Python has two direct competitors, with comparable properties and predispositions. These are:

Perl – a scripting language originally authored by Larry Wall;

Ruby – a scripting language originally authored by Yukihiro Matsumoto.

The former is more traditional and more conservative than Python, and resembles some of the old languages derived from the classic C programming language.

In contrast, the latter is more innovative and more full of fresh ideas than Python. Python itself lies somewhere between these two creations.

The Internet is full of forums with infinite discussions on the superiority of one of these three over the others, should you wish to learn more about each of them.