What are the best open-source C/C++ compilers?

Question

DevelopmentC++Compiler

What are the best open-source C/C++ compilers?

8

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Considered

60

User
Recs.

Oct 13, 2023

Last
Updated

8 Options Considered

Best open-source C/C++ compilers	Price	Platforms	Last Updated
-- GCC	Free	-	Oct 3, 2023
-- Orwell Dev-C++	Free	Windows	Aug 13, 2023
-- Clang/LLVM	-	-	Oct 13, 2023
-- tcc	Free	-	Aug 13, 2023
-- PathScale	Free	-	Aug 17, 2023

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PathScale

CompCert

pcc

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score 27 · Answer 1

GCC

Top Pro

Mature

GCC was first released in 1987 when it was called the GNU C Compiler, a couple of months after it was released it was extended to support C++ too. Nowadays it supports other languages than C or C++. Having been in use and constant development for more than 20 years it has reached a state of maturity and stability. The fact that it's so old also means that there are countless resources out there for people who want to use it. See More

Top Con

Bad for source-level optimization

Since GCC uses a lot of heuristics for increased performance (which is a good thing), it generally is not great when doing source-level optimization (such as loop unrolling). Even the smallest source code change can make GCC to generate a completely different output. See More

Sky's Experience

I just used it now on Debian9.7 for compile python3.7. ./configure itself asked to use it. And it worked. See More

Top Pro

Default on many systems

GCC is the default compiler on several systems. Most of the time people have it installed on their machine without even knowing it's there. See More

Top Pro

Available for even the most obscure hardware

Since it's so old and very popular it has been ported to almost any architecture imaginable. This means that it's probably compatible with even the most obscure and unheard hardware. See More

Top Pro

Very stable, excellent cross-platform use

See All

score 5 · Answer 2

Orwell Dev-C++

Top Con

No cross platform support

Top Pro

Has portable versions with MinGW32 and TDM-GCC x64 compilers

CaffeinatedAhuraMazda's Experience

It is not a compiler its and IDE does not belong in the best compiler category See More

Specs

Platforms:Windows

Top Con

Not a compiler

That's an IDE. See More

Top Pro

Good IDE fast to load and use

See All

score 8 · Answer 3

Clang/LLVM

Top Pro

Fresh take on open source toolchain

With GCC accumulating a lot of craft and development is being sluggish LLVM has a lot of steam and community support behind it. See More

Top Pro

Default on Some Systems

Now it's default compiler for FreeBSD and MacOS. See More

score 3 · Answer 4

tcc

Top Con

Abandoned

The developer has quit updating the app, which you can see here. See More

score 3 · Answer 5

8 Options Considered

My Recommendation for GCC

My Recommendation for GCC

Mature

Bad for source-level optimization

Default on many systems

Available for even the most obscure hardware

Very stable, excellent cross-platform use

My Recommendation for Orwell Dev-C++

My Recommendation for Orwell Dev-C++

No cross platform support

Has portable versions with MinGW32 and TDM-GCC x64 compilers

Not a compiler

Good IDE fast to load and use

My Recommendation for Clang/LLVM

My Recommendation for Clang/LLVM

Fresh take on open source toolchain

Default on Some Systems

My Recommendation for tcc

My Recommendation for tcc

Abandoned

My Recommendation for PathScale

My Recommendation for PathScale

My Recommendation for Open Watcom

My Recommendation for Open Watcom

My Recommendation for CompCert

My Recommendation for CompCert

My Recommendation for pcc

My Recommendation for pcc

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