Better C++ Syntax installs statistics
By Jeff Hykin (4 listings) · VS Code Marketplace · Programming Languages
The bleeding edge of the C++ syntax
Better C++ Syntax has 12,791,502 recorded installs on VS Code Marketplace.
It ranks #84 of 2,501 tracked VS Code Marketplace listings by installs.
It is rated 4.9 out of 5 from 16 ratings.
PluginStats has 4 daily observations since Oct 16, 2026; the latest is from Oct 19, 2026.
Rating: 4.88 / 5 from 16 ratings
About Better C++ Syntax
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What does this extension do?
This will get you the bleeding-edge syntax highlighting for C++. Which means your theme will be able to color your code better. This used to be a fix, but then VS Code starting using it as the official source for C and C++ highlighting.
NOTE: The default VS Code theme does not color much. Switch to the Dark+ theme (installed by default) or use a theme like one of the following to benefit from the changes: • XD Theme • Noctis • Kary Pro Colors • Material Theme • One Monokai Theme • Winteriscoming • Popping and Locking • Syntax Highlight Theme • Default Theme Enhanced
How do I use the extension?
Just install the VS Code extension and the changes will automatically be applied to all relevant files. Link: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=jeff-hykin.better-cpp-syntax
Comparison (Material Theme)
How do I use the grammar? (as an upstream for my non-vs code editor)
1. Watch the the "Major Changes" thread here to know when I change licenses, the codebase structure, or just major highlighting changes. 2. I support non-VS Code usecases. E.g. yes, you are welcome to open issues like this one that don't affect VS Code.
What is different from atom/language-c?
It fixes: • The issue of single quotes inside #error and #warning being highlighted when then shouldn't be • The issue of initialization functions only highlighting the first parenthesis • The bug that treats the 'and' and 'or' operator as functions (instead of operators) when they are followed by ()'s • Old C99 function highlighting that broke the standard function highlighting • The failure of highlighting for the semicolon after namespaces • The missing operator overloading symbols • The failure to tag operator overloading functions as functions • The failure to tag implicit operator overrides • The marking of some %'s as invalid inside of strings https://github.com/atom/language-c/issues/289 • The highlighting of namespaces with ::'s https://github.com/atom/language-c/issues/260 • The issue of the C++ syntax depending on (and getting screwed up by) the C syntax • multiple inheritance https://github.com/atom/language-c/issues/245 • And many many more issues (#318, #309, #270, #246, etc)
It adds: • Parameter highlighting • Highlighting of embedded assembly code (if you have an assembly syntax installed) • Function-pointer highlighting • Lambda highlighting • C++14 literal support (100'000ms) • Template definition syntax highlighting (including C++ 2020 syntax) • Better object identification • Improved scope resolution :: syntax • Highlighting of templated function calls aFunction(arguments) • Additional specificity for many existing tags • Many other features
Like this extension?
• You'll probably like this as well: My "Better Syntax" Megapack
Contributing
If you'd like to help improve the syntax, take a look at main/main.rb. And make sure to take a look at documentation/CONTRIBUTING.md to get a better idea of how the code works.
Planned future fixes/features: • Add tagging for type-casting statements • Add tagging for custom types words • Better support for dereferenced/pointer tagging • Full C++ 2020 support (module imports, arrow return types, etc.) • Improving template types
What if I see a highlighting bug?
Let me know! Post an issue on https://github.com/jeff-hykin/better-cpp-syntax I love regular expressions, and PR's are always welcome.
Did you write all of this yourself?
The original JSON was taken from https://github.com/atom/language-c @matter123 wrote every massive pull request, from simple bugfixes up to the entire textmate testing suite @j-cortial has fixed many lingering bugs The #error fix was taken from fnadeau's pull request here: https://github.com/atom/language-c/pull/251 Thank you @matter123, @j-cortial, and @fnadeau! The rest of the ruby is authored by @jeff-hykin
Description from the VS Code Marketplace listing.
- c++
- color
- coloring
- cpp
- highlighting
- syntax
- textmate
Charts
Images: 30d · 1y · all time · 1600×900 dark
Adoption over time
7/30/90-day growth
Ranking history
Ratings over time
Listing placement
Filled points are observed values; hollow points come from Internet Archive snapshots of the listing page. Dashed segments span periods with no observations — values between points are not interpolated.
Each band is one page of 20. Installs on a log scale. Placement is projected from installs, so it can differ from the marketplace's own sort order. Hover a dot to see the listing.
Recent observations
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Install counts, average rating, and rating counts come from the public Visual Studio Marketplace gallery API. Installs are cumulative and exclude updates.
Listing: https://marketplace.visualstudio.com/items?itemName=jeff-hykin.better-cpp-syntax. First seen Oct 16, 2026; last successful collection Oct 19, 2026. See the methodology.