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.

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

More about InstallShield
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InstallShield alternatives page was last updated Feb 5, 2025
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  1. Inno Setup icon

    Inno Setup

     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

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Wine
    Compiler

    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

    NSIS

     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

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Country of Origin

    • US flagUnited States

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • PortableApps.com
    Installer example: Winamp

    NSIS Features

    1.  Support for scripting
    2.  Portable

    NSIS VS InstallShield

     
  4. WiX icon

    WiX

     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

    • Free • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Windows
    WiX screenshot 1

    WiX Features

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

    WiX VS InstallShield

     
  5. DCP Setup Maker icon

    DCP Setup Maker

     5 likes
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    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

    • Free • Open Source

    Application types

    Country of Origin

    • MA flagMorocco

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Wine
    Scan

    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
  6. Advanced Installer icon

    Advanced Installer

     16 likes
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    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

    • Freemium • Proprietary

    Country of Origin

    • RO flagRomania
    • European Union flagEU

    Platforms

    • Windows
    Advanced Installer screenshot 1

    Advanced Installer VS InstallShield

     
  7. Velopack icon

    Velopack

     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

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Velopack screenshot 1

    Velopack Features

    1.  Auto Update

    Velopack VS InstallShield

     
  9. Wix# icon

    Wix#

     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

    • Free • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Windows

    Wix# VS InstallShield

     
  10. Setup Factory icon

    Setup Factory

     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 screenshot 1

    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
  11. DeployMaster icon

    DeployMaster

     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

     
  12. Centurion Setup icon

    Centurion Setup

     2 likes
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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 screenshot 1

    Centurion Setup Features

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

    Centurion Setup VS InstallShield

     
  13. RayPack Studio icon

    RayPack Studio

     3 likes
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    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
    RayQC

    RayPack Studio VS InstallShield

     
  14. Visual & Installer icon

    Visual & Installer

     2 likes
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    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
    Visual & Installer screenshot 1

    Properties

    1.  Configurable

    Features

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

    Visual & Installer VS InstallShield

     
12 of 50 InstallShield alternatives