waf Alternatives

waf is described as 'Waf is a Python-based framework for configuring, compiling and installing applications' and is an app in the development category. There are more than 25 alternatives to waf for a variety of platforms, including Linux, Windows, Mac, BSD and Android apps. The best waf alternative is CMake, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like waf are GNU Make, Maven, Gradle and Ant.

More about waf

waf alternatives page was last updated Apr 9, 2026

Nx
Like
Next generation build system with first class monorepo support and powerful integrations.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Build System
Origin
United States
Platforms
Self-Hosted
Is Nx a good alternative to waf?
Rsbuild
Like
Simple, fast, extensible build tool. Powered by Rspack.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Application type
Build System
Platforms
React
Node.JS
Vue.js
Typescript
Is Rsbuild a good alternative to waf?
UppercuT
1 like
The easiest build framework you will ever use. Just answer three simple questions (What is the name of your solution? What is the path to source control? What is your company name?) and you are building.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Platforms
Windows
Is UppercuT a good alternative to waf?
W
W
Werk
Like
Werk is a command runner and simplistic build system. It is intended to supplant Make in projects that need a simple build tool adjacent to a main build system, such as Cargo or NPM.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application type
Build System
Platforms
Rust
Linux
Mac
Windows
BSD
W
Is Werk a good alternative to waf?
S
S
Setup.shl
Like
setup - A simple Bash library for setting up a directory structure using Makefile-like definitions.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source
Platforms
Mac
Linux
Chrome OS
S
Is Setup.shl a good alternative to waf?
U
U
UPcmd
Like
A modern build, configuration management, ci/cd tool for automation Flexible data modelling, design of composition, OO and test driven Comprehensive workflow orchestration: full support all type of condition, loop(recursive), break, assert.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (MIT)
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
BSD
U
Is UPcmd a good alternative to waf?
xmake
1 like
xmake is a cross-platform build utility based on Lua. The project focuses on making development and building easier and provides many features (e.g package, install, plugin, macro, action, option, task ...
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (Apache-2.0)
Application type
Build System
Origin
China
Platforms
Mac
Windows
Linux
Android
iPhone
Is xmake a good alternative to waf?
Reggae build system
Like
Reggae is a (meta) build system with multiple front (D, Python, Ruby, Javascript, Lua) and backends (make, ninja, tup, custom). This is alpha software, only tested on Linux and likely to have breaking changes made.
Cost / License
Free
Open Source (BSD-3-Clause)
Application type
Build System
Platforms
Windows
Linux
Is Reggae build system a good alternative to waf?