Re: [PIC]: XC Compilers now free with Pro features

That's good news, free is my favourite price :-) =


Same price paid for the compiler I use for ESP32's. Also Silicon Labs hand =
out a =

key for free use of the Keil C compiler for any one of their 8051 based chi=
ps (and =

maybe others?), and that continues to amaze me as it builds a ~40kByte prog=
ram in =

3 seconds or so (at one stage we were using SDCC which was getting up to =

15-20mins compiling, and often failing to fit the code into 64K).

My oldest and first C project with a PIC began in 2001 using Hi-Tech C (lat=
er bought =

by Microchip and became the XC compiler). Used some assembler initially but =

quickly found with care the compiler could do as good a job as me. PIC proj=
ect still =

going today, still building the same PCBs, using PIC16F877A's.

On 9 Jul 2026 at 3:58, Spehro Pefhany wrote:

> Microchip has announced that=A0 XC compilers, including the functional =

> safety compiler, and MPLAB Machine Learning suite are now available for =

> free, dropping the two-tier free/Pro model.
> =

> Although the compilers are=A0 not open-source, this should be particularl=
y =

> welcome in the open-source community since we can share programs and =

> others will be able to compile them with the same degree of optimization.
> =

> Link to press release: =

> https://ir.microchip.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/1403/microchip=
-expands-developer-access-with-free-mplab-xc-compilers-and-mplab-machine-le=
arning-development-suite
> =

> I very recently revisited an incomplete (non-trivial) older project =

> using PIC16F18344 chips and completed it with XC8 with no assembly =

> language used at all. It's not a cheap 32-bit RISC-V running at >100MHz =

> but it gets the job done and has 5V I/O.
> =

> Best regards,
> =

> Spehro Pefhany
> =

> =

> =

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