pkgsrc vs vcpkg
pkgsrc
pkgsrc.orgvcpkg
vcpkg.ioSide by side
| Figure | pkgsrc | vcpkg |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | — | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | — | Yes |
| Android | — | Yes |
| Self-hosted | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Package Managers | 7.9 (#41) | 8.7 (#12) |
| Dependency resolution | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Package catalog | The project says pkgsrc contains over 26,000 packages. | The overview describes a curated registry with over 2,300 open-source libraries. |
| Package formats | source packages; binary packages | C/C++ libraries |
| Purpose | pkgsrc is a framework for managing third-party software on UNIX-like systems. | vcpkg is a C/C++ package manager for acquiring and managing libraries. |
| Support | Community support is available through the pkgsrc-users and tech-pkg mailing lists and the #pkgsrc IRC channel. | The project lists documentation, a development-team support contact, and community channels including Discord and Slack. |
| Supported platforms | NetBSD,Solaris,SmartOS,illumos,Linux,macOS (Darwin),FreeBSD,OpenBSD,DragonFlyBSD,MINIX 3,SCO OpenServer/UnixWare,HP-UX | Windows,macOS,Linux,Android,iOS |
Plans
In their own words
vcpkg
vcpkg is a free package manager for acquiring and managing C/C++ libraries. Its curated registry contains over 2,300 open-source libraries, with dependency resolution across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS. Projects can declare dependencies, optional features, and version constraints in manifest files; baseline version sets and individual package pins help keep dependency choices reproducible. vcpkg integrates with CMake and MSBuild, while manual integration is supported for other build systems. Built packages can be cached for reuse across developer machines and continuous integration runs. Asset caching can mirror source assets and build tools for offline or air-gapped environments. Users can also create custom registries for private libraries, patches, or other packages. Documented editor integrations include Visual Studio, Visual Studio Code, CLion, and Qt Creator. The project says most ports use libraries' original build systems and obtain source code and tools from their official distribution locations. vcpkg collects anonymous usage data, with opt-out options. Firewall access needs depend on the ports installed.