Building a cross-platform CLI from a python script in 2009 required unrelated open-source tools to package for each of the three major operating systems. I remember asking Dropbox guys what they were using. Having an official way to do it is much better.
Regardless of technology, I think CLI's tend to maintain their original size, or get smaller over time. If you choose to use a CLI built with Elixir, I imagine it could gain a web-based GUI without a large increase, if each build already includes a runtime environment and system libraries. Or if a CLI is written in another language and advertised as very compact, I imagine its size will also stay consistent, but might not gain the same fancy features. And in any case, popular compilers or packaging tools tend gain optimization improvements over time.
Regardless of technology, I think CLI's tend to maintain their original size, or get smaller over time. If you choose to use a CLI built with Elixir, I imagine it could gain a web-based GUI without a large increase, if each build already includes a runtime environment and system libraries. Or if a CLI is written in another language and advertised as very compact, I imagine its size will also stay consistent, but might not gain the same fancy features. And in any case, popular compilers or packaging tools tend gain optimization improvements over time.