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Ruff, Joute's Review

Review of Ruff, the ultra-fast Python linter and formatter written in Rust. Pricing, alternatives, who it's for.

J
The Jouster
Tests AI tools for real, from Paris
Updated
4 min read
Tool fact sheet
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0/ 10
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Price
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Ruff : homepage

Ruff in brief

The Python linter that changed the game. Ruff replaces Flake8, isort, Black, and pyupgrade in a single tool 100x faster. Completely free, open source, it's become the de facto standard for Python linting in 2024-2025.

  • PriceFree
  • CategoryCode & Dev
  • RecommendedYes

The essentials

  • Ultra-fast Python linter and formatter written in Rust, completely free
  • Free (open source)
  • 800+ linting rules, Black-compatible formatting, auto-fix, IDE and pre-commit integration
  • For all Python developers who want fast, comprehensive linting without complex configuration

What is Ruff?

Ruff is a Python linter and formatter developed by Astral (also creators of UV, the Python package manager). Written in Rust, it's 10 to 100x faster than equivalent Python tools (Flake8, Pylint, isort, Black). Ruff implements 800+ linting rules (equivalent to Flake8, pydocstyle, pyupgrade, isort, and others) and can format code in a Black-compatible way. It auto-fixes errors when possible (--fix). Within months of release, Ruff was adopted by the most important Python projects (FastAPI, pandas, Hugging Face, etc.).

Strengths

Unmatched performance

Linting a large Python project in milliseconds instead of seconds is a perceptible difference in the pre-commit and CI workflow. Speed changes how you use linting.

Complete linting toolchain replacement

A single tool replaces Flake8, isort, pydocstyle, pyupgrade, Black, and others. Simplified configuration in pyproject.toml is all you need.

Completely free and open source

No subscription, no premium plan. The code is on GitHub and the community is active.

Limitations

No advanced semantic analysis

Ruff does syntactic and pattern linting. For deep semantic analysis (logical bug detection, typing), mypy or pyright are complementary.

Breaking changes between versions

Ruff's rapid evolution can introduce behavioral changes between versions. Pinning the version in requirements is advised.

Pricing

Completely free and open source. Check github.com/astral-sh/ruff for the source code.

Alternatives

For Python type analysis: mypy or pyright (both free). For Python code security: Bandit (free). For ultra-strict formatting: Black.

Verdict

Ruff has become essential for Python projects in 2025. If you're not using Ruff yet, migrate now: configuration is simple and the benefits are immediate. There's no reason to pay for a Python linter when Ruff is free and better.

FAQ

Does Ruff fully replace Black?

Ruff includes a Black-compatible formatter (ruff format). For most projects, ruff format replaces Black. A few syntactic nuances may differ.

Does Ruff support Python 2?

No, Ruff is for Python 3 only. Python 2 support is not on the roadmap.

Can you use Ruff with VS Code?

Yes, the official Ruff VS Code plugin is well-maintained. It provides real-time linting and formatting in the editor.

Are Ruff and mypy complementary?

Yes, they cover different aspects. Ruff does syntactic linting, mypy does type checking. Both together give complete coverage.


Joute may earn a commission on subscriptions taken out via links in this article. This doesn't change our reviews.

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Screenshots Ruff

5
Ruff homepage, code AI tool
Homepage
Ruff interface in use
In use 1
Ruff dashboard view
In use 2
Ruff in action, code AI tool
In use 3
Ruff app screen
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The Jouster's verdict

Ruff : 0/10.

The Python linter that changed the game. Ruff replaces Flake8, isort, Black, and pyupgrade in a single tool 100x faster. Completely free, open source, it's become the de facto standard for Python linting in 2024-2025..

Test Ruff yourself

A free trial is available. Plan thirty minutes to form your own opinion.

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Affiliate link. Joute earns a commission at no extra cost to you. Our verdict stays independent.