NSIS Alternatives

    NSIS is described as '(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' and is a popular Software Installer in the OS & Utilities category. There are more than 50 alternatives to NSIS for a variety of platforms, including Windows, Linux, Mac, BSD and Wine. The best alternative is Inno Setup, which is both free and Open Source. Other great apps like NSIS are WiX (Free, Open Source), Advanced Installer (Freemium), install4j (Paid) and Venis GUI for NSIS (Free).

    This page was last updated Oct 20, 2021
    1. 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.
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      Almost everyone thinks Inno Setup is a great alternative to NSIS.
    2. 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.

    4. Advanced Installer

      • Freemium • Proprietary
      • Windows
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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.
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      • install4j

        • Mac
        • Windows
        • Linux
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        install4j is a powerful multi-platform Java installer builder that generates native installers and application launchers for Java applications.
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      • Venis is a, NOW 100% FREE, Visual Environment for Nullsoft Install System (NSIS). The Venis IX environment makes creating and maintaining NSIS install scripts quick and easy.
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      • IzPack

        • Free • Open Source
        • Mac
        • Windows
        • Linux
        • Java
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        IzPack is a one-stop solution for packaging, distributing and deploying applications. It is fully cross-platform and generates a single installer. As such, it is an alternative to native solutions such as platform-specific installers and package managers.

      • Wix#

        • Free • Open Source
        • Windows
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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.
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        • Makeself

          • Free • Open Source
          • Mac
          • Linux
          • BSD
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            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.
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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.
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          • Professional installer software is an essential component for any software developer. The ideology behind the CreateInstall installer is based on two main principles. Complete control over the installation process and unlimited scalability.
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          Showing 10 of 54 alternatives