Qt supports various C++ compilers, including the GCC and Clang C++ compilers and the Visual Studio suite. An example of such a non-GUI program using Qt is the Cutelyst web framework. Non-GUI programs can also be developed, such as command-line tools and consoles for servers. Most GUI programs created with Qt have a native-looking interface, in which case Qt is classified as a widget toolkit.

Qt is used for developing graphical user interfaces (GUIs) and multi-platform applications that run on all major desktop platforms and mobile or embedded platforms. Qt is available under both commercial licenses and open-source GPL 2.0, GPL 3.0, and LGPL 3.0 licenses. Qt is currently being developed by The Qt Company, a publicly listed company, and the Qt Project under open-source governance, involving individual developers and organizations working to advance Qt. Qt (pronounced 'cute' or as an initialism) is cross-platform software for creating graphical user interfaces as well as cross-platform applications that run on various software and hardware platforms such as Linux, Windows, macOS, Android or embedded systems with little or no change in the underlying codebase while still being a native application with native capabilities and speed.