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CMake vs GNU Automake: catalog facts
CMake	GNU Automake
Free Free and open source under the OSI-approved BSD 3-clause licence.	Free Free software under the GPL.
Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line	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	Produces makefiles that follow the GNU Coding Standards Long-established part of the autotools build chain
The scripting language is idiosyncratic and widely disliked Older tutorials teach outdated patterns that still appear in real projects	Requires GNU Autoconf Needs more volunteer maintainers
Downloadable app	Downloadable app
Open source	Open source
License: BSD-3-Clause	License: GPL-2.0-or-later
No account needed	No account needed
Works offline	Works offline
Official website Full listing and sources Checked September 21, 2026	Official website Full listing and sources Checked October 1, 2026

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