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Free Pascal VS Qt / C++

Compare Free Pascal VS Qt / C++ and see what are their differences

Free Pascal logo Free Pascal

Free Pascal (aka FPK Pascal) is a 32 and 64 bit professional Pascal compiler.

Qt / C++ logo Qt / C++

Qt is a great cross-platform development toolkit.
  • Free Pascal Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-29
  • Qt / C++ Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-28

Free Pascal features and specs

  • Cross-platform Compatibility
    Free Pascal supports a wide range of platforms, including Windows, macOS, Linux, and more. This allows developers to write code that can be compiled and executed on multiple operating systems without extensive modifications.
  • Open Source
    As an open-source compiler, Free Pascal is freely available for use and modification. This openness encourages community collaboration and continuous improvement of the software.
  • Strong Community Support
    Free Pascal has a dedicated and active community, providing extensive documentation, forums, and user support, which can be invaluable for troubleshooting and learning.
  • Compatibility with Delphi
    The compiler aims to be highly compatible with Delphi, making it easier for Delphi developers to transition their applications to Free Pascal with minimal changes.
  • Rich Set of Libraries
    Free Pascal comes with a comprehensive set of libraries and tools, allowing developers to create a variety of applications, from small utilities to complex software systems.

Possible disadvantages of Free Pascal

  • Steep Learning Curve
    For developers unfamiliar with Pascal, the language and its concepts may present a learning challenge compared to more modern languages such as Python or JavaScript.
  • Limited GUI Toolkit Support
    While Free Pascal does support some GUI toolkits, it may not have as robust or modern GUI options compared to other programming environments, which can be a limitation for developing desktop applications.
  • Less Popular
    Pascal is not as widely used in the programming community as other languages like Java or Python, which can result in fewer third-party tools, libraries, and resources.
  • Performance Overheads
    While Free Pascal is generally efficient, there can be some performance overheads compared with compilers specifically optimized for newer languages and architectures.
  • Limited Modern Language Features
    Free Pascal might lack some of the modern programming features found in newer languages, which can be a disadvantage for developers looking to use the latest paradigms and practices.

Qt / C++ features and specs

  • Cross-platform compatibility
    Qt allows developers to write applications once and deploy them across multiple platforms such as Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. This significantly reduces development time and costs.
  • Rich set of libraries
    Qt provides a comprehensive set of libraries and tools for building both GUI and non-GUI applications, which helps developers create feature-rich applications without needing additional tools.
  • Strong community and support
    Qt has a large and active community, offering extensive documentation, forums, and third-party resources. This can assist developers in solving problems quickly.
  • Consistent API
    Qt offers stable and consistent APIs across versions, which helps in maintaining and updating applications with minimal effort.
  • Open-source availability
    Qt is available as an open-source framework under both commercial and LGPL licenses, providing flexibility for different types of projects.

Possible disadvantages of Qt / C++

  • Steep learning curve
    Qt, especially when used with C++, can have a steep learning curve for new developers due to its extensive framework and C++ complexity.
  • Commercial licensing costs
    While Qt is available as open-source, the commercial version can be expensive, particularly for small businesses or startups.
  • Binary size
    Applications built with Qt might result in larger binary sizes compared to applications developed with other frameworks, which could be a concern for resource-constrained environments.
  • Slightly outdated UI components
    Although Qt provides many UI components, some may appear dated compared to native components of modern operating systems, requiring custom styling for a modern look.
  • Limited mobile development features
    While Qt supports mobile platforms, it may not offer full access to native device features or as robust support as native mobile development tools, making it less ideal for certain mobile applications.

Free Pascal videos

Tin 8. Bài Thực hành 1: Làm quen với Free pascal.

Qt / C++ videos

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Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Free Pascal and Qt / C++)
Programming Language
57 57%
43% 43
IDE
100 100%
0% 0
OOP
46 46%
54% 54
Text Editors
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Qt / C++ should be more popular than Free Pascal. It has been mentiond 13 times since March 2021. 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.

Free Pascal mentions (2)

  • AoC 2015 in multiple languages: Day 3 Pascal
    I used Free Pascal which I was quite impressed with. It supports multiple dialects and many targets. Source: over 3 years ago
  • One Commander – a new Windows 10 file browser
    As a tangent, I found it fascinating that Double Commander is developed with Free Pascal and Lazarus. https://github.com/doublecmd/doublecmd/wiki/Development https://freepascal.org/ https://www.lazarus-ide.org/. - Source: Hacker News / about 4 years ago

Qt / C++ mentions (13)

  • Check out my new drawing software PainterQt for Windows operating systems!!
    PainterQt is an open source drawing software written in C++ using Qt GUI creation technology. PainterQt is a personal project of mine that started with a few lines with the purpose of understanding how Qt's QPainter class works. The program grew and I decided to work on it in a serious project and then distribute it. I would love to see this dream of mine come true, so if you could take a look at the software and... Source: about 2 years ago
  • GUI programming in C++
    Qt Looks like native widgets Lots of functionality Event based - can both be intuitive to understand and complex, but is efficient for CPU for typical desktop applications Lots of resources available. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Maui vs the alternatives (Avalonia, Flutter, Electron, etc)
    Have you tried Qt? It's a cross-platform framework written in C++. There are also bindings for Qt for other languages that allow you to write code in such languages (like Python). Source: over 2 years ago
  • QML for Python and poor community !!
    Can you suggest some tutorials and sources for QML and Python , I can't find any helpful sources (videos on YouTube / Project in github ) , except the qt.io but it's not enough and there are a few examples there . Source: over 2 years ago
  • Point me in the right direction please.
    Well, since you mention Qt... Install it with the Online Installer (https://www.qt.io/download-qt-installer, then ignore all the talk about commercial version, you do want the open source version). Just one version of Qt, probably the latest. For Windows, choose MingGW version of Qt and check that the matching MinGW is set to be installed too. If you have trouble, check out the installation instructions (should be... Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Free Pascal and Qt / C++, you can also consider the following products

Lazarus - Lazarus is a cross-platform IDE for the Free Pascal compiler.

Gambas - Gambas is a full-featured object language and development environment built on a BASIC interpreter.

Python - Python is a clear and powerful object-oriented programming language, comparable to Perl, Ruby, Scheme, or Java.

Rust - A safe, concurrent, practical language

Vala - Vala is a new programming language that aims to bring modern programming language features to GNOME...

PascalABC.NET - The new generation Pascal programming language that combines simplicity of classic Pascal, a great number of modern extensions and broad capabilities of Microsoft .NET Framework