Top Alternatives to Lua

Python is a versatile, high-level programming language renowned for its readability and simplicity. It supports multiple programming paradigms, including object-oriented, imperative, and functional programming styles. It boasts a large and active community, extensive libraries, and is widely used for web development, data science, artificial intelligence, and scripting.

JavaScript is a versatile, high-level programming language primarily used for creating dynamic and interactive web content. It runs directly in web browsers and is a fundamental technology alongside HTML and CSS.

PHP is a versatile, open-source scripting language widely used for web development. It excels at creating dynamic web content, interacting with databases, and integrating seamlessly with HTML.

C is a foundational, imperative programming language renowned for its efficiency and low-level access. It serves as a bedrock for systems programming, operating systems, and performance-critical applications, providing direct control over hardware through features like manual memory management.

C++ is a powerful, general-purpose programming language renowned for its performance and flexibility. It supports procedural, object-oriented, generic, and functional programming paradigms, making it suitable for a wide range of applications from system software to video games.

Ruby is a dynamic, open-source programming language known for its elegant syntax and focus on developer productivity. It's widely used for web development, scripting, and rapid prototyping.

C# is a versatile, modern, object-oriented programming language from Microsoft. It's widely used for developing Windows applications, web services, mobile apps, and games, offering a balance of power and ease of use.

Perl is a highly-capable, feature-rich programming language with over 30 years of development. Widely used for text processing, web development, and systems administration, it is known for its power and flexibility.

Go (Golang) is an open-source, statically typed, compiled programming language designed at Google. Known for its concurrency primitives, garbage collection, and focus on simplicity, Go is well-suited for building scalable, high-performance applications, particularly in networking, cloud services, and microservices.

Dart is an open-source, client-optimized programming language for building fast apps on any platform. It offers a productive development experience and high performance.

Scala is a powerful, general-purpose programming language designed to combine the best features of object-oriented and functional programming paradigms.

Haskell is a powerful, statically typed, purely functional programming language. It emphasizes immutability and mathematical purity, leading to robust and maintainable code. Ideal for applications demanding correctness and concurrency.

Objective-C was a robust, general-purpose, object-oriented programming language primarily used for Apple's macOS and iOS operating systems. It combined C's power with Smalltalk's dynamic messaging capabilities.

Apache Groovy is a powerful, optionally typed and dynamic language for the Java platform. It seamlessly integrates with existing Java code and libraries, making it a versatile tool for scripting, application development, testing, and automation.

Swift is a powerful and intuitive compiled programming language from Apple, building on the best of C and Objective-C without the constraints of C compatibility. It's designed for safety, performance, and modern software design patterns, enabling developers to create apps for iOS, macOS, watchOS, tvOS, and beyond.

Clojure is a dynamic, functional dialect of the Lisp programming language on the Java virtual machine (JVM). It emphasizes immutability and persistent data structures for robust concurrent programming.

JRuby is a robust implementation of the Ruby programming language built on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). It provides seamless interoperability between Ruby and Java, allowing developers to leverage the strengths of both ecosystems.

FreeBASIC is a free and open-source multiplatform BASIC compiler. It supports a wide range of operating systems including Windows, Linux, and macOS (via third-party ports), facilitating cross-platform development. It's designed to be highly compatible with QuickBASIC while offering numerous modern features like object-oriented programming, manual memory management, and support for graphics and sound libraries, making it suitable for various programming tasks from system utilities to game development.

Tcl (Tool Command Language) is a dynamic, high-level scripting language ideal for rapid application development, scripting, and automation, particularly strong in graphical user interfaces.

REBOL is a lightweight, cross-platform language designed for data exchange, networking, and distributed computing. It's known for its expressive syntax and focus on dialects for various tasks, making it suitable for scripting and building domain-specific applications.

Kotlin is a modern, statically-typed programming language developed by JetBrains. It runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM), Android, and the web (via JavaScript), and can compile to native code. Designed for concise, safe, and interoperable code, Kotlin aims to make programming more enjoyable and productive.

F# is an open-source, cross-platform, functional-first programming language designed for conciseness and correctness. It integrates seamlessly with the .NET ecosystem, making it ideal for data science, web development, and more.

Nim is a modern, statically typed, compiled programming language emphasizing efficiency, expressiveness, and flexibility. It draws inspiration from languages like Python, Pascal, and C++, making it approachable for developers while offering low-level control for systems programming.

Hack is a programming language for the HipHop Virtual Machine (HHVM), combining the fast development cycle of dynamically typed languages with the discipline of static typing. It offers features like type hinting and asynchronous programming primitives, making it suitable for building complex, performant web applications.

Squirrel is a high-level, imperative and object-oriented programming language designed for embedding in applications.