Lists are mutable and can be modified, while tuples are immutable and cannot be changed after creation. Use lists for collections that need changes and tuples for fixed data.

In Python, lists and tuples are both used to store collections of items, but they have distinct characteristics that influence their usage. Lists are mutable, meaning you can modify their contents after creation; you can add, remove, or change elements. This makes lists ideal for collections that require frequent updates. Example:

my_list = [1, 2, 3]
my_list.append(4)

Tuples, on the other hand, are immutable. Once created, their contents cannot be altered. This immutability provides certain benefits, such as hashability, which allows tuples to be used as keys in dictionaries. Tuples are generally used for fixed collections of items where immutability is desired, like coordinates or RGB color values. In performance-sensitive applications, tuples can be slightly more efficient than lists due to their smaller memory footprint. By choosing the appropriate data structure based on mutability requirements, you can write cleaner and more efficient Python code.