# charset-normalizer vs idna

| Attribute | charset-normalizer | idna |
|---|---|---|
| **Vioscale score** | 79.3 (42% (low)) | 84.2 (40% (low)) |
| activity.commits_last_30d | 62 | 58 |
| adoption.dependent_repos | 127,252 | 408,607 |
| adoption.github_stars | 789 | 291 |
| adoption.package_downloads_weekly | 387,767,386 | 442,973,541 |
| content.faq | `[{"answer":"charset-normalizer is a library that detects the character encoding used in text data. It functions as a universal charset detector, automatically identifying which text encoding is present in files or text streams.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"What is charset-normalizer?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"charset-normalizer addresses the problem of automatically detecting character encoding in text data. Applications that process text from diverse sources often encounter different encodings, and identifying the correct encoding is essential for proper text interpretation.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"What problems does charset-normalizer solve?","confidence":0.8},{"answer":"Yes, charset-normalizer is open source software, allowing for public use, examination, and modification of its code. As an open source project, it is freely available for distribution and integration into other applications.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"Is charset-normalizer open source?","confidence":0.98},{"answer":"Yes, the project is actively maintained, meaning it continues to receive updates and ongoing development. This indicates an ongoing commitment to improving and supporting the software.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"Is the project actively maintained?","confidence":0.98},{"answer":"charset-normalizer is positioned as an alternative to Chardet with emphasis on being modern and actively maintained. Specific technical differences or detailed feature comparisons are not provided in the available information.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"How does charset-normalizer compare to Chardet?","confidence":0.85},{"answer":"The project provides documentation through ReadTheDocs at its official website. ReadTheDocs is a standard hosting platform for comprehensive documentation for open source projects.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"Where can I find documentation for charset-normalizer?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"As an open source project, charset-normalizer is available at no cost. There are no licensing fees or usage costs for integrating it into applications.","source":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","question":"What is the cost of using charset-normalizer?","confidence":0.98}]` | `[{"answer":"idna is a Python library for processing and validating internationalized domain names—domain names containing characters from multiple languages and writing systems. It's used in applications to reliably handle encoding, decoding, and validation of these domain names.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"What is idna used for?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"idna supersedes Python's standard library IDNA implementation by offering broader script coverage and including security vulnerability filtering. This makes it a more comprehensive option for applications requiring robust international domain name handling.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"How does idna compare to Python's standard library?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"Yes, idna is open source software with no licensing fees or usage charges. You can use it freely in any Python project.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"Is idna free to use?","confidence":0.95},{"answer":"An internationalized domain name (IDN) is a web address containing characters from non-Latin writing systems—such as Chinese, Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek, or other scripts—allowing users to register and access domains in their native languages.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"What is an internationalized domain name?","confidence":0.85},{"answer":"Yes, idna includes security vulnerability filtering as part of its domain name processing. This helps protect applications from security issues that can arise from improper handling of Unicode and international domain names.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"Does idna include security features?","confidence":0.8},{"answer":"idna is a Python library distributed via the Python Package Index (PyPI). It integrates into Python projects on any platform that supports Python.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"What platforms does idna support?","confidence":0.9},{"answer":"Developers building Python applications that work with international domain names should consider idna. It is particularly relevant for services with global audiences or those managing domain operations across multiple languages and regions.","source":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","question":"Who should use idna?","confidence":0.75}]` |
| deployment.options | `{"cloud":true,"self_hosted":true}` | - |
| description.long | A Python library that identifies character encoding in byte sequences and converts content to Unicode. It determines the most readable interpretation of text regardless of its original encoding, and includes language detection and binary file recognition capabilities. | A Python package implementing the IDNA specification for handling internationalized domain names in applications. It converts Unicode domain names to ASCII-compatible format and back, with support for Unicode normalization and validation that exceeds the standard library. |
| language.primary | Python | Python |
| license.spdx | MIT | BSD-3-Clause |
| platform.support | `{"cli":true}` | `{"cli":true}` |
| pricing | `{"type":"open_source","summary":"Free and open source (MIT license)","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://charset-normalizer.readthedocs.io/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T10:26:17.342Z"}` | `{"type":"open_source","freeTier":true,"sourceUrl":"https://pypi.org/project/idna/","retrievedAt":"2026-08-14T11:09:14.342Z"}` |
| pricing.free_tier | yes | yes |
| pricing.model | open_source | commercial |
| pricing.price_level | free | free |
| pricing.transparent | yes | yes |
| release.cadence_days | 65 | 14 |
| release.history | `[{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.5.1","date":"2026-08-15T06:30:03Z","type":"stable","version":"3.5.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.5.0","date":"2026-08-12T12:50:58Z","type":"stable","version":"3.5.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.9","date":"2026-07-07T13:03:13Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.8","date":"2026-07-06T12:54:25Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.7","date":"2026-04-02T07:34:22Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.7"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.6","date":"2026-03-15T16:50:12Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.6"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.5","date":"2026-03-06T04:17:36Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.5"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.4","date":"2025-10-14T03:27:10Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.4"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.3","date":"2025-08-09T06:42:44Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.3"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.2","date":"2025-05-02T06:21:48Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.1","date":"2024-12-24T16:14:04Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.4.0","date":"2024-10-09T06:14:41Z","type":"stable","version":"3.4.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.3.2","date":"2023-10-31T20:22:26Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.2"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.3.1","date":"2023-10-22T15:07:29Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.3.0","date":"2023-09-30T06:08:54Z","type":"stable","version":"3.3.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.2.0","date":"2023-07-07T18:02:27Z","type":"stable","version":"3.2.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.1.0","date":"2023-03-06T06:48:45Z","type":"stable","version":"3.1.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.0.1","date":"2022-11-18T05:45:50Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.1"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.0.0","date":"2022-10-20T09:00:26Z","type":"stable","version":"3.0.0"},{"url":"https://github.com/jawah/charset_normalizer/releases/tag/3.0.0rc1","date":"2022-10-18T19:18:50Z","type":"prerelease","version":"3.0.0rc1"}]` | `[{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.19","date":"2026-08-18T05:14:47Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.19"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.18","date":"2026-06-02T14:34:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.18"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.17","date":"2026-05-28T14:33:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.17"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.16","date":"2026-05-22T00:16:45Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.16"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.15","date":"2026-05-12T22:46:21Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.15"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.14","date":"2026-05-10T20:32:37Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.14"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.13","date":"2026-04-22T16:43:03Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.13"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.12","date":"2026-04-21T13:33:14Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.12"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.11","date":"2025-10-12T14:55:53Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.11"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.10","date":"2024-09-15T18:08:06Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.10"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.9","date":"2024-09-14T02:58:56Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.9"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.8","date":"2024-08-23T16:05:35Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.8"},{"url":"https://github.com/kjd/idna/releases/tag/v3.7","date":"2024-04-11T03:45:28Z","type":"stable","version":"v3.7"}]` |
| security.disclosure_policy | - | yes |
| security.scorecard | 8.9 | 8.8 |
| security.vulnerabilities | `{"count":0,"source":"https://advisories.ecosyste.ms/api/v1/advisories?ecosystem=pypi&package_name=charset-normalizer&per_page=100","last_12m":0,"max_severity":null}` | - |

*Source: Vioscale. Generated 2026-09-01T14:44:49.024Z. "-" = undocumented, not absent.*