vcpkg
Shares rank 18 of 35 package managers by recommenders
Recommended cross-platform C/C++ package manager with a large recipe library and reliable builds. Common caveat: setup is clunky, packages are sometimes broken, and CMake still needs writing.
Recommended cross-platform C/C++ package manager with a large recipe library and reliable builds. Common caveat: setup is clunky, packages are sometimes broken, and CMake still needs writing.
27 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 14
- criticize it
- 13
- approval share
- 52%
Recommended in 8 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 14 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1 recommender for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 8 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Works reliably, rarely causes problems
“I've never had a problem with vcpkg, surprisingly.”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management” “vcpkg+ninja, which quite frankly works really well”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “I made rust's cargo copy but for CPP” Cross-platform C/C++ dependency management
“tools like vcpkg and Conan exist specifically for this: cross-platform C/C++ dependency management with one workflow regardless of target”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “A header-only C vector database library” “they finally managed to create a usable cross platform package manager for C++”
Comment from 5 Dec 2025 in “Why we built Lightpanda in Zig” Established project with large recipe library
“well established, well designed and not anti-pattern-ridden project with a massive library of build recipes”
Comment from 4 Jan 2026 in “KDE onboarding is good now” “Conan and vcpkg are established enough.”
Comment from 5 Jul 2026 in “Zig: All Package Management Functionality Moved from Compiler to Build System”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Packages often broken or need patching
“I seem to constantly run into broken vcpkg packages with bad security patches that keep them from compiling”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management” “I seem to constantly run into broken vcpkg packages with bad security patches”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management” “ended up having to patch builds of 90% of the packages to get it to work”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “I built a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++” Setup is clunky and needs configuration
“decent selection but even then it's missing lots and still really clunky to set up”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “I made rust's cargo copy but for CPP” “conan and vcpkg are not default and required much more configuring in comparison with cargo”
Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “C++26 is done ISO C++ standards meeting, Trip Report” “I wouldn't call it straightforward compared to something like nuget or cargo.”
Comment from 1 Jan 2026 in “Rust–: Rust without the borrow checker” - Comment from 29 Mar 2026 in “C++26 is done ISO C++ standards meeting, Trip Report”
Missing libraries and binary packages
“decent selection but even then it's missing lots and still really clunky to set up”
Comment from 13 May 2026 in “I made rust's cargo copy but for CPP” “vcpkg doesn't provide binary packages and has quite a few autotools-shaped holes”
Comment from 27 Jan 2026 in “The C-Shaped Hole in Package Management” Still requires writing more CMake
“Cmake can use vcpkg to install a package but then I still have to write more cmake”
Comment from 9 Apr 2026 in “I built a Cargo-like build tool for C/C++” “it seems you still have to use cmake, and if so, it is indeed more complex than fpm”
Comment from 3 Mar 2026 in “LFortran Compiles Fpm”
Other package managers people recommend
The four most recommended other package managers, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 35 package managers, rankedWhat people said
26 of the 29 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I'm aware/have used conan/meson/vcpkg/etc - doesn't change my opinion”
“Conan and vcpkg are established enough.”
“if a particular library isn't available via vcpkg I categorically refuse to add it as a dep”
“decent selection but even then it's missing lots and still really clunky to set up”
“vcpkg+ninja, which quite frankly works really well”
“I have the same complaint about vcpkg.”
“ended up having to patch builds of 90% of the packages to get it to work”
“We have a tool built on top of vcpkg, to manage internal + external dependencies.”
“Cmake can use vcpkg to install a package but then I still have to write more cmake”
“conan and vcpkg are not default and required much more configuring in comparison with cargo”
“there is friction involved in getting it work”
“it seems you still have to use cmake, and if so, it is indeed more complex than fpm”
“I have used vcpkg and conan extensively and have completely given up on them”
“tools like vcpkg and Conan exist specifically for this: cross-platform C/C++ dependency management with one workflow regardless of target”
“vcpkg doesn't provide binary packages and has quite a few autotools-shaped holes”
“I've never had a problem with vcpkg, surprisingly.”
“I seem to constantly run into broken vcpkg packages with bad security patches that keep them from compiling”
“I seem to constantly run into broken vcpkg packages with bad security patches”
“well established, well designed and not anti-pattern-ridden project with a massive library of build recipes”
“With vcpkg, you can pin libraries to their specific versions, to ensure that your project builds regardless of the environment.”
“Who needs vcpkg when you already have a built in package manager?”
“properly licensed open source, is way better”
“I wouldn't call it straightforward compared to something like nuget or cargo.”
“was doing something with tree hashes which meant they weren't really addressible”
“they finally managed to create a usable cross platform package manager for C++”
“I know, there is Conan, vcpkg etc”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.