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CMake vs Bazel: catalog facts
CMake	Bazel
Free Free and open source under the OSI-approved BSD 3-clause licence.	Free Free and open source.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line
One project description generates Makefiles, Ninja files, Visual Studio and Xcode projects IDEs, package managers and libraries all assume CMake, so integration is everywhere	Rebuilds only what changed, with local and distributed caching One tool for many languages and platforms
The scripting language is idiosyncratic and widely disliked Older tutorials teach outdated patterns that still appear in real projects	Build files and rules take time to learn Adds overhead that small single-language projects may not need
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License not stated
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Not stated if it works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 23, 2026

Catalog facts only. Anything “not stated” is unconfirmed. Check full listings for details.