diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 6da52c17..6a09c571 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
 [submodule "third_party/yaml-cpp"]
 	path = third_party/yaml-cpp
 	url = https://github.com/jbeder/yaml-cpp.git
-[submodule "third_party/googletest"]
-	path = third_party/googletest
-	url = https://github.com/google/googletest.git
 [submodule "third_party/substrait"]
 	path = third_party/substrait
 	url = https://github.com/substrait-io/substrait.git
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b4644b23..2c977ce3 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.20)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.24)
 
 # set the project name
 project(substrait-cpp)
@@ -39,11 +39,19 @@ include_directories(src)
 # available otherwise we fallback to the older protobuf method.
 find_package(Protobuf QUIET CONFIG)
 if(${Protobuf_FOUND})
+  message(STATUS "Modern protobuf library located.")
   set(ABSL_INCLUDED_WITH_PROTOBUF ON)
 else()
-  find_package(Protobuf REQUIRED)
-  include_directories(${Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIRS})
-  set(ABSL_INCLUDED_WITH_PROTOBUF OFF)
+  find_package(Protobuf QUIET)
+  if(${Protobuf_FOUND})
+    message(STATUS "Legacy protobuf library located.")
+    include_directories(${Protobuf_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+    set(ABSL_INCLUDED_WITH_PROTOBUF OFF)
+  else()
+    message(STATUS "Fetching external protobuf library.")
+    include(third_party/protobuf.cmake)
+    set(ABSL_INCLUDED_WITH_PROTOBUF ON)
+  endif()
 endif()
 
 add_subdirectory(third_party)
diff --git a/export/planloader/CMakeLists.txt b/export/planloader/CMakeLists.txt
index 13eceabe..2294572c 100644
--- a/export/planloader/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/export/planloader/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
-if(NOT BUILD_SUBDIR_NAME EQUAL "release")
+if(CMAKE_BUILD_TYPE MATCHES Debug)
   message(
-    SEND_ERROR,
-    "The planloader library does not work in Debug mode due to its dependencies."
+    WARNING
+      "The planloader library does not work well in Debug mode due to bundled heap checking."
   )
 endif()
 
diff --git a/src/substrait/proto/CMakeLists.txt b/src/substrait/proto/CMakeLists.txt
index 26198013..d0f8bd92 100644
--- a/src/substrait/proto/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/substrait/proto/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -65,8 +65,10 @@ foreach(PROTO_FILE IN LISTS PROTOBUF_FILELIST)
   set(PROTO_SRC ${PROTO_OUTPUT_PARENT_DIR}/proto/${RELATIVE_PROTO_PATH}.pb.cc)
   add_custom_command(
     OUTPUT ${PROTO_SRC} ${PROTO_HDR}
-    COMMAND protobuf::protoc "--proto_path=${GENERATED_PROTO_TOPLEVEL_DIR}"
-            "--cpp_out=${PROTO_OUTPUT_MIDLEVEL_DIR}" ${GENERATED_PROTO_FILE}
+    COMMAND
+      protobuf::protoc
+      "--proto_path=${GENERATED_PROTO_TOPLEVEL_DIR}:${protobuf_SOURCE_DIR}/src"
+      "--cpp_out=${PROTO_OUTPUT_MIDLEVEL_DIR}" ${GENERATED_PROTO_FILE}
     DEPENDS ${GENERATED_PROTOBUF_LIST} protobuf::protoc
     COMMENT "Generated C++ protobuf module for ${PROTO_FILE}"
     VERBATIM)
diff --git a/third_party/CMakeLists.txt b/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
index 2124c76d..fb340296 100644
--- a/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/third_party/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,9 +8,23 @@ endif()
 include(datetime.cmake)
 
 add_subdirectory(fmt)
-add_subdirectory(googletest)
 
+find_package(GTest QUIET)
+if(NOT ${GTEST_FOUND})
+  message(STATUS "Retrieving external GoogleTest library.")
+  include(FetchContent)
+  fetchcontent_declare(
+    GTest
+    GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/google/googletest.git
+    GIT_TAG v1.14.0
+    OVERRIDE_FIND_PACKAGE)
+  fetchcontent_makeavailable(GTest)
+endif()
+
+set(PREVIOUS_BUILD_TESTING ${BUILD_TESTING})
+set(BUILD_TESTING OFF)
 add_subdirectory(protobuf-matchers)
+set(BUILD_TESTING ${PREVIOUS_BUILD_TESTING})
 
 set(YAML_CPP_BUILD_TESTS
     OFF
diff --git a/third_party/googletest b/third_party/googletest
deleted file mode 160000
index d9251171..00000000
--- a/third_party/googletest
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-Subproject commit d9251171f5a42eaf993395e7ef127546af5814b0
diff --git a/third_party/protobuf-matchers b/third_party/protobuf-matchers
index 5917378d..a76296f5 160000
--- a/third_party/protobuf-matchers
+++ b/third_party/protobuf-matchers
@@ -1 +1 @@
-Subproject commit 5917378dcacf16c363b80c24a0d3c750f583b2b7
+Subproject commit a76296f5d5369d57f44126acf59c290a397490c6
diff --git a/third_party/protobuf.cmake b/third_party/protobuf.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e7942cf3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/third_party/protobuf.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
+
+include_guard(GLOBAL)
+
+set(ABSL_PROPAGATE_CXX_STD ON)
+
+include(FetchContent)
+FetchContent_Declare(GTest
+        GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/google/googletest.git
+        GIT_TAG v1.14.0
+        OVERRIDE_FIND_PACKAGE
+)
+FetchContent_Declare(Protobuf
+        GIT_REPOSITORY https://github.com/protocolbuffers/protobuf.git
+        GIT_TAG v23.4
+        OVERRIDE_FIND_PACKAGE
+)
+set(protobuf_BUILD_TESTS OFF CACHE INTERNAL "")
+FetchContent_MakeAvailable(Protobuf GTest)