-typing and static compilation capabilities, for the Java platform aimed at improving developer productivity thanks to a concise, familiar and easy to learn syntax. It integrates smoothly with any Java program, and immediately delivers to your application powerful features, including scripting capabilities, Domain-Specific Language authoring, runtime and compile-time meta-programming and functional programming. Concise, readable and expressive syntax, easy to learn for Java developers. Closures, builders, runtime & compile-time meta-programming, functional programming, type inference, and static compilation. Flexible & malleable syntax, advanced integration & customization mechanisms, to integrate readable business rules in your applications. Great for writing concise and maintainable tests, and for all your build and automation tasks.Starting Price: Free -
13
Common Lisp
Common Lisp
Common Lisp is the modern, multi-paradigm, high-performance, compiled, ANSI-standardized, most prominent (along with Scheme) descendant of the long-running family of Lisp programming languages. Common Lisp is known for being extremely flexible, having excellent support for object oriented programming, and fast prototyping capabilities. It also sports an extremely powerful macro system that allows you to tailor the language to your application, and a flexible run-time environment that allows modification and debugging of running applications (excellent for server-side development and long-running critical software). It is a multi-paradigm programming language that allows you to choose the approach and paradigm according to your application domain.Starting Price: Free -
14
AutoHotkey
AutoHotkey
Define hotkeys for the mouse and keyboard, remap keys or buttons and autocorrect-like replacements. Creating simple hotkeys has never been easier; you can do it in just a few lines or less! AutoHotkey is a free, open-source scripting language for Windows that allows users to easily create small to complex scripts for all kinds of tasks such as form fillers, auto-clicking, macros, etc. AutoHotkey has easy-to-learn built-in commands for beginners. Experienced developers will love this full-fledged scripting language for fast prototyping and small projects. AutoHotkey gives you the freedom to automate any desktop task. It's small, fast, and runs out of the box. Best of all, it's free, open-source (GNU GPLv2), and beginner-friendly. AutoHotkey provides a simple, flexible syntax allowing you to focus more on the task at hand rather than every single little technicality. It supports not only the popular imperative-procedural paradigm, but also object-oriented and command-based programming.Starting Price: Free -
15
JavaScript
JavaScript
JavaScript is a scripting language and programming language for the web that enables developers to build dynamic elements on the web. Over 97% of the websites in the world use client-side JavaScript. JavaScript is one of the most important scripting languages on the web. Strings in JavaScript are contained within a pair of either single quotation marks '' or double quotation marks "". Both quotes represent Strings but be sure to choose one and STICK WITH IT. If you start with a single quote, you need to end with a single quote. There are pros and cons to using both IE single quotes tend to make it easier to write HTML within Javascript as you don’t have to escape the line with a double quote. Let’s say you’re trying to use quotation marks inside a string. You’ll need to use opposite quotation marks inside and outside of JavaScript single or double quotes. -
16
Bash
Bash
Bash is a free software Unix shell and command language. It has become the default login shell for most Linux distributions. In addition to being available on Linux systems, a version of Bash is also available for Windows through the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Bash is the default user shell in Solaris 11 and was the default shell in Apple macOS from version 10.3 until the release of macOS Catalina, which changed the default shell to zsh. Despite this change, Bash remains available as an alternative shell on macOS systems. As a command processor, Bash allows users to enter commands in a text window that are then executed by the system. Bash can also read and execute commands from a file, known as a shell script. It supports a number of features commonly found in Unix shells, including wildcard matching, piping, here documents, command substitution, variables, and control structures for condition testing and iteration. Bash is compliant with the POSIX shell standards.Starting Price: Free -
17
AutoIt
AutoIt
AutoIt v3 is a freeware BASIC-like scripting language designed for automating the Windows GUI and general scripting. It uses a combination of simulated keystrokes, mouse movement, and window/control manipulation in order to automate tasks in a way not possible or reliable with other languages. We looked at many editors to see which one was the most useful editor for AutoIt. We found SciTE and saw its potential and wrote a customized Lexer for the syntax highlighting and syntax folding and created a special installer called SciTE4AutoIt3. AutoIt was initially designed for PC "roll out" situations to reliably automate and configure thousands of PCs. Over time it has become a powerful language that supports complex expressions, user functions, loops and everything else that veteran scripters would expect.AutoIt is also very small, self-contained and will run on all versions of Windows out-of-the-box with no annoying "runtimes" required.Starting Price: Free
Guide to Scripting Languages
Scripting languages are programming languages used to automate tasks. They enable users to write code that can be used to carry out functions without having to manually input the commands or instructions. Scripts are usually written in a language such as JavaScript, Python, VBScript, or PowerShell, and they are often used to automate tasks and simplify complex processes.
A scripting language is similar to a programming language in that it uses instructions to control a program’s execution flow. The main difference between the two is that scripts typically provide simpler logic and more flexibility than a traditional programming language and require less coding knowledge. Programming languages must follow strict syntax rules in order for the code to compile correctly; however, scripting languages do not need such rigid structures in order for the code to run properly, which makes them easier and faster to learn.
The most common use of scripting languages is web development—scripting languages like JavaScript allow web developers to create interactive websites with dynamic content. JavaScript allows developers to add additional features such as animation, games, and even data processing capabilities into their websites. In addition, server-side scripting such as PHP enables developers to process data from users when they submit forms on websites. This can range from simple data entry forms all the way up to complex e-commerce systems where customers can purchase items online from the website directly.
Other popular uses of scripting include software testing automation (the process of writing test scripts using a scripting language), system administration (using scripts for automating tasks across multiple machines), application integration (writing scripts for connecting different systems together), business intelligence reporting (generating reports using scripting tools), game development (creating games with scripting engines like Unity3D), automation of repetitive tasks (scraping webpages or sending out emails based on conditions) among many other uses cases.
In summary, while programming languages are powerful tools for developing software applications that require precise instructions followed by exact processes; scripting languages offer greater flexibility by allowing us quickly develop solutions without having extensive coding knowledge or understanding complex syntax structures.
Features of Scripting Languages
- Easy to Learn: Scripting languages are designed to be simple, which makes them relatively easy to learn and use. They often use natural language syntax, which makes them easier for humans to understand.
- Flexible: The scripts are designed to be highly adaptable and flexible, allowing users to adjust their code as needed. This makes scripting languages ideal for quickly adapting applications and creating dynamic web pages.
- Cross-Platform Compatibility: Many scripting languages are platform independent and can run on multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. This allows developers to create software applications that can be used across different platforms with ease.
- Object-Oriented Programming (OOP): Some scripting languages support OOP features like classes and functions, allowing developers to structure code in a more organized way. This is especially useful for large projects that need a lot of code written in an organized manner.
- Debugging Tools: Most scripting languages come with debugging tools that allow developers to easily find and fix errors in their code. These tools help ensure the quality of the final product by preventing bugs from slipping through the cracks in production software applications.
- Rich Library Support: Most script libraries contain many helpful functions, making it easier for developers to access powerful components without having to write complex code from scratch every time they need something new.
- Highly Automated Testing: Scripting languages have automated testing tools built into their libraries which can help developers save time by automating parts of the testing process, such as running unit tests or integration tests before releasing a new version of the application into production.
- Rapid Development: Thanks to their highly customizable nature, scripting languages can help speed up the development process significantly. They are especially useful for creating dynamic web applications since they allow developers to quickly adjust code as needed without having to rebuild the whole application from scratch.
What Are the Benefits of Scripting Languages?
- Easy to Learn: Scripting languages are designed with an easy-to-understand syntax that makes them relatively simple to both learn and use. This makes scripting languages a great choice for developers looking to quickly prototype software applications.
- Faster Development Time: Scripting languages offer faster development time due to their simplified syntax and the fact that they usually require fewer lines of code than more formal programming languages, allowing developers to quickly create prototypes and test out ideas without having to write a lot of code.
- Cross Platform Compatibility: Most scripting languages are compatible across different operating systems, meaning the same code can be used across multiple platforms. This makes it easier for developers who may need to support multiple platforms or want their applications to run on various operating systems.
- Automation Capability: Since scripting languages allow users to automate certain tasks, they can help streamline complex processes and reduce manual labor associated with data entry or other tedious tasks. This helps speed up development time and increases overall efficiency by reducing the amount of time spent on mundane processes.
- Flexibility & Portability: Since most scripting languages are written in plain text files, they can easily be transported from one machine to another without having to worry about compatibility issues or other platform specific problems. Additionally, many scripts can be modified on the fly as needed without having to recompile the code each time – making them incredibly flexible compared to other coding options.
Trends Related to Scripting Languages
- Popularity of JavaScript: JavaScript remains the most popular scripting language and is used in a variety of applications, from web development to mobile applications. It is particularly popular for its versatility and ability to be used in both client-side and server-side programming.
- Rise of Typescript: Typescript is an increasingly popular scripting language that is based on JavaScript. It adds strongly typed variables and other features that make programming more efficient and easier to debug.
- Python Gains Momentum: Python has become an incredibly popular scripting language in recent years. It is fast, easy to learn, and powerful enough for a variety of projects. It has been widely adopted for artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning applications due to its extensive libraries and frameworks.
- PHP Declines: PHP has been a widely used scripting language for many years, but it has seen a decline in popularity due to the rise of more modern scripting languages such as JavaScript, Python, and Ruby.
- Ruby on Rails Popularity: Ruby on Rails (RoR) is an open-source web application framework written in the Ruby programming language. RoR has become increasingly popular in recent years due to its flexibility, scalability, and relative ease of use compared to other web development frameworks.
How to Choose the Right Scripting Language
Selecting the right scripting language for a project or task depends on a few factors.
The first step is to assess the purpose of the script and what you want it to achieve. What tasks will it accomplish, who will be using it, and which operating system will it run on? This information can help narrow down your choices.
Next, consider the resources available to you. Are there any specific requirements such as specific programming libraries or frameworks? If so, this can limit your choices even more. If there are no special requirements, then research which scripting languages have features that best suit your needs. For example, some scripting languages perform better with large data sets than others. Compare scripting languages using the tools on this page and filter by user reviews, features, use cases, and more.
Finally, consider how much experience you have with different scripting languages. If you’re unfamiliar with certain languages, stick to those that you’re comfortable with and understand how they work. There’s no point in learning a new language if you don’t have time or resources to properly learn it.
By considering these factors prior to making a selection, you can ensure that the right scripting language is chosen for the task at hand.
Who Uses Scripting Languages?
- Hobbyists: Individuals who use scripting languages for fun and to create small programs or scripts that may not be intended for commercial use.
- Web Developers: Professionals who use scripting languages to create dynamic webpages, typically with HTML and JavaScript.
- Software Engineers: Experienced professionals who use scripting languages to automate tasks, develop applications, and quickly deploy software solutions.
- System Administrators: Professionals responsible for maintaining computer networks and systems, which often requires the automation of tasks using scripting languages.
- Database Administrators: Professionals tasked with creating and managing databases, whose work can be automated through the use of scripting languages.
- Machine Learning & AI Researchers: Scientists working in these fields who often need to write custom scripts specifically tailored to their needs in order to analyze data or build models.
- Business Analysts: Professionals who analyze data from many sources in order to make better decisions; scripting languages are often used as a tool for this purpose.
- Game Developers: Creative professionals who utilize scripting languages such as Lua and Python in order to create interactive games or simulations with rich user experiences.
How Much Do Scripting Languages Cost?
Scripting languages typically come at no cost, making them ideal for those looking to develop web applications without spending any money upfront. Many popular scripting languages such as JavaScript and Python are available at no extra charge, either as part of a software package or as an open source project. Additionally, there are several commercial tools that provide additional support for these free scripting languages but their costs may vary depending on the features and services they offer.
For example, the Microsoft Windows Server operating system includes Windows PowerShell—a built-in command line interface (CLI) scripting language—for free with its purchase. Commercial software such as ActiveState’s Komodo Edit offers support for multiple programming languages, including Perl, Python and Ruby for a one-time fee of $295. Adobe ColdFusion Builder is another tool that supports development in ColdFusion (which is similar to JavaScript) and is priced at $299 per year. And then there are more expensive enterprise solutions such as IBM WebSphere Application Server which starts at around $5,000 per server instance.
Therefore, while scripting languages can be acquired without paying anything upfront, the costs of developing full scale applications using these languages still depend heavily on the individual software packages and tools used in the process.
What Software Is Compatible With Scripting Languages?
Software that can integrate with scripting languages includes content management systems, web servers, databases, development frameworks, and more. Content management systems are programs designed to manage the workflow of a website or application. Web servers handle requests from clients over the internet and serve them the information they need. Databases store large amounts of data and allow for easy retrieval through query languages like SQL. Development frameworks provide a set of guidelines and libraries to help developers create complex applications quickly and efficiently. These types of software can all work together to access and manipulate data with scripting languages such as JavaScript, Python, or PHP.