programming languages

Rank

C vs C++

  1. This is a low level language

    92% 8%
    C 914 out of 987 picked C over C++ C++

  2. This language is minimal

    90% 10%
    C 745 out of 826 picked C over C++ C++

  3. This language is built on a small core of orthogonal features

    86% 14%
    C 598 out of 694 picked C over C++ C++

  4. This language allows me to write programs where I know exactly what they are doing under the hood

    84% 16%
    C 779 out of 917 picked C over C++ C++

  5. I would use this language for writing embedded programs

    81% 19%
    C 110 out of 135 picked C over C++ C++

  6. This language has a very coherent design

    80% 20%
    C 653 out of 811 picked C over C++ C++

  7. I would use this language for writing programs for an embedded hardware platform

    79% 21%
    C 650 out of 817 picked C over C++ C++

  8. This language is suitable for real-time applications

    77% 23%
    C 605 out of 780 picked C over C++ C++

  9. Programs written in this language will usually work in future versions of the language

    77% 23%
    C 630 out of 813 picked C over C++ C++

  10. Programs written in this language tend to be efficient

    77% 23%
    C 695 out of 897 picked C over C++ C++

  11. I learned this language early in my career as a programmer

    77% 23%
    C 390 out of 504 picked C over C++ C++

  12. This language is likely to be around for a very long time

    76% 24%
    C 625 out of 818 picked C over C++ C++

  13. It's unusual for me to discover unfamiliar features

    76% 24%
    C 614 out of 804 picked C over C++ C++

  14. Programs written in this language tend to play well with others

    75% 25%
    C 603 out of 801 picked C over C++ C++

  15. This language is good for beginners

    74% 26%
    C 667 out of 897 picked C over C++ C++

  16. I would recommend most programmers learn this language, regardless of whether they have a specific need for it

    73% 27%
    C 368 out of 501 picked C over C++ C++

  17. There is a wide variety of open source code written in this language

    72% 28%
    C 630 out of 870 picked C over C++ C++

  18. This language has a high quality implementation

    70% 30%
    C 320 out of 455 picked C over C++ C++

  19. This language would be good for teaching children to write software

    67% 33%
    C 329 out of 485 picked C over C++ C++

  20. If this language didn't exist, I would have trouble finding a satisfactory replacement

    66% 34%
    C 521 out of 779 picked C over C++ C++

  21. Code written in this language will usually run in all the major implementations if it runs in one of them.

    66% 34%
    C 288 out of 432 picked C over C++ C++

  22. This language is well documented

    66% 34%
    C 554 out of 835 picked C over C++ C++

  23. This language is best for very small projects

    65% 35%
    C 543 out of 831 picked C over C++ C++

  24. This language has a niche in which it is great

    64% 36%
    C 553 out of 851 picked C over C++ C++

  25. I find it easy to write efficient code in this language

    64% 36%
    C 602 out of 939 picked C over C++ C++

  26. This language matches it's problem domain particularly well.

    63% 37%
    C 267 out of 419 picked C over C++ C++

  27. It is easy to tell at a glance what code in this language does

    63% 37%
    C 572 out of 903 picked C over C++ C++

  28. Code written in this language is very readable

    63% 37%
    C 559 out of 886 picked C over C++ C++

  29. I would use this language as a scripting language embedded inside a larger application

    62% 38%
    C 521 out of 836 picked C over C++ C++

  30. There are many good open-source tools for this language

    61% 39%
    C 518 out of 838 picked C over C++ C++

  31. It is easy to debug programs written in this language when it goes wrong

    61% 39%
    C 529 out of 858 picked C over C++ C++

  32. I know this language well

    61% 39%
    C 4505 out of 7370 picked C over C++ C++

  33. I would use this language to write a command-line app

    60% 40%
    C 582 out of 963 picked C over C++ C++

  34. Code written in this language tends to be terse

    58% 42%
    C 515 out of 882 picked C over C++ C++

  35. The resources for learning this language are of high quality

    58% 42%
    C 488 out of 838 picked C over C++ C++

  36. I find code written in this language very elegant

    57% 43%
    C 524 out of 913 picked C over C++ C++

  37. When I run into problems my colleagues can provide me with immediate help with this language

    57% 43%
    C 454 out of 794 picked C over C++ C++

  38. Learning this language improved my ability as a programmer

    56% 44%
    C 524 out of 924 picked C over C++ C++

  39. I can imagine this will be a popular language in twenty years time

    56% 44%
    C 449 out of 793 picked C over C++ C++

  40. Code written in this language tends to be very reliable

    55% 45%
    C 462 out of 829 picked C over C++ C++

  41. This language is easier to use for it's problem domain by removing unneeded expressiveness (such as not being Turing complete).

    55% 45%
    C 146 out of 262 picked C over C++ C++

  42. Third-party libraries are readily available, well-documented, and of high quality

    55% 45%
    C 463 out of 833 picked C over C++ C++

  43. This language is good for numeric computing

    55% 45%
    C 435 out of 786 picked C over C++ C++

  44. I would use this language for casual scripting

    54% 46%
    C 486 out of 884 picked C over C++ C++

  45. This language has a wide variety of agreed-upon conventions, which are generally adhered to reasonably well, and which increase my productivity

    54% 46%
    C 432 out of 787 picked C over C++ C++

  46. This language has a niche outside of which I would not use it

    54% 46%
    C 457 out of 840 picked C over C++ C++

  47. When I write code in this language I can be very sure it is correct

    53% 47%
    C 458 out of 854 picked C over C++ C++

  48. I enjoy using this language

    52% 48%
    C 506 out of 958 picked C over C++ C++

  49. This language has a very rigid idea of how things should be done

    52% 48%
    C 448 out of 853 picked C over C++ C++

  50. I use this language out of choice

    52% 48%
    C 426 out of 819 picked C over C++ C++

  51. There are many good tools for this language

    51% 49%
    C 438 out of 849 picked C over C++ C++

  52. I use many applications written in this language

    51% 49%
    C 453 out of 881 picked C over C++ C++

  53. I often write things in this language with the intent of rewriting them in something else later

    50% 50%
    C 324 out of 637 picked C over C++ C++

  54. I usually use this language on solo projects

    50% 50%
    C 469 out of 926 picked C over C++ C++

  55. I would use this language for mobile applications

    50% 50%
    C 447 out of 887 picked C over C++ C++

  56. Writing code in this language is a lot of work

    50% 50%
    C 484 out of 961 picked C over C++ C++

  57. I enjoy playing with this language but would never use it for "real code"

    50% 50%
    C 379 out of 755 picked C over C++ C++

  58. This language is likely to have a strong influence on future languages

    49% 51%
    C 412 out of 823 picked C++ over C C++

  59. This language encourages writing code that is easy to maintain.

    49% 51%
    C 236 out of 468 picked C++ over C C++

  60. I would list this language on my resume

    49% 51%
    C 420 out of 824 picked C++ over C C++

  61. This language has a good community

    48% 52%
    C 418 out of 819 picked C++ over C C++

  62. I would like to write more of this language than I currently do

    48% 52%
    C 472 out of 921 picked C++ over C C++

  63. This language is good for scientific computing

    48% 52%
    C 443 out of 862 picked C++ over C C++

  64. I regularly use this language

    48% 52%
    C 502 out of 971 picked C++ over C C++

  65. This is a mainstream language

    47% 53%
    C 254 out of 487 picked C++ over C C++

  66. Libraries in this language tend to be well documented.

    46% 54%
    C 242 out of 456 picked C++ over C C++

  67. Learning this language significantly changed how I use other languages.

    46% 54%
    C 260 out of 482 picked C++ over C C++

  68. I know many other people who use this language

    45% 55%
    C 497 out of 907 picked C++ over C C++

  69. I can imagine using this language in my day job

    45% 55%
    C 528 out of 962 picked C++ over C C++

  70. I find this language easy to prototype in

    44% 56%
    C 486 out of 882 picked C++ over C C++

  71. This language makes it easy to shoot yourself in the foot

    44% 56%
    C 385 out of 693 picked C++ over C C++

  72. If my code in this language successfully compiles, there is a good chance my code is correct.

    43% 57%
    C 258 out of 455 picked C++ over C C++

  73. I would use this language for writing server programs

    42% 58%
    C 488 out of 856 picked C++ over C C++

  74. This language has a good library distribution mechanism.

    42% 58%
    C 232 out of 405 picked C++ over C C++

  75. This language has well-organized libraries with consistent, carefully thought-out interfaces

    42% 58%
    C 444 out of 775 picked C++ over C C++

  76. This language has a very dogmatic community

    42% 58%
    C 426 out of 740 picked C++ over C C++

  77. This language is well suited for an agile development approach using short iterations.

    42% 58%
    C 256 out of 442 picked C++ over C C++

  78. I am sometimes embarrassed to admit to my peers that I know this language

    41% 59%
    C 392 out of 675 picked C++ over C C++

  79. This language is frequently used for applications it isn't suitable for

    41% 59%
    C 430 out of 738 picked C++ over C C++

  80. The semantics of this language are much different than other languages I know.

    41% 59%
    C 255 out of 434 picked C++ over C C++

  81. I usually use this language on projects with many other members

    41% 59%
    C 494 out of 839 picked C++ over C C++

  82. Code written in this language tends to be verbose

    40% 60%
    C 549 out of 916 picked C++ over C C++

  83. This language is good for distributed computing

    39% 61%
    C 468 out of 779 picked C++ over C C++

  84. I use a lot of code written in this language which I really don't want to have to make changes to

    39% 61%
    C 189 out of 314 picked C++ over C C++

  85. The thought that I may still be using this language in twenty years time fills me with dread

    38% 62%
    C 497 out of 811 picked C++ over C C++

  86. There are many good commercial tools for this language

    38% 62%
    C 491 out of 801 picked C++ over C C++

  87. This language excels at concurrency

    38% 62%
    C 497 out of 805 picked C++ over C C++

  88. Developers who primarily use this language often burn out after a few years

    37% 63%
    C 395 out of 637 picked C++ over C C++

  89. I am reluctant to admit to knowing this language

    37% 63%
    C 433 out of 694 picked C++ over C C++

  90. This language is very flexible

    36% 64%
    C 571 out of 902 picked C++ over C C++

  91. I would use this language for a web project

    36% 64%
    C 555 out of 871 picked C++ over C C++

  92. I often get angry when writing code in this language

    35% 65%
    C 247 out of 382 picked C++ over C C++

  93. I rarely have difficulty abstracting patterns I find in my code

    34% 66%
    C 518 out of 796 picked C++ over C C++

  94. This language has unusual features that I often miss when using other languages

    33% 67%
    C 551 out of 824 picked C++ over C C++

  95. It is too easy to write code in this language that looks like it does one thing but actually does something else

    31% 69%
    C 505 out of 742 picked C++ over C C++

  96. This language excels at text processing

    31% 69%
    C 572 out of 834 picked C++ over C C++

  97. This language excels at symbolic manipulation

    29% 71%
    C 526 out of 747 picked C++ over C C++

  98. This language encourages writing reusable code.

    29% 71%
    C 325 out of 461 picked C++ over C C++

  99. There is a lot of accidental complexity when writing code in this language

    28% 72%
    C 627 out of 880 picked C++ over C C++

  100. This language is likely to be a passing fad

    27% 73%
    C 500 out of 693 picked C++ over C C++

  101. I often feel like I am not smart enough to write this language

    27% 73%
    C 271 out of 375 picked C++ over C C++

  102. This language has a strong static type system

    27% 73%
    C 675 out of 933 picked C++ over C C++

  103. This language is best for very large projects

    27% 73%
    C 601 out of 826 picked C++ over C C++

  104. This language is unusually bad for beginners

    26% 74%
    C 689 out of 933 picked C++ over C C++

  105. This language has an annoying syntax

    25% 75%
    C 366 out of 489 picked C++ over C C++

  106. This language is expressive

    25% 75%
    C 657 out of 877 picked C++ over C C++

  107. I would use this language for a desktop GUI project

    19% 81%
    C 752 out of 936 picked C++ over C C++

  108. I still discover new features of this language on a fairly regular basis

    18% 82%
    C 597 out of 737 picked C++ over C C++

  109. This language has many features which feel "tacked on"

    13% 87%
    C 663 out of 768 picked C++ over C C++

  110. This is a high level language

    10% 90%
    C 855 out of 951 picked C++ over C C++

  111. This language is large

    9% 91%
    C 708 out of 782 picked C++ over C C++

What's going on here?

The absolute rankings are interesting for large scale comparisons but when you want to know about two specific languages it's much more informative to look at how the two fare when they go directly head to head.

Here are all the statements which we've got enough comparisons between C and C++ to be meaningful and which of the two our users picked.

The order in which we're presenting them is a little arbitrary (sorry), but we've tried to put the things which they're both good at first so as to give you the most interesting picture of it.