InstallShield AlternativesSoftware Installers and other similar apps like InstallShield

InstallShield is described as 'Is designed to enable development teams to be more agile, collaborative and flexible when building reliable InstallScript and Windows Installer (MSI) installations for PCs, servers, Web and virtual applications' and is a software installer in the os & utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to InstallShield for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, Wine and BSD apps. The best InstallShield alternative is Inno Setup, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like InstallShield are NSIS, WiX, DCP Setup Maker and Advanced Installer.

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InstallShield is designed to enable development teams to be more agile, collaborative and flexible when building reliable...

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InstallShield alternatives page was last updated Feb 5, 2025
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  1. Inno Setup icon
     112 likes
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    Inno Setup is a free installer for Windows programs. First introduced in 1997, Inno Setup today rivals and even surpasses many commercial installers in feature set and stability.

    55 Inno Setup alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Wine

    Inno Setup VS InstallShield

     
    Comments about Inno Setup as an Alternative to InstallShield
    Guest
    Negative Dec 18, 2023
    0

    It is quite different and doesn't open the files created by InstallShield

    Guest
    Positive Jan 28, 2020
    2

    was able to create setup for an app in less than 2 mins

    InstallShield Icon
    Inno Setup icon
    • Most users think Inno Setup is a great InstallShield alternative.

    • Inno Setup is the most popular Windows alternative to InstallShield.

    • Inno Setup is the most popular Open Source & free alternative to InstallShield.

    • Inno Setup is Free and Open SourceInstallShield is Paid and Proprietary
  2. NSIS icon
     66 likes
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    NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) is a professional open source system to create Windows installers. It is designed to be as small and flexible as possible and is therefore very suitable for internet distribution.

    55 NSIS alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com

    NSIS Features

    1.  Support for scripting
    2.  Portable

    NSIS VS InstallShield

     
  3. WiX icon
     20 likes
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    The Windows Installer XML (WiX) is a toolset that builds Windows installation packages from XML source code. The toolset supports a command line environment that developers may integrate into their build processes to build MSI and MSM setup packages.

    40 WiX alternatives

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows

    WiX Features

    1.  Command line interface
    2.  WixPie IDE
    3.  WixEdit

    WiX VS InstallShield

     
  4. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Powerful simple-to-use application to generate stable and multi-platform installers. Its intuitive user interface and exceptional ease of use makes it very easy to build complex desktop or web installers with large amounts of files.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Country of Origin

    • MA flagMorocco

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Wine

    DCP Setup Maker Features

    1.  Portable
    2.  Nuget

    DCP Setup Maker VS InstallShield

     
    • DCP Setup Maker is the most popular Mac & Linux alternative to InstallShield.

    • DCP Setup Maker is Free and Open SourceInstallShield is Paid and Proprietary
  5. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Advanced Installer is a powerful and easy to use setup authoring tool which offers full Windows Installer support and more. You can configure every aspect of your installer through a simple graphical user interface or through its command line.

    44 Advanced Installer alternatives

    License model

    • FreemiumProprietary

    Country of Origin

    • RO flagRomania
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Advanced Installer VS InstallShield

     
  6. Velopack icon
     1 like
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    Velopack is an installation and auto-update framework for cross-platform desktop applications. It's opinionated, extremely easy to use with zero config needed. With just one command you can be up and running with an installable application, and it's lightning fast for...

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux

    Velopack Features

    1.  Auto Update

    Velopack VS InstallShield

     
  7. Wix# icon
     5 likes
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    WixSharp enables creating MSI files or WiX source code by using C# source code. Upon execution, the C# code is transformed into a MSI file or WiX source code. Thanks to C# features such as inheritance, it becomes easy to create installers.

    License model

    • FreeOpen Source

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Wix# VS InstallShield

     
  8. Setup Factory icon
     5 likes
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    Setup Factory Software Installer Builder for Windows. Advanced installer builder makes software installation programs for Windows. Award winning. Easy to Use.

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • CA flagCanada

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Setup Factory VS InstallShield

     
    • Setup Factory is the most popular commercial alternative to InstallShield.

    • Setup Factory is Paid and ProprietaryInstallShield is also Paid and Proprietary
  9. DeployMaster icon
     3 likes
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    DeployMaster is the no-nonsense software installer builder from Just Great Software. Deliver your applications to customers and prospects with a good first impression. Easy to use for both the developer and the end user.

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • GB flagUnited Kingdom

    Platforms

    • Windows

    DeployMaster VS InstallShield

     
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    After putting a lot of effort into your software, it's time to distribute it. Don't spend weeks wrestling with a complicated installation builder when you are so close to being done. Centurion Setup is extremely easy to use, and you can have a professional installation...

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Centurion Setup Features

    1.  Ad-free
    2.  Multiple languages
    3.  Graphical User Interface
    4.  Package Installing
    5.  No dependencies

    Centurion Setup VS InstallShield

     
  11. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    RayPack Studio provides a set of software products and components for professional enterprise software packaging. Next to software packaging and virtualization, RayPack Studio considers all packaging-related tasks: conflict and compatibility checks of software applications and...

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • DE flagGermany
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    RayPack Studio VS InstallShield

     
  12. Copy a direct link to this comment to your clipboard

    Visual Studio extension for creating NSIS and Inno Setup installers. It integrates NSIS (Nullsoft Scriptable Install System) and Inno Setup with Microsoft Visual Studio IDE and allows you to create and build NSIS and Inno Setup projects right within Visual Studio getting all...

    License model

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • RO flagRomania
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Properties

    1.  Configurable

    Features

    1.  Syntax Highlighting
    2.  Ide integration
    3.  Continuous Integration

    Visual & Installer VS InstallShield

     
12 of 50 InstallShield alternatives