InstallShield Alternatives for Linux

InstallShield is not available for Linux but there are plenty of alternatives that runs on Linux with similar functionality. The best Linux alternative is DCP Setup Maker, which is both free and Open Source. If that doesn't suit you, our users have ranked more than 50 alternatives to InstallShield and 18 are available for Linux so hopefully you can find a suitable replacement. Other interesting Linux alternatives to InstallShield are IzPack, Effing Package Management!, Velopack and Debreate.

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Alternatives list

  1. 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.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Wine
    Good alternative?
     
  2. IzPack icon
     11 likes

    IzPack is a one-stop solution for packaging, distributing and deploying applications.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    • Java
    Good alternative?
     
  3. The packaging formats used by different distributions of Linux can be a pain point for software developers wishing to release their projects in an easily consumable way. Debian and Ubuntu rely on .deb packages, while Fedora and RedHat both use .rpm style packaging systems.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    • OpenSolaris
    Good alternative?
     
  4. Velopack icon
     1 like

    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...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Windows
    • Mac
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  5. Debreate icon
     7 likes

    Debreate is a utility to aid in creating installable Debian (.deb) packages. The goal behind the project is to make developing for Debian based Linux distributions more appealing, with an easy to use interface for packaging applications, artwork, media, themes, etc.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source (MIT)

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  6. Makeself icon
     3 likes

    makeself.sh is a small shell script that generates a self-extractable tar.gz archive from a directory. The resulting file appears as a shell script (many of those have a .run suffix), and can be launched as is.

    Cost / License

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Linux
    • BSD
    Good alternative?
     
  7. Modern, easy to use crossplatform installation tool similar to InstallShield multiplatform and InstallAnywhere. It works across Linux, Windows and Mac OS X. Free Licenses for open source projects.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  8.  3 likes

    install4j is a powerful multi-platform Java installer builder that generates native installers and application launchers for Java applications.

    Cost / License

    • Paid
    • Proprietary

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Mac
    • Windows
    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  9. A Debian package builder based on Debian Package Maker (http://debianpackagemaker.blogspot.com).

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  10. Packin icon
     2 likes

    Packin is a graphical Linux package creator wizard which compiles packages in the popular debian package format (.deb files). Packin creates complete debian packages within four easy steps. Advanced options and latest specifications supported.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  11. Alien is a program that converts between the rpm, dpkg, stampede slp, and slackware tgz file formats. If you want to use a package from another distribution than the one you have installed on your system, you can use alien to convert it to your preferred package format and...

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
  12. Deb-Creator icon
     1 like

    Deb-Creator is a tool to quickly create Debian packages. The program provides a simple graphical user interface written in C++ using Qt Creator. It uses the dpkg command in Linux to build the final Debian package.

    Cost / License

    • Free
    • Open Source

    Application type

    Alerts

    • Discontinued

    Platforms

    • Linux
    Good alternative?
     
12 of 18 InstallShield alternatives