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clang VS Microsoft Visual Studio

Compare clang VS Microsoft Visual Studio and see what are their differences

clang logo clang

C, C++, Objective C and Objective C++ front-end for the LLVM compiler.

Microsoft Visual Studio logo Microsoft Visual Studio

Microsoft Visual Studio is an integrated development environment (IDE) from Microsoft.
  • clang Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-08-01
  • Microsoft Visual Studio Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-01-18

clang features and specs

  • High Performance
    Clang is known for its fast compilation time and efficient use of memory, which makes it ideal for large projects that require frequent builds.
  • Modular Design
    The modular design of Clang allows developers to easily integrate it with other tools and projects. This flexibility is particularly beneficial for custom compilers and IDEs.
  • Expressive Diagnostics
    Clang provides highly detailed and easy-to-understand error and warning messages, which help developers quickly identify and fix coding issues.
  • LLVM Infrastructure
    Being a part of the LLVM project, Clang benefits from a robust and active community. It gets frequent updates and improvements, keeping it at the forefront of compiler technology.
  • Cross-Platform Support
    Clang supports multiple platforms, including Windows, macOS, and Linux. This makes it a versatile choice for cross-platform development projects.

Possible disadvantages of clang

  • Limited Legacy Support
    Clang may not support some older or obscure language extensions that other compilers, like GCC, might handle. This can be an issue when working with legacy codebases.
  • Evolving Ecosystem
    As part of a rapidly evolving ecosystem, Clang can introduce breaking changes or deprecations that require developers to frequently update their code.
  • Resource Intensive
    Although Clang is efficient, the compilation of very large codebases might require significant system resources, potentially straining less powerful systems.
  • Less Mature in Certain Areas
    Compared to GCC, Clang can be less mature in handling certain language features or optimizations, especially in newer or less common use cases.

Microsoft Visual Studio features and specs

  • Comprehensive Development Environment
    Microsoft Visual Studio offers a robust and comprehensive integrated development environment (IDE) that supports multiple programming languages, including C#, VB.NET, F#, C++, and Python. This makes it versatile for a wide variety of development needs.
  • Rich Feature Set
    The platform provides an extensive set of built-in tools and features, such as code analysis, debugging, and version control. These tools improve productivity and help maintain code quality.
  • IntelliSense
    Visual Studio’s IntelliSense offers powerful code completion, highlighting, and suggestion features that enhance the coding experience and reduce the likelihood of errors.
  • Integration with Azure and Other Microsoft Services
    The IDE integrates seamlessly with Microsoft Azure and other Microsoft services, making it easier to develop, deploy, and manage applications in the cloud.
  • Large Community and Support
    As a popular IDE, Visual Studio has a large user base and an active community. This results in a wealth of resources, including tutorials, forums, and extensions.
  • Customizability
    Visual Studio allows extensive customization through extensions and plugins, enabling developers to tailor the IDE to meet their specific needs.

Possible disadvantages of Microsoft Visual Studio

  • Resource Intensive
    Visual Studio is known to be resource-heavy, requiring significant system memory and processing power. This can slow down development, especially on less powerful machines.
  • Complexity
    The abundance of features and tools in Visual Studio can make it overwhelming for beginners or those new to the IDE. Navigating through its numerous menus and options can be challenging initially.
  • Cost
    While Visual Studio Express is free, many advanced features and professional tools are only available in the paid versions (Professional and Enterprise). This can be a drawback for individual developers and small businesses with restricted budgets.
  • Frequent Updates
    Although frequent updates can bring new features and improvements, they can also introduce bugs and require ongoing time investment to manage transitions and adapt to changes.
  • Windows-Centric
    While Visual Studio now supports macOS, it is traditionally Windows-centric and may not provide the same level of performance or features on other operating systems compared to its Windows counterpart.
  • Learning Curve
    Due to its extensive feature set and capabilities, there is a steep learning curve associated with Visual Studio. It may take considerable time for new users to become proficient.

clang videos

Use Clang on Windows, Linux, and macOS

More videos:

  • Review - The Clang Swordsman
  • Review - CLANG AND BANG: BI'S AND TRI'S FOR DAYS!

Microsoft Visual Studio videos

No Microsoft Visual Studio videos yet. You could help us improve this page by suggesting one.

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to clang and Microsoft Visual Studio)
IDE
6 6%
94% 94
Text Editors
4 4%
96% 96
Email Marketing
100 100%
0% 0
Software Development
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare clang and Microsoft Visual Studio

clang Reviews

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Microsoft Visual Studio Reviews

9 Of The Best Android Studio Alternatives To Try Out
Microsoft Visual Studio (Download Here) is an Android studio alternative developed by Microsoft. You can build computer programs, websites, web services, and web applications and use platforms like windows forms, windows stores, Microsoft Silverlight, and Windows API.
What's The Best C++ IDE? Our Top C++ IDEs & Editors In 2024
As you'd expect, this IDE supports a vast array of C++ standards, libraries, and frameworks, catering to legacy applications and modern, cutting-edge projects. So whether you're building a simple console application or a high-performance game using Unreal Engine, Visual Studio is up to the job.
Source: hackr.io
Android Studio Alternative
Visual Studio is the best alternative for android studio. It is an IDE platform developed by Microsoft. It is used to build computer programs, website, web apps, mobile apps and web services. It uses various Microsoft software development platforms such as windows forms, windows API, windows store, windows presentation foundation and microsoft silverlight. Visual studio has...
Source: www.educba.com
Top 10 Visual Studio Alternatives
Visual studio has been in the game for 20 years or more. The first version of the visual studio was established in 1997. However, since the establishment years of the Visual Studio, there have been many changes. Microsoft visual studio is an integrated development environment that Microsoft programs.
Best Eclipse Alternatives to Use
Visual Studio is the most used IDE for .Net developers. It is an IDE that can be used to create almost all types of applications. It is used by many developers across the world to create many types of applications, both desktop and web-based.
Source: eclipsewin.com

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, clang seems to be a lot more popular than Microsoft Visual Studio. While we know about 13 links to clang, we've tracked only 1 mention of Microsoft Visual Studio. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

clang mentions (13)

  • dotnet cross-platform interop with C via Environment.ProcessId system call
    I want to compile C program for various operating systems from one machine, that's why on macOS M1 I use zig drop-in replacement compiler (can be used on Linux, Windows too) for cross-platform compilation. There are also clang, gcc (usually pre-installed on macOS and Linux). For Windows there are Visual Studio installer or mingw (which installs gcc). - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • S2S Compilers: Understanding Switch Case Statements
    If you are turning your source code into languages such as C or C++, it is required to have great understanding and knowledge of C/C++. Since these languages also have compilers be it GNU Compiler Collection or Clang, we have to do a lot of digging and researching around their features and functionalities. There is a lot of benefit in that once the target codebase grows and developers start reusing the target... - Source: dev.to / about 2 months ago
  • Ready to miss a semi colon and spend the next hour stressing over what went wrong?
    Clang is an LLVM based C compiler that "allows better diagnostics, better integration with IDEs, a license that is compatible with commercial products, and a nimble compiler that is easy to develop and maintain," compared to other options. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Alternatives of MinGW for MacOS
    VS Code is not an IDE. It's simply an editor without any built-in compiler tools. So you MUST use "other compiler" (and bintools) anyway. As I said, Apple's official C/C++ compiler is LLVM-Clang, which offers even better optimization in some tasks. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • What is the point of free and open source software?
    One illustration of this came in 2015 when Stallman decided he Would rather prevent the Gnu Compiler Collection from supporting modern IDE features like symbol completion, than allow GCC front ends to be paired with free-but-not-copyleft backends like LLVM and Clang: "Since LLVM and Clang are not copylefted, they invite nonfree extensions. They are a gaping hole in the defensive wall around our city." Allowing... - Source: dev.to / almost 3 years ago
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Microsoft Visual Studio mentions (1)

  • Why don't schools teach the modern c++?
    While the editor seems to old fashioned there isn't anything particularly wrong in using it for learning. Alternatively you can propose to your teacher about https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/vs/express/ . IMO editor is not a big factor when we are talking about high school learning. Source: almost 4 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing clang and Microsoft Visual Studio, you can also consider the following products

GNU Compiler Collection - The GNU Compiler Collection (GCC) is a compiler system produced by the GNU Project supporting...

Xcode - Xcode is Apple’s powerful integrated development environment for creating great apps for Mac, iPhone, and iPad. Xcode 4 includes the Xcode IDE, instruments, iOS Simulator, and the latest Mac OS X and iOS SDKs.

PyCharm - Python & Django IDE with intelligent code completion, on-the-fly error checking, quick-fixes, and much more...

IntelliJ IDEA - Capable and Ergonomic IDE for JVM

Tiny C Compiler - The Tiny C Compiler is an x86, x86-64 and ARM processor C compiler created by Fabrice Bellard.

VS Code - Build and debug modern web and cloud applications, by Microsoft