The activity of developing software is widely spread around the world, and it has become really easy to develop great apps without an extensive background in this area. There is even a phrase for it; “citizen developer”. Of course, professional, trained software engineers and other engineering disciplines related with this branch tend to be in the top-level of developers who are capable of applying their engineering skills, math skills in ways which can outstrip those who have little or no training. Don’t worry anyone can develop simple and useful C++ apps on Windows. To do this in the most painless and optimal way it’s best if you use a professional C++ Compiler and a powerful, helpful IDE to give you and edge.

Why develop apps with C++ on Windows?

If we look, the C and C++ programming languages have more than 33 percent share in programming language choices overall. Together C and C++ are still the most popular programming languages worldwide by a quite significant margin. It is really amazing to see the ways in which humanity is benefitting from the advances in technology that have accompanied the evolution of our beloved programming languages. C++ programmers are in very high demand in all sections of industry and there is a broad selection of job openings available to developers who can write competently in C++.

Is it better to develop apps with C++ on Windows than using C?

Generally, a C++ compiler also compiles C language-specific commands. Most of the standard C++ commands like for(), while(), printf() actually come from the C language. One of the biggest differences between C and C++ programming languages is C++ is an Object Oriented Programming (OOP) language that supports using Classes. Most developers agree that the added object-oriented programming features of C++ can greatly simplify the creation of Windows applications without sacrificing any of the legendary speed and ‘close to the hardware’ capabilities of the C language. That said, C++ can be tricky to learn at first since it has such a diverse set of libraries and functions compared to the more limited selection of commands in plain C.

How to Develop C++ On Windows With C++ Builder Community Edition?

First! Download the latest Embarcadero C++ Builder CE Edition IDE and Compiler 11.1

Shared free of charge with our community of freelance developers, startups, students and non-profits, C++Builder Community Edition is a full featured IDE for building iOS and Windows apps from a single modern C++ codebase. The C++Builder Community Edition includes a code editor, powerful debugging tools, built-in access to popular local databases with live data at design time, Bluetooth and IoT capabilities and a visual UI designer with support for pixel perfect, platform specific styling.

Start Building Apps Today with C++Builder Community Edition:

• Build Windows and iOS C++ Applications 10x Faster with Less Code.
• C++Builder Community Edition provides you with an integrated toolchain and professional-level developer tools from Day 1
• Featuring Clang-enhanced compiler, Dinkumware standard library, MSBuild/CMake/Ninja support, and popular libraries like Boost and Eigen.
• Develop Windows and iOS applications with a single codebase and responsive UI
• Enjoy the award winning Visual Designer using the C++Builder VCL and FireMonkey frameworks for maximum productivity
• Built-in Debugging Tools that allow you to debug on any device
• Build database apps with local/embedded capabilities
• Hundreds of included components to enhance your app and reduce development cycles
• Direct access to InterBase, SQLite, MySQL, SQL Server, Oracle, PostgreSQL, DB2, SQL Anywhere, Advantage DB, Firebird, Access, Informix, MongoDB, and more.
• Licensed for use until your individual revenue from C++Builder applications or company revenue reaches $5,000 US or your development team expands to more than 5 developers

The best part? When your application or business takes off, you don’t have to learn new tools or port code from various toolsets. Start working right away with your existing codebase in any of our paid editions while gaining access to additional capabilities.

GET COMMUNITY EDITION FREE

Who Chooses C++Builder Community Edition?

Individual C++ developers, hobbyists, and students who are learning new programming languages, starting to develop powerful high-performance native Windows and iOS apps, maintaining open source C++Builder projects, or learning the C++Builder IDE, who are making less than $5000 in revenue and want to get started with professional-level developer tools.

It’s also perfect for early stage startups who are bootstrapping their product vision before securing capital! Develop your professional app with the Community Edition, knowing that you can skip the learning curve your competition faces when building for multiple platforms.

Am I Eligible for C++Builder Community Edition?

If you’re an individual you may use C++Builder Community Edition to create apps for your own use and apps that you can sell until your revenue reaches $5,000 per year.

If you’re a small company or organization without revenue (or up to $5,000 per year in revenue), you can also use the C++Builder Community Edition. Once your company’s total revenue reaches US $5,000, or your team expands to more than 5 developers, you can move up to an unrestricted commercial license with Professional edition.

See the Community Edition FAQs for additional details.

C++Builder is available in Community, Professional, Enterprise, and Architect editions. For details on the differences between the editions, see the Product Editions page and Feature Matrix. Move up to the Professional edition or above to get additional features including components and drivers for database connectivity, a full commercial development license, and much more.

Download the Free C++Builder Community Edition !

How to Develop C++ On Windows With The C++ Builder Professional Enterprise Compiler and IDE?

First – download the latest Embarcadero CLANG C++ Compiler and RAD Studio

You can find them here: C++ Builder IDE and Compiler 11.1

C++ Builder is the easiest and fastest C and C++ IDE for building simple or professional applications on the C++ Windows development, in addition to cross platform apps for supported platforms. It is also easy for beginners to learn with its wide range of samples, tutorials, help files and LSP support for code. C++ Builder comes with Rapid Application Development Studio, also known as RAD Studio. RAD Studio’s C++ Builder version comes with the award-winning VCL framework for high-performance native Windows apps and the powerful FireMonkey (FMX) framework for cross-platform UIs.

Embarcadero’s C++ Builder CE is a free C++ IDE and Compiler for the community of freelance developers, startups, students, and non-profits. The C++Builder Community Edition is a full-featured IDE for building iOS and Windows apps from a single modern C++ codebase with a limited commercial use license. The C++ Community Edition includes a code editor, powerful debugging tools, built-in access to popular local databases with live data at design time, Bluetooth and IoT capabilities, and a visual UI designer with support for pixel-perfect, platform-specific styling.

You can download the free C++ Builder Community Edition here: https://www.embarcadero.com/products/cbuilder/starter.
Professional developers can use the Professional, Architect or Enterprise versions of C++ Builder. Please visit https://www.embarcadero.com/products/cbuilder.

See What’s New in RAD Studio 11

Download RAD Studio 11 Now

 Embarcadero announced the General Availability of RAD Studio 11. This release introduced several new features, enhancements, and quality updates in key areas including:   

• Provision apps for Windows 11
• Compile for Android API 30
• Compile for macOS M-series (Apple Silicon) processors
• Design on high-DPI 4k+ screens
• View VCL Styles in design time
• New & modernized VCL components  
• Use enhanced remote desktop support to collaborate remotely 

Second, install and run..

Install the professional, trial or free Community Edition C++ Builder software.

Third, write your first “hello world” example and run your application

If you are a beginner “Hello World” examples are good to understand feature of that programming language. It is good to understand how to edit text, how to write in its format, how to compile and link, how to debug and execute, how to deploy or release. Here is a ‘hello world’ example with GUIs on Windows. This example can be build on Windows 11, 10 and 8 or some versions before.

Learn How To Build A Modern C++ “Hello World” Example For Windows

How To Develop C++ On Windows With Dev-C++ ?

You can start by downloading the latest Embarcadero Dev-C++.

Embarcadero Dev-C++ is free, and is a fast, portable and simple C/C++ IDE for Windows. The free version is great for beginners. If you want to develop professionally it is highly recommended you start with C++ Builder CE version. Dev-C++ can be downloaded from Embarcadero’s site, Sourceforge, or Github. The original developer is Bloodshed Software.

Embarcadero Dev-C++ is a new and improved fork (sponsored by Embarcadero) of Bloodshed Dev-C++ and Orwell Dev-C++. It is a full-featured Integrated Development Environment (IDE) and code editor for the C/C++ programming language. It uses Mingw port of GCC (GNU Compiler Collection) as its compiler. Embarcadero Dev-C++ can also be used in combination with Cygwin or any other GCC based compiler. Embarcadero Dev-C++ is built using the latest version of Embarcadero Delphi. Embarcadero Dev-C++ has a low memory footprint because it is a native Windows application and does not use Electron.

Download Free Dev-C++ Here !

Then here are the instructions how to set up Dev-C++.

How To Set Up Dev-C++ For Your First Project

Here are more details about Dev-C++

Dev-C++ Download And Installation

Then you can install and run your first Hello world example.

How To Develop C++ On Windows With BCC The Embarcadero C++ Command Line Compiler?

If you want to develop backend Windows apps that have no GUI or you want to develop apps for Windows Shell / Command prompt with a free compiler you can download the latest Embarcadero C++ Compiler which is totally free,

The C++ Compiler for C++Builder includes C11 language support, the Dinkumware STL (Standard Template Library) framework, and the complete Embarcadero C/C++ Runtime Library (RTL). In this free version, you’ll also find a number of C/C++ command line tools—such as the high-performance linker and resource compiler.

Download The Latest Embarcadero C++ Compiler Free !

The Free C++ Compiler download includes:

• Embarcadero C++ Compiler (bcc32c/bcc32x)
• Turbo Incremental Linker (tlink32)
• C++ Win32 Preprocessor (cpp32)
• Import Library utility—for creating import libraries from DLLs (implib)
• Librarian for symbol case-conversion, creating extended libraries and modifying page size (tlib)
• Other useful command-line utilities such as make, grep, and touch
• Includes the Embarcadero C/C++ Runtime Library, and the DinkumwareANSI/ISO Standard Template Library (STL)

The BCC32C/BCC32X Compiler is the high performance foundation and core technology of Embarcadero’s award-winning C++Builder product line. Here are the latest versions of the C++ Compilers

C++Builder includes compilers for Win32, Win64 and iOS. And, C++Builder also features a modern, high-productivity RAD Studio IDE, debugger tools, and enterprise connectivity for to accelerate cross-platform UI development. Learn more about RAD Studio on its product page.

Then you can write your source code in any text editor using with .c .cpp or .h extension as appropriate. You can use this compiler to compile and make executable files from source code.

For more information, please check this post.

What Is The Best C++ Compiler for Windows 8, 10, And 11?