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Best GN Alternatives in 2026

Updated

20 tools from build automation software ranked against GN on the same published basis.

  1. 1
    Nx Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWebWin $29/mo7.9
    GN vs Nx
  2. 2
    fastlane Free plan AndroidiOSLinuxMacWin Free7.8
    GN vs fastlane
  3. 3
    Bazel Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.3
    GN vs Bazel
  4. 4
    Gradle Free plan apiLinuxMacWin Free7.3
    GN vs Gradle
  5. 5
    Pants Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.3
    GN vs Pants
  6. 6
    Shake Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.3
    GN vs Shake
  7. 7
    Apache Maven Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.2
    GN vs Apache Maven
  8. 8
    distcc Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.2
    GN vs distcc
  9. 9
    Rake Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.2
    GN vs Rake
  10. 10
    Rush Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.2
    GN vs Rush
  11. 11
    SCons Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.2
    GN vs SCons
  12. 12
    Tup Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.2
    GN vs Tup
  13. 13
    Xmake AndroidiOSLinuxMacWin 7.2
    GN vs Xmake
  14. 14
    Apache Ant Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.1
    GN vs Apache Ant
  15. 15
    Buck2 Free plan LinuxMacself-hostedWin Free7.1
    GN vs Buck2
  16. 17
    Meson Free plan LinuxMacWin Free7.1
    GN vs Meson
  17. 18
    build2 LinuxMacWin 7.0
    GN vs build2
  18. 19
    Buildroot Free plan Linuxself-hosted Free7.0
    GN vs Buildroot
  19. 20
    moon LinuxMacWin 7.0
    GN vs moon
  20. 21
    Open Build Service Free plan apiLinuxself-hostedWeb Free7.0
    GN vs Open Build Service

GN alternatives compared

#ToolScoreFree planFromRuns on
1Nx7.9Free plan$29/moLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Web, Windows
2fastlane7.8Free planFreeAndroid, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows
3Bazel7.3Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
4Gradle7.3Free planFreeAPI, Linux, Mac, Windows
5Pants7.3Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
6Shake7.3Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
7Apache Maven7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
8distcc7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
9Rake7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
10Rush7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
11SCons7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
12Tup7.2Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
13Xmake7.2Android, iOS, Linux, Mac, Windows
14Apache Ant7.1Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
15Buck27.1Free planFreeLinux, Mac, self-hosted, Windows
17Meson7.1Free planFreeLinux, Mac, Windows
18build27.0Linux, Mac, Windows
19Buildroot7.0Free planFreeLinux, self-hosted
20moon7.0Linux, Mac, Windows
21Open Build Service7.0Free planFreeAPI, Linux, self-hosted, Web
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Questions about GN alternatives

What is the best alternative to GN?

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

What is the best free alternative to GN?

Nx is the best-ranked alternative with a free plan. 17 of the 20 alternatives here publish a free plan on their own pricing pages.

How are these alternatives ranked?

Ranked on what each maker publishes, the fullest spec sheet first: how deeply the product is documented, the platforms it runs on, a free tier or trial to test it, and its standing.