Five free C C++ Fortran compiler families
Five modern, currently-supported compiler families are free-to-use for C, C++ and Fortran.
GCC
GCC has broad support of modern standards on a very wide range of computing platforms. GCC’s downside in some cases can be slower runtime performance than compilers having less broad language and platform support.
| Compiler | language standard |
|---|---|
| gcc | C17 |
| g++ | C++20 with special compile flags needed for initial C++20 module support |
| gfortran | Fortran 2018 |
Intel
Intel compilers are free to use for any user. The Intel performance libraries like MKL, IPP, and TBB are available at no cost.
| Compiler | language standard |
|---|---|
| icc | C17 |
| icpc | C++17 with increasing C++20 support |
| ifort | Fortran 2018 |
LLVM
LLVM Clang and Flang have significant industry support, including from Nvidia, and are known for high performance.
| Compiler | language standard |
|---|---|
| clang | C17 |
| clang++ | C++20 with special compile flags needed for initial C++20 module support |
| flang | Fortran 2018 (coming ~2021) |
Nvidia
Nvidia HPC SDK is free to use. A key feature of the HPC SDK compilers is intrinsic support for CUDA Fortran.
| Compiler | language standard |
|---|---|
| nvc | C11 |
| nvc++ | C++17 |
| nvfortran | Fortran 2003 |
IBM XL
IBM XL compilers are currently for POWER CPUs only e.g. ppc64le. IBM XL compilers do not work with a typical x86-based computer. If you have a $3000 Raptor IBM POWER9 desktop, then IBM XL may be for you.
The IBM XL compilers are high-performance compilers that have a free community edition. IBM XL Fortran has wide support for Fortran 2008. However, the XL compilers have bugs in newer language support, so be sure to check with another compiler on the IBM system like GCC if a bug is suspected.
| Compiler | language standard |
|---|---|
| xlc | C11 |
| xlc++ | C++14 |
| xlf | Fortran 2008 |
IBM Fortran 2008 reference