Best qmake Alternatives in 2026

20 platforms from build automation software ranked against qmake on the same published basis.

  1. 1qmake vs Nx
  2. 2qmake vs Gradle
  3. 3qmake vs Pants
  4. 4qmake vs Rake
  5. 5qmake vs Bazel
  6. 6qmake vs Apache Maven
  7. 7qmake vs Rush
  8. 8qmake vs SCons
  9. 9qmake vs Buck2
  10. 10qmake vs Meson
  11. 11qmake vs Open Build Service
  12. 12qmake vs AWS CodeBuild
  13. 13qmake vs build2
  14. 14qmake vs moon
  15. 15qmake vs Mill
  16. 16qmake vs Xmake
  17. 17qmake vs Please
  18. 18qmake vs Google Cloud Build
  19. 19qmake vs Lage
  20. 20qmake vs Deb-o-Matic

qmake alternatives compared

#PlatformScoreFree planFromRuns on
1Nx7.9Free plan$29/moLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
2Gradle7.2Free planFreeAPI, Linux, Mac, Windows
3Pants7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
4Rake7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
5Bazel7.1Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
6Apache Maven7.0Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
7Rush7.0Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
8SCons7.0Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
9Buck26.9Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
10Meson6.9Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
11Open Build Service6.9Free planFreeAPI, Linux, self-hosted, Web
12AWS CodeBuild6.8Free planFreeAPI, Linux, Web, Windows
13build26.7No—Linux, Mac, Windows
14moon6.7No—Linux, Mac, Windows
15Mill6.6No—Linux, Mac, Windows
16Xmake6.6No—Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows
17Please6.4No—Linux, Mac
18Google Cloud Build6.3No$0.01/moAPI, Linux, Web
19Lage6.2No—Linux
20Deb-o-Matic6.1No—Linux
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Questions about qmake alternatives

What is the best alternative to qmake?

Nx, number 1 in build automation software with a score of 7.9 out of 10. The others here: Gradle, Pants, Rake and 16 more.

What is the best free alternative to qmake?

Nx is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 12 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

How are these alternatives ranked?

Ranked on how quickly a newcomer can get going: documentation depth, a free tier or trial, and the platforms it runs on.