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CMakeGNU Autoconf
Free

Free and open source under the OSI-approved BSD 3-clause licence.

 Free

Free software under the GPL-3.0-or-later with the Autoconf exception for generated…

Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line 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
  • Generated configure scripts run without Autoconf installed
  • Adapts builds to many Unix-like systems
  • The scripting language is idiosyncratic and widely disliked
  • Older tutorials teach outdated patterns that still appear in real projects
  • Requires GNU M4 to run
  • M4 macro syntax has a steep learning curve
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause License: GPL-3.0-or-later
No account needed No account needed
Works offline Works offline

Checked September 21, 2026

Checked October 1, 2026

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