When first starting with machine learning, a beginner faces most of the problems associated with choosing a programming language. As a computer science student, we learn languages like C++ and Java which are the best for obtaining placements. But for machine learning, these languages may not be the right choice. So, in this article, I will introduce you to the best programming languages for machine learning.
Best Programming Languages for Machine Learning
As a computer science student, we are told that you can choose any programming language you want, and you shouldn’t take a long time to select your first programming language. But if we’re focusing on a specific area like web development, machine learning, or software development, you shouldn’t waste a lot of time experimenting with the choice of languages.
Also, Read – 200+ Machine Learning Projects Solved and Explained.
So here are the best programming languages for machine learning. All of the languages mentioned below are ranked based on my opinions and experience.

Python
The reason why Python is the best programming language for machine learning is because of its readability and acceptance in industries. Because Python is an easy to learn programming language, we can easily focus more on implementing machine learning algorithms than on mastering Python for a longer period.
Although like other programming languages, Python also has a lot to learn, but to get started with machine learning, you can easily learn the amount of Python you need for machine learning in a week. You can also give 2-4 weeks to learn the basics of Python programming depending on your consistency and ability.
Apart from its readability, Python is also the best programming language for machine learning because of its frameworks and libraries. It’s easy to learn, and it’s an open-source programming language, so the Python programming community continues to contribute to Python with so many frameworks and libraries. The best libraries and frameworks used in industries for machine learning are:
- NumPy
- Pandas
- Matplotlib
- Scikit-Learn
- TensorFlow
- Keras
- PyTorch
Other reasons for choosing Python for machine learning are because there are many resources on the internet about machine learning with Python. So you can learn full machine learning for free if you choose Python.
R
Just like Python, R also has many frameworks and libraries for machine learning and statistical analysis. R is also on the list of skills mentioned in most data science and machine learning jobs. If I compare R with Python, then Python can beat R in all aspects, which is why Python is the best programming language for machine learning.
The only criteria where R will win over Python is the statistical and exploratory analysis of the data which ultimately helps to select the best features to train machine learning models.
JavaScript
Today, JavaScript is the best programming language for developing web apps, and it’s also a decent language for building cross-platform mobile apps. So can JavaScript also be used for machine learning? Although Python and R provide many frameworks and libraries for machine learning, which is why they are at the top of the list of best programming languages for machine learning. But javascript can also offer a lot for machine learning.
The best-known JavaScript library for machine learning is TensorFlow.js, which is used to build machine learning models that can be directly used in web browsers. Although JavaScript is not as powerful language for machine learning as compared to the features it offers for web development. But still, it can work well when integrated with Python or R for statistical analysis.
Summary
There are over 600 programming languages, choosing the best programming language depends on its usage and acceptance in the coding communities and industries. Thus, Python and R have been completely accepted as the best programming languages for machine learning. Although I always rate Python over R simply because of its nature and readability for beginners.
While JavaScript will be the best for creating and developing machine learning models in web applications where Python and R can also be used. So I hope you liked this article on the best programming languages for machine learning. Please feel free to ask your valuable questions in the comments section below.