15 Best C and C++ IDEs with Compilers for Windows
Hello people of techoogens.com and of the Programming
or technical Society members, today I'm going to clear up your confusions of
"What is an IDE?" and
"What is a compiler?" and
also. I have enlisted the best C and C++
IDE with Compilers which I have used and found helpful to learn C and C++
programming in the right way. If you ask a person "What compiler do you
use?", the very common answers comes out to be:
Turbo C++
Code::Blocks
Dev-C++
But are they compilers? No, Just because they come with a compiler doesn't mean that it is a compiler.
Dev-C++
But are they compilers? No, Just because they come with a compiler doesn't mean that it is a compiler.
Also with this
post, I am starting my new programming and technical series on C and C++ with all my
to be googlers or developers.
Being an Engineering Student, I am into a day to day
programming practice. The first C compiler in my life I used was “Turbo C++” on a Windows 7 OS. Unfortunately, Turbo C++ was 16 bit compilers and doesn’t support Windows 7 and
above without using “DOSBox”.
So, it’s better to move on from the blue screen and use some better C and C++ IDEs with Compilers for the ease of my and beloved audience technical skills and hardworking to be practiced into a virtual world to be of any practical use…
So, it’s better to move on from the blue screen and use some better C and C++ IDEs with Compilers for the ease of my and beloved audience technical skills and hardworking to be practiced into a virtual world to be of any practical use…
What are Compilers and IDEs?
The name Compiler is
primarily used for programs that translate source code from a high-level programming language to a lower
level language (e.g., assembly language, object code, or machine code) to create an executable program.
(source:Wikipedia)
(source:Wikipedia)
![]() |
| compiler-design |
C and C++ are those unique languages that every programmer should
know, because these languages form the base for popular programming languages like Python, PHP, Perl, Java, C#,C-Sharp and many others. Also, these
programming languages are extensively used even by skilled programmers to work
with the hardware in the top-most companies.
Like,earlier I have already told that C and C++ are widely used by the Programmers and to be are mostly required to start the coding or programming for developing or testing any products or softwares.
Like,earlier I have already told that C and C++ are widely used by the Programmers and to be are mostly required to start the coding or programming for developing or testing any products or softwares.
That’s why,
“C language is called as the Father of all
languages …”
Or
“C language is the domain of all subdomain languages…”
So, if you are a C or C++ Programmer or even a beginner, who has a
great will to learn both of these most stand-alone or stable base material or languages
for enhancing coding skills to develop logic and mathematical reasoning, then
here in this post I am listing out some of the impressive IDEs for you to be
used.
IDEs are the best place to make your programming/coding work easy, as it has built-in functions like debugging code, completion, compiling, running and syntax errors/compile time error highlighting, etc.
IDEs are the best place to make your programming/coding work easy, as it has built-in functions like debugging code, completion, compiling, running and syntax errors/compile time error highlighting, etc.
An integrated
development environment (IDE) is a software
application that
provides comprehensive facilities to computer
programmers for software
development.
(Source:Wikipedia)
(Source:Wikipedia)
So,What is an IDE? Well in simple terms,
an IDE is the software that helps you write your code, provide code completion,
code suggestions. Yep that's what you call an IDE. So, does Code::Blocks and Dev-C++ do those
things? They sure do, therefore, they are IDEs and not Compilers. Do they
really or do they use something else?
Let me Know about this discussion in my comments section…
So, let’s start the list of best IDE for C and C++ Language.
The GNU Compiler Collection includes
front ends for C, C++, Objective-C, Fortran,etc.GCC was originally written as the
compiler for the GNU operating system.
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| GNU-compiler-collection |
Features:
· It is a free and open-source IDE.
· Supports all
platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS X.
·
It has new languages and new optimization.
·
Improved runtime libraries and Faster debug cycle for the faster
practice result of realtime input to check the errors.
·
Spec DSL - The gcc driver supports a
full fledged DSL called SPEC for driving compilation.
·
Custom optimization options per function by using optimize
attribute or #pragma optimize
·
Language extensions to support vector as types for SIMD ops.
See https://gcc.gnu.org/onlinedocs/g....
·
The command line option -Q. For example gcc -Q —help=warnings
prints a list of warnings that are enabled or disabled by default and the
default level for certain warnings.
·
The command line option —param which controls parameters for
various optimizations.
·
The command line option —param which controls parameters for
various optimizations.
·
Sanitizers are a relatively recent but a useful addition to GCC.
For example using -fsanitize=undefined instruments the binary for catching
undefined behavior in code at runtime.
·
libgccjit - Another relatively recent addition to GCC, which let’s
one use “gcc as a library”.
2. Code::Blocks
Code::Blocks is a free, open-source, cross-platform IDE. Using a plugin architecture, its capabilities and features are defined by
the provided plugins.
Currently, Code::Blocks is oriented towards C/C++/Fortran. The Code::Blocks team does not take responsibility for the content nor accuracy of these pages.Code::Blocks is a free C, C++ IDE created to meet the most demanding needs of the developers of C and C++.
Currently, Code::Blocks is oriented towards C/C++/Fortran. The Code::Blocks team does not take responsibility for the content nor accuracy of these pages.Code::Blocks is a free C, C++ IDE created to meet the most demanding needs of the developers of C and C++.
·
It is a free and
open-source IDE.
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
· It fantastically support multiple compilers like GCC (MingW / GNU GCC),MSVC++,clang,Digital Mars,Borland C++ 5.5...and more.
· It fantastically support multiple compilers like GCC (MingW / GNU GCC),MSVC++,clang,Digital Mars,Borland C++ 5.5...and more.
·
It
provides Workspaces to combine multiple projects and also Inter-project
dependencies inside workspace for ease of the backend technicals.
·
It has very effective
and easy interface for coders like Syntax highlighting, customizable and
extensible.
3.Microsoft Visual Studio C++
Microsoft Visual Studio C++ doesn’t need an introduction from my
side because it is the most popular editor/compiler from Microsft Organization based
on Electron framework to be easily used by any professionals or begineers
without any difficulty.Yes,it’s the best
C and C++ Compiler.Currently,it is available in market for free
distribution. We also have an option to buy a premium key for more features to be used. My personal
favorite C and C++ IDE is Microsoft
Visual Studio.
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| Visual-studio-code |
Features:
· It is a free and open-source IDE.
· Supports all
platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS X.
· Like
any other IDE, it also supports syntax highlighting and code completion using IntelliSense
for variables, functions, methods and loops.
· Visual Studio
includes a code editor supporting IntelliSense (the code completion component)
as well as code refactoring.
· Visual Studio supports
36 different programming languages and allows the code editor and debugger to support.
· It also supports its own products like Microsoft Visual C++, Microsoft Visual C#, Microsoft Visual Basic,
Microsoft Visual Developer and Azure DevOps.
Download GNU Compiler Collection Here->https://code.visualstudio.com/Download
Download GNU Compiler Collection Here->https://code.visualstudio.com/Download
4. Eclipse
Eclipse is an IDE used in computer programming. It contains a base workspace and an
extensible plug-in system for
customizing the environment. It is one of the most
popular and powerful IDE’s for C and C++ which offers open-source utility and
functionality for C and C++ programmers.
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| Eclipse |
Features:
·
It is a free
and open-source IDE.
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
· It has a very essential feature for users like separately downloadable and installable functionality.
· It has a very essential feature for users like separately downloadable and installable functionality.
· Some extra features like Check for Updates and Install New Software commands on the Help menu provide the ability to update existing features, and to find, download, and install new features.
5. NetBeans IDE
NetBeans is an IDE mainly
for Java. In addition to Java development, it has extensions for
other languages like PHP, C, C++, HTML5 and JavaScript. NetBeans IDE is an open-source integrated development environment that provides the capability to build applications with
dynamic and static libraries in C and C++.
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| NetBeans |
Features:
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS
X.
·
The C and C++ editor is well integrated with the
multi-session GNU gdb debugger.
·
Benefit
from faster code completion and refactoring for C and C++.
·
The C and C++
editor comes with syntactic and semantic highlighting, automatic indentation and formatting
·
The
NetBeans IDE supports a variety of leading compilers, such as the Oracle Solaris Studio, GNU, CLang/LLVM, Cygwin, and MinGW compilers.
Download NetBeans Here-> https://netbeans.apache.org/download/index.html
Intel C++ Compiler is also known
as ICC or ICL, is a group of C and C++ compilers from Intel available for Windows, Mac, Linux and Intel-based Android devices. The compilers
generate optimized code for IA-32 and Intel 64 architectures, Intel C++ is compatible with
Microsoft Visual C++ on Windows
and integrates into Microsoft Visual Studio. Intel compilers are optimized to computer systems using
processors that support Intel architectures.
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| Intel-C++-Compiler |
Features:
·
It provides support for C and C++
standards (through C++17).
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
· Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS
X.
· Intel C++
Compiler integrates with Microsoft
Visual Studio and Eclipse IDEs.
· It is very popularly used develop, build,
debug, and run code.
Turbo C++ for Windows is a modified version of the Borland Turbo C++. Turbo C++ evolved into Borland C++ and then
C++ Builder with new language and development environment innovations like
visual development to greatly increase developer productivity. C++Builder is
the first multi-device, standards-based C++ solution for rapidly building high
performance, natively compiled apps for Windows,
Mac, iOS and Android.
![]() |
| Turbo-C++ |
Features:
·
It is a free and
open-source IDE.
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
·
Turbo C++ engraves all the features of the old IDEs i.e.(
Personally I called this Compiler as the father of all the IDEs).
·
It includes a Compiler, a Debugger, the DOS
Shell, Breakpoints, Code Inspection.
·
The program also incorporates a few project
samples and mostly and also compatibly it runs in full screen mode but also
runs in minimizing mode for liking of the user with mult-interactive
environment .
8.PyCharm
PyCharm is an integrated
development environment (IDE) used
in computer programming, specifically for the Python language. It is developed by the Czech company JetBrains.It supports AngularJS, Coffee Script, CSS, Cython, HTML,
JavaScript, Node.js, Python, TypeScript and template languages.
![]() |
| PyCharm |
Features:
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
·
It is a free and
open-source IDE.
·
Coding assistance and analysis,
with code completion, syntax and error highlighting, linter
integration,and quick fixes
·
Easy to integrate with Git,
Mercurial and SVN.
·
Smart Code Navigation uses smart search to jump to any
class, file or symbol,or even any IDE action or tool window.
Oracle Developer Studio, formerly named Oracle Solaris Studio, Sun
Studio, Sun WorkShop, Forte
Developer, and SunPro Compilers, Advanced C, C++, Fortran and Java
development platform.It is having Powerful performance, memory and thread
analysis tools,Netbeans-based IDE optimized for cloud developmentand it is available
for Oracle Solaris and Linux.
![]() |
| Oracle-Developer-Studio |
Features:
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
·
It is a free and
open-source IDE.
·
Performance Analyzer- It Provides deep insight into C, C++,
Java, Scala, and Fortran application performance, allowing you to easily
identify bottlenecks and tune for optimal performance.
·
Code Analyzer- It Protects your application from security vulnerabilities, and
includes SPARC Software in Silicon support to secure your application at record
speeds.
·
Thread Analyzer- It Detects hard to pinpoint race and deadlock conditions in
multi-threaded applications.
Download PyCharm Here->
https://www.oracle.com/tools/developerstudio/downloads/developer-studio-jsp.html
10.Xcode
Xcode is an IDE
for macOS containing a suite of software development tools developed by Apple for developing software for macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS,
and tvOS. Xcode can launch its
development tools, or you can launch them independently from the Xcode.
![]() |
| Xcode |
Features:
· Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS
X.
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
·
Xcode supports source code for the
programming languages like C, C++, Objective-C, Objective-C++, Java, AppleScript,
Python, Ruby,etc.
·
Xcode can build fat binary files containing
code for multiple architectures with the Mach-O executable format.
·
Xcode also includes Apple's WebObjects tools
and frameworks for building Java web applications and web services.
11.Sublimetext
The Sublimetext
is a cross-platform text and source code editor, with a Python API. Its
functionality is extendable with plug-in. Most of the extending packages have
free-software licenses and are community-built and maintained. Sublime Text
lacks graphical setting dialogues and is entirely configured by editing text
files.
![]() |
| Sublimetext |
Features:
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
·
Key bindings, menus, snippets, macros, completions and more - just
about everything in Sublime Text is customizable with simple JSON files.
·
Sublime Text uses a custom UI toolkit, optimized for speed and
beauty, while taking advantage of native functionality on each platform.
·
Make ten changes at the same time, not one change ten times.
Multiple selections allow you to interactively change many lines at once,
rename variables with ease, and manipulate files faster than ever.
12.Atom
Atom
is an hackable text editor for the 21st
Century. A text editor is at the core of a developer’s toolbox, but it
doesn't usually work alone. Work with Git and GitHub directly from Atom with
the GitHub package. Atom
is based on Electron (formerly known
as Atom Shell).
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| Atom |
Features:
·
Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
·
Atom helps you write code
faster with a smart and flexible auto complete.
·
Easily browse and open a single file, a whole project, or multiple
projects in one window.
13.CodeLite
CodeLite is
a free and open source, cross platform IDE specialized in C, C++, PHP and
JavaScript programming languages using
the wxWidgets toolkit .
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| CodeLite |
Features:
· Supports all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac
OS X.
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
·
It features many works like
project management (workspace /
projects), code completion, code refactoring, source browsing, syntax highlighting.
·
It also supports extra features to
make work easy for individuals like Subversion integration, cscope integration,
UnitTest++ integration, an interactive debugger built over gdb and a source
code editor (based on Scintilla).
·
It also
has its own RAD tool for building Widgets-based applications.
14.CLion
CLion (pronounced as ‘sea-lion’) is a C
and C++ IDE that is used to develop or test C++ using the Cygwin tool-set. It is designed for macOS, Linus, and Windows
integrated with the CMake build system. Along with C++ and C, CLion widely supports
other new variably used languages like Kotlin, Python, Rust, etc, directly or
with plugins.
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| CLion |
Features:
·
Supports all
platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS X.
·
It is a free and open-source IDE.
·
Build, Run and Debug your application and unit tests locally or
remotely in CLion with usse the debugger UI with GDB or LLDB as a backend.
·
CLion provides a unified interface for most popular VCS including
Subversion, Git, GitHub, Mercurial, CVS, Perforce, and TFS.
·
With an IDE that analyzes the context and understands your
project, you can code faster than you think.
·
CLion generates code for you and saves you
from unnecessary typing and correct codes will also be written since the errors
will be specified to the user.
15.Clang
The Clang project provides a language front-end and tooling
infrastructure for languages in the C language family (C, C++, Objective C/C++,
OpenCL, CUDA, and RenderScript) for the LLVM project. Both a GCC-compatible compiler driver (clang) and an MSVC-compatible compiler driver (clang-cl.exe) are provided. You
can get and build the source today.
![]() |
| Clang |
Features:
·
Supports
all platforms Windows, Linux, Mac OS X.
·
It is a
free and open-source IDE.
·
The Clang project includes the Clang front
end, a static analyzer, and several code analysis tools.
·
It compiler faster and make memory to be less
used to perform operationds.
·
It has expressive diagnostic facility and
also GCC compatibility.
·
It Supports diverse clients like refactoring,
static analysis, code generation.
·
It uses LLVM 'Apache 2' License and modular
library based architecture.
·
It has best internal design and simple hackable
code base for the maketive professionals to get their work done.
Good and Comaptible Compilers and IDEs
help programmers/Coders to create error-free and maintainable applications or
websites. As there are huge numbers of Compilers
and IDE’s for C and C++ on the web, choosing the best Compiler and IDE can
be a difficult task. Which one is your favourite or best Compiler and IDE for C
and C++ amongst all above or if you have any other recommendations you can leave your suggestions in the
Comment box below. Also, if you wish to learn C and C++, you can try out this amazing websites and
I will make sure you all my lovable audience will like my shareable and
modifiable knowledge to be get used by all over the world. Further future this
website will explain the fundamentals as well as many of the advanced concepts
of C and C++ such as string streams, arrays, error handling and much more!!!
Read More:-Types of Computer hardware and CPU Functions
Read More:-Types of Computer hardware and CPU Functions

















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