Motivation

Never really took the time to clearly distinguish the differences between the two. Here we go.

Main difference

  • An array stores values of the same data type.
  • A list can store values of different data types.

Other differences/features of arrays

  • In order to use arrays in Python, you have to import the array module. Reason? It is not a fundamental data type.
  • Declaring an array looks something like this:
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    from array import *
    my_array = array('i', [1,2,3])

Notice that it does not look as simple as declaring a list. Here's why.

Syntax of declaring array

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from array import *
arrayName = array(typecode, [Initializers])

The typecode tells python the type of array. There are 13 typecodes altogether.

Similarities (yes!)

There are many built-in methods that be used on BOTH lists and arrays. To name a few (full list of methods can be seen here):

  • append()
  • pop()
  • sort()

Conclusion

Just don't use arrays in Python if you don't have to.

References

  1. 15 Python Array Examples – Declare, Append, Index, Remove, Count
  2. Python List/Array Methods