It’s not that C++ or Visual Studio is slow, but the Unreal Engine source code is just really big.
A few tips to speed up the compile process:
- use a SSD for Visual Studio and all of the source files
- Get a better processor!
- Visual Assist does not help with the compile time, but it is nonetheless useful for Intellisense and other things
- Only build your project, not all the projects in your VS view
- shut off your antivirus
There is a reason why most people prefer to use blueprints when the performance is not critical - they allow faster iteration times.