Actions are meant to be put into a menu or a toolbar. You can't put a single button to the toolbar and the menu. You can do (and actually do) it with an action. It's just easier to operate on it. Comparing an action to a signal emitted from a button is some kind of newbie thing actions emit signals and buttons emit signals. You connect "slots" to both of them, so they have exactly the same capabilities of invoking slots. The difference is that you put actions into toolbars and menus and buttons on the form.