YKYH Picks
☰ Menu
Home›Command-Line Tools›qbs
CLI Open source

qbs for Mac

Build tool for developing projects across multiple platforms

Quick answer: qbs is a command-line tool for macOS. Install it with brew install qbs. It is distributed under the (LGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-2.0-only) AND (LGPL-3.0-only OR (LGPL-2.1-only WITH Qt-LGPL-exception-1.1)) AND (GPL-3.0-only WITH Qt-GPL-exception-1.0) licence.

What qbs is

qbs is a command-line tool for macOS: build tool for developing projects across multiple platforms.

It is distributed as a Homebrew formula, which builds or pours a binary and puts it on your PATH. It is distributed under the (LGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-2.0-only) AND (LGPL-3.0-only OR (LGPL-2.1-only WITH Qt-LGPL-exception-1.1)) AND (GPL-3.0-only WITH Qt-GPL-exception-1.0) licence.

How to install qbs

  1. Open Terminal (press ⌘ + Space and type “Terminal”).
  2. If Homebrew is not installed yet, run the installer below once.
  3. Run brew install qbs.

Homebrew installer, if you need it:

Prefer a graphical installer? Download it from the official site. MacPicks never hosts or mirrors binaries — the Homebrew command always pulls from the vendor's own release.

Similar apps in Command-Line Tools

Closest apps in the same category, ordered by description similarity and install base. These are related tools, not confirmed substitutes; the comparison pages cover hand-picked head-to-head matchups.

pulpBuild tool for PureScript projectsCLIOpen source1/mouptocConvenient static file deployment tool that supports multiple platformsCLIOpen sourcesamuraiNinja-compatible build tool written in CCLIOpen source1/moboot-cljBuild tooling for ClojureCLIOpen sourcekarnManage multiple Git identitiesCLIOpen sourcerenRename multiple files in a directoryCLIOpen source

Frequently asked questions

How do I install qbs on Mac?

Run brew install qbs in Terminal. This requires Homebrew; if you do not have it, install it first with the command below.

Is qbs open source?

Yes — Homebrew distributes it under the (LGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-2.0-only) AND (LGPL-3.0-only OR (LGPL-2.1-only WITH Qt-LGPL-exception-1.1)) AND (GPL-3.0-only WITH Qt-GPL-exception-1.0) licence.

Does qbs run on Apple silicon?

Homebrew publishes this formula for macOS. If upstream does not ship an Apple silicon build, Rosetta 2 handles the Intel binary.

How popular is qbs?

Homebrew does not publish a 30-day install count for this package, which usually means it is installed directly rather than through the analytics-reporting path.

What version of qbs is current?

The latest packaged version is 3.3.1.