OpenCV vs scikit-image: which is better for computer vision pipelines?

OpenCV is the stronger choice for computer vision pipelines that need real-time or production performance. scikit-image fits better when the work is research or scientific image analysis running inside an existing NumPy-based workflow. The core difference comes down to architecture: OpenCV's engine is written in C++ with bindings for Python, Java, and other languages, while scikit-image is pure Python, built directly on NumPy and SciPy arrays.