Page 3 | Best Programming Languages for Startups - April 2025 Reviews & Comparison

C#

Microsoft

C# (also known as C Sharp, pronounced "See Sharp") is a modern, object-oriented, and type-safe programming language. C# enables developers to build many types of secure and robust applications that run in .NET. C# has its roots in the C family of languages and will be immediately familiar to C, C++, Java, and JavaScript programmers. This tour provides an overview of the major components of the language in C# 8 and earlier. C# is an object-oriented, component-oriented programming language. C# provides language constructs to directly support these concepts, making C# a natural language in which to create and use software components. Since its origin, C# has added features to support new workloads and emerging software design practices. At its core, C# is an object-oriented language. You define types and their behavior.

Starting Price: Free

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C++/CLI

Microsoft

In Visual Studio 2022, the default target framework for .NET Core projects is 6.0. For .NET Frameworks projects, the default is 4.7.2. The .NET Framework version selector is on the configure your new project page of the create a new project dialog. C++/CLI itself isn't installed by default when you install a Visual Studio C++ workload. To install the component after Visual Studio is installed, open the Visual Studio Installer by selecting the Windows Start menu and searching for visual studio installer. Choose the modify button next to your installed version of Visual Studio. Select the Individual components tab. Scroll down to the compilers, build tools, and runtimes section, and select C++/CLI support for v143 build tools (Latest). Select modify to download the necessary files and update Visual Studio. By using C++/CLI you can create C++ programs that use .NET classes as well as native C++ types. C++/CLI is intended for use in console applications.

Starting Price: Free

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Clojure

Clojure is a robust, practical, and fast programming language with a set of useful features that together form a simple, coherent, and powerful tool. Clojure is a dynamic, general-purpose programming language, combining the approachability and interactive development of a scripting language with an efficient and robust infrastructure for multithreaded programming. Clojure is a compiled language, yet remains completely dynamic, every feature supported by Clojure is supported at runtime. Clojure provides easy access to the Java frameworks, with optional type hints and type inference, to ensure that calls to Java can avoid reflection. Clojure is a dialect of Lisp, and shares with Lisp the code-as-data philosophy and a powerful macro system. Clojure is predominantly a functional programming language and features a rich set of immutable, persistent data structures. When a mutable state is needed, Clojure offers a software transactional memory system and reactive Agent system.

Starting Price: Free

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Apache Groovy

The Apache Software Foundation

Apache Groovy is a powerful, optionally typed and dynamic language, with static-typing and static compilation capabilities, for the Java platform aimed at improving developer productivity thanks to a concise, familiar and easy to learn syntax. It integrates smoothly with any Java program, and immediately delivers to your application powerful features, including scripting capabilities, Domain-Specific Language authoring, runtime and compile-time meta-programming and functional programming. Concise, readable and expressive syntax, easy to learn for Java developers. Closures, builders, runtime & compile-time meta-programming, functional programming, type inference, and static compilation. Flexible & malleable syntax, advanced integration & customization mechanisms, to integrate readable business rules in your applications. Great for writing concise and maintainable tests, and for all your build and automation tasks.

Starting Price: Free

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GAUSS

Aptech Systems

An easy-to-use data analysis and visualization environment based on the powerful, fast and efficient GAUSS Matrix Programming Language. Prototype to production: Embed custom GAUSS analytics directly in enterprise or web-applications. Customizable programs that extend the GAUSS platform in the fields of econometrics, finance, risk analysis, statistics and more. You can code ideas and techniques straight from the latest journals in GAUSS as quickly as you can with a pen and paper. The GAUSS matrix language is the most natural way to bring cutting edge math, statistics and machine learning to life. GAUSS is the product of more than three decades of innovation and refinement of efficient, native code. This combined with our optimizing compiler and modern threading capabilities, allows you to get your answers before the competition.

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Common Lisp

Common Lisp is the modern, multi-paradigm, high-performance, compiled, ANSI-standardized, most prominent (along with Scheme) descendant of the long-running family of Lisp programming languages. Common Lisp is known for being extremely flexible, having excellent support for object oriented programming, and fast prototyping capabilities. It also sports an extremely powerful macro system that allows you to tailor the language to your application, and a flexible run-time environment that allows modification and debugging of running applications (excellent for server-side development and long-running critical software). It is a multi-paradigm programming language that allows you to choose the approach and paradigm according to your application domain.

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JSON

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format. It is easy for humans to read and write. It is easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language Standard ECMA-262 3rd Edition - December 1999. JSON is a text format that is completely language independent but uses conventions that are familiar to programmers of the C-family of languages, including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and many others. These properties make JSON an ideal data-interchange language. JSON is built on two structures: 1. A collection of name/value pairs. In various languages, this is realized as an object, record, struct, dictionary, hash table, keyed list, or associative array. 2. An ordered list of values. In most languages, this is realized as an array, vector, list, or sequence. These are universal data structures. Virtually all modern programming languages support them in one form or another.

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XML

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a simple, very flexible text format derived from SGML (ISO 8879). Originally designed to meet the challenges of large-scale electronic publishing, XML is also playing an increasingly important role in the exchange of a wide variety of data on the Web and elsewhere. This page describes the work being done at W3C within the XML Activity, and how it is structured. Work at W3C takes place in Working Groups. The Working Groups within the XML Activity are listed below, together with links to their individual web pages. You can find and download formal technical specifications here, because we publish them. This is not a place to find tutorials, products, courses, books or other XML-related information. There are some links below that may help you find such resources. You will find links to W3C Recommendations, Proposed Recommendations, Working Drafts, conformance test suites and other documents on the pages for each Working Group.

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YAML

YAML: YAML Ain't Markup Language. YAML is a human-friendly data serialization language for all programming languages.

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D

D Language Foundation

D is a general-purpose programming language with static typing, systems-level access, and C-like syntax. With the D Programming Language, write fast, read fast, and run fast. D is made possible through the hard work and dedication of many volunteers, with the coordination and outreach of the D Language Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. You can help further the development of the D language and help grow our community by supporting the Foundation. Discuss D on the forums, join the IRC channel, read our official Blog, or follow us on Twitter. Browse the wiki, where among other things you can find the high-level vision of the D Language Foundation. Refer to the language specification and the documentation of Phobos, D's standard library. The DMD manual tells you how to use the compiler. Read various articles to deepen your understanding.

Starting Price: Free

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Cython

Cython is an optimizing static compiler for both the Python programming language and the extended Cython programming language (based on Pyrex). It makes writing C extensions for Python as easy as Python itself. Cython gives you the combined power of Python and C to let you write Python code that calls back and forth from and to C or C++ code natively at any point. Easily tune readable Python code into plain C performance by adding static type declarations, also in Python syntax. Use combined source code level debugging to find bugs in your Python, Cython, and C code. Interact efficiently with large data sets, e.g. using multi-dimensional NumPy arrays. Quickly build your applications within the large, mature, and widely used CPython ecosystem. The Cython language is a superset of the Python language that additionally supports calling C functions and declaring C types on variables and class attributes.

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Crystal

Crystal’s syntax is heavily inspired by Ruby’s, so it feels natural to read and easy to write, and has the added benefit of a lower learning curve for experienced Ruby devs. Crystal is statically type-checked, so any type errors will be caught early by the compiler rather than fail on runtime. Moreover, and to keep the language clean, Crystal has built-in type inference, so most type annotations are unneeded. All types are non-nilable in Crystal, and available variables are represented as a union between the type and nil. As a consequence, the compiler will automatically check for null references in compile time. Crystal’s answer to metaprogramming is a powerful macro system, which ranges from basic templating and AST inspection to types inspection and running arbitrary external programs.

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CoffeeScript

Underneath that awkward Java-esque patina, JavaScript has always had a gorgeous heart. CoffeeScript is an attempt to expose the good parts of JavaScript in a simple way. The golden rule of CoffeeScript is: “It’s just JavaScript.” The code compiles one-to-one into the equivalent JS, and there is no interpretation at runtime. You can use any existing JavaScript library seamlessly from CoffeeScript (and vice-versa). The compiled output is readable, pretty printed, and tends to run as fast or faster than the equivalent handwritten JavaScript. Most modern JavaScript features that CoffeeScript supports can run natively in Node 7.6+, meaning that Node can run CoffeeScript’s output without any further processing required. This list may be incomplete, and excludes versions of Node that support newer features behind flags; please refer to node.green for full details. You can run the tests in your browser to see what your browser supports.

Starting Price: Free

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AutoHotkey

Define hotkeys for the mouse and keyboard, remap keys or buttons and autocorrect-like replacements. Creating simple hotkeys has never been easier; you can do it in just a few lines or less! AutoHotkey is a free, open-source scripting language for Windows that allows users to easily create small to complex scripts for all kinds of tasks such as form fillers, auto-clicking, macros, etc. AutoHotkey has easy-to-learn built-in commands for beginners. Experienced developers will love this full-fledged scripting language for fast prototyping and small projects. AutoHotkey gives you the freedom to automate any desktop task. It's small, fast, and runs out of the box. Best of all, it's free, open-source (GNU GPLv2), and beginner-friendly. AutoHotkey provides a simple, flexible syntax allowing you to focus more on the task at hand rather than every single little technicality. It supports not only the popular imperative-procedural paradigm, but also object-oriented and command-based programming.

Starting Price: Free

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Zig

Zig Software Foundation

Zig is a general-purpose programming language and toolchain for maintaining robust, optimal and reusable software. Focus on debugging your application rather than debugging your programming language knowledge. A fresh approach to metaprogramming based on compile-time code execution and lazy evaluation. No hidden control flow. No hidden memory allocations. No preprocessor, no macros. Call any function at compile-time. Manipulate types as values without runtime overhead. Comptime emulates the target architecture. Use Zig as a zero-dependency, drop-in C/C++ compiler that supports cross-compilation out-of-the-box. Leverage zig build to create a consistent development environment across all platforms. Add a Zig compilation unit to C/C++ projects; cross-language LTO is enabled by default.

Starting Price: Free

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Odin

Odin Language

Odin is a general-purpose programming language with distinct typing built for high performance, modern systems and data-oriented programming. Odin is the C alternative for the Joy of Programming. Odin has been designed for readability, scalability, and orthogonality of concepts. Simplicity is complicated to get right, clear is better than clever. Odin allows for the highest performance through low-level control over the memory layout, memory management and custom allocators and so much more. Odin is designed from the bottom up for the modern computer, with built-in support for SOA data types, array programming, and other features. We go into programming because we love to solve problems. Why shouldn't our tools bring us joy whilst doing it? Enjoy programming again, with Odin!

Starting Price: Free

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WebAssembly

WebAssembly (abbreviated Wasm) is a binary instruction format for a stack-based virtual machine. Wasm is designed as a portable compilation target for programming languages, enabling deployment on the web for client and server applications. The Wasm stack machine is designed to be encoded in a size- and load-time-efficient binary format. WebAssembly aims to execute at native speed by taking advantage of common hardware capabilities available on a wide range of platforms. WebAssembly describes a memory-safe, sandboxed execution environment that may even be implemented inside existing JavaScript virtual machines. When embedded in the web, WebAssembly will enforce the same-origin and permissions security policies of the browser. WebAssembly is designed to be pretty-printed in a textual format for debugging, testing, experimenting, optimizing, learning, teaching, and writing programs by hand. The textual format will be used when viewing the source of Wasm modules on the web.

Starting Price: Free

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Solidity

Solidity is a statically-typed curly-braces programming language designed for developing smart contracts that run on Ethereum. As a relatively young language, Solidity is advancing at a rapid speed. We aim for a regular (non-breaking) release every month, with approximately one breaking release per year. You can follow the implementation status of new features in the Solidity Github project. You can see the upcoming changes for the next breaking release by switching from the default branch (`develop`) to the `breaking branch`. You can actively shape Solidity by providing your input and participating in the language design.

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Vyper

Vyper is a contract-oriented, pythonic programming language that targets the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Security: It should be possible and natural to build secure smart-contracts in Vyper. Language and compiler simplicity: The language and the compiler implementation should strive to be simple. Auditability: Vyper code should be maximally human-readable. Furthermore, it should be maximally difficult to write misleading code. Simplicity for the reader is more important than simplicity for the writer, and simplicity for readers with low prior experience with Vyper (and low prior experience with programming in general) is particularly important.

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Mojo

Modular

Mojo 🔥 — a new programming language for all AI developers. Mojo combines the usability of Python with the performance of C, unlocking unparalleled programmability of AI hardware and extensibility of AI models. Write Python or scale all the way down to the metal. Program the multitude of low-level AI hardware. No C++ or CUDA required. Utilize the full power of the hardware, including multiple cores, vector units, and exotic accelerator units, with the world's most advanced compiler and heterogenous runtime. Achieve performance on par with C++ and CUDA without the complexity.

Starting Price: Free

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AMPL

AMPL is a powerful and intuitive modeling language designed to represent and solve complex optimization problems. It enables users to formulate mathematical models in a syntax that closely mirrors algebraic notation, facilitating a clear and concise representation of variables, objectives, and constraints. AMPL supports a wide range of problem types, including linear programming, nonlinear programming, mixed-integer programming, and more. One of its key strengths is the ability to separate models and data, allowing for flexibility and scalability in handling large-scale problems. The platform offers seamless integration with numerous solvers, both commercial and open-source, providing users with the flexibility to choose the most appropriate solver for their specific needs. AMPL is available across multiple operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux, and offers various licensing options.

Starting Price: $3,000 per year

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JavaScript

JavaScript is a scripting language and programming language for the web that enables developers to build dynamic elements on the web. Over 97% of the websites in the world use client-side JavaScript. JavaScript is one of the most important scripting languages on the web. Strings in JavaScript are contained within a pair of either single quotation marks '' or double quotation marks "". Both quotes represent Strings but be sure to choose one and STICK WITH IT. If you start with a single quote, you need to end with a single quote. There are pros and cons to using both IE single quotes tend to make it easier to write HTML within Javascript as you don’t have to escape the line with a double quote. Let’s say you’re trying to use quotation marks inside a string. You’ll need to use opposite quotation marks inside and outside of JavaScript single or double quotes.

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SQL

SQL is a domain-specific programming language used for accessing, managing, and manipulating relational databases and relational database management systems.

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Pascal

Pascal is a procedural and imperative programming language. Pascal is a simple and efficient programming language designed for developers that want to build applications in structured ways. Free Pascal is a mature, versatile, open source Pascal compiler. It can target many processor architectures: Intel x86 (16 and 32 bit), AMD64/x86-64, PowerPC, PowerPC64, SPARC, SPARC64, ARM, AArch64, MIPS, Motorola 68k, AVR, and the JVM. Supported operating systems include Windows (16/32/64 bit, CE, and native NT), Linux, Mac OS X/iOS/iPhoneSimulator/Darwin, FreeBSD and other BSD flavors, DOS (16 bit, or 32 bit DPMI), OS/2, AIX, Android, Haiku, Nintendo GBA/DS/Wii, AmigaOS, MorphOS, AROS, Atari TOS, and various embedded platforms. Additionally, support for RISC-V (32/64), Xtensa, and Z80 architectures, and for the LLVM compiler infrastructure is available in the development version. Additionally, the Free Pascal team maintains a transpiler for pascal to Javascript called pas2js.

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Objective-C

Objective-C is the primary programming language you use when writing software for OS X and iOS. It’s a superset of the C programming language and provides object-oriented capabilities and a dynamic runtime. Objective-C inherits the syntax, primitive types, and flow control statements of C and adds syntax for defining classes and methods. It also adds language-level support for object graph management and object literals while providing dynamic typing and binding, deferring many responsibilities until runtime. When building apps for OS X or iOS, you’ll spend most of your time working with objects. Those objects are instances of Objective-C classes, some of which are provided for you by Cocoa or Cocoa Touch and some of which you’ll write yourself.

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C++

C++ is a simple and clear language in its expressions. It is true that a piece of code written with C++ may be seen by a stranger of programming a bit more cryptic than some other languages due to the intensive use of special characters ({}[]*&!|...), but once one knows the meaning of such characters it can be even more schematic and clear than other languages that rely more on English words. Also, the simplification of the input/output interface of C++ in comparison to C and the incorporation of the standard template library in the language, makes the communication and manipulation of data in a program written in C++ as simple as in other languages, without losing the power it offers. It is a programming model that treats programming from a perspective where each component is considered an object, with its own properties and methods, replacing or complementing structured programming paradigm, where the focus was on procedures and parameters.

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Dart

Dart Language

Mature and complete async-await for user interfaces containing event-driven code, paired with isolate-based concurrency. A programming language optimized for building user interfaces with features such as sound null safety, the spread operator for expanding collections, and collection if for customizing UI for each platform. Write code using a flexible type system with rich static analysis and powerful, configurable tooling. Target the web with complete, mature, fast compilers for JavaScript. Run backend code supporting your app, written using a single programming language. This collection is not exhaustive—it’s just a brief introduction to the language for people who like to learn by example. You might also want to check out the language and library tours, or the Dart cheatsheet codelab.

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BLooP

Welcome to the Dictionary of Programming Languages, a compendium of computer coding methods assembled to provide information and aid your appreciation for computer science history. BLooP was a very simple recursive block structured language invented by Douglas Hofstadter for his book Godel, Escher, Bach. It features simple subroutine structure, very simple number and boolean handling, and recursion. The interesting aspect of BLooP was that it offered only bounded loop constructs, and was therefore incapable of expressing certain general recursive computations.

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Bash

Bash is a free software Unix shell and command language. It has become the default login shell for most Linux distributions. In addition to being available on Linux systems, a version of Bash is also available for Windows through the Windows Subsystem for Linux. Bash is the default user shell in Solaris 11 and was the default shell in Apple macOS from version 10.3 until the release of macOS Catalina, which changed the default shell to zsh. Despite this change, Bash remains available as an alternative shell on macOS systems. As a command processor, Bash allows users to enter commands in a text window that are then executed by the system. Bash can also read and execute commands from a file, known as a shell script. It supports a number of features commonly found in Unix shells, including wildcard matching, piping, here documents, command substitution, variables, and control structures for condition testing and iteration. Bash is compliant with the POSIX shell standards.

Starting Price: Free

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Clarity

Clarity Smart Contracts

Clarity brings smart contracts to Bitcoin. It is a decidable language, meaning you can know, with certainty, from the code itself what the program will do. Clarity is interpreted (not compiled) & the source code is published on the blockchain. Clarity gives developers a safe way to build complex smart contracts for the world's most secure blockchain. The Clarity language uses precise and unambiguous syntax that allows developers to predict exactly how their contracts will be executed. The Clarity language allows users to supply their own conditions for transactions that ensure that a contract may never unexpectedly transfer a token owned by a user. Contracts written in Clarity are broadcasted on the blockchain exactly as they are written by developers. This ensures that the code developers wrote, analyzed, and tested, is exactly what gets executed.

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Best Programming Languages for Startups - Page 3

Compare the Top Programming Languages for Startups as of April 2025 - Page 3