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MesonGNU Autoconf
Free

Free and open source.

 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
  • Readable build definition language
  • Fast full and incremental builds
  • Generated configure scripts run without Autoconf installed
  • Adapts builds to many Unix-like systems
  • Build language is deliberately limited, so unusual logic can be awkward
  • Smaller ecosystem than CMake
  • Requires GNU M4 to run
  • M4 macro syntax has a steep learning curve
Downloadable app Downloadable app
Open source Open source
License: Apache-2.0 License: GPL-3.0-or-later
No account needed No account needed
Works offline Works offline

Checked September 23, 2026

Checked October 1, 2026

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