Free install wizard software [closed]

StackOverflow https://stackoverflow.com/questions/137657

Question

Is there something like InstallShield that I can use for free?

Was it helpful?

Solution

WiX

  • Very powerful and flexible.
  • Can produce MSI packages (Microsoft deployment format of choice)
  • Almost no documentation
  • Very steep learning curve.
  • XML-based.
  • Recommended for very complex installators.

Inno Setup

  • Cannot produce MSI packages.
  • Its scripting part looks like INI files structure.
  • Uses Pascal Script based language for extra flexibility.

NSIS

  • Cannot produce MSI packages.
  • Fully scripted, very powerful but at cost of high learning curve.
  • Recommened if WiX is too much and Inno Setup not enough.

AdvancedInstaller

  • Basic version is free.
  • Can produce MSI packages.
  • Very good user-interface, almost no learning curve to get things done.
  • XML-based (but schema is not very user-friendly, doesn't really matter as you would use GUI editor anyway)
  • The best option if you have only basic installer requirements and don't have time to learn something new.

IzPack

  • Cross-platform
  • Maven integration
  • Customizable actions
  • Well documented
  • Opensource

OTHER TIPS

I have been using Inno Setup for several years now. It's mature enough that it has a lot of plug-ins. I've found that the forums/newsgroups are very good at answering all the questions I've had so far.

WiX (Windows Installer XML) is free.

Inno Setup has worked very well as the Zeus installer for many years.

I googled for "free installer" and found Advanced Installer, which I recall that I have used successfully in the past.

+1 for Inno. I was not a fan of NSIS/Nullsoft.

EDIT

the reason I did not like NSIS was the hoops I had to jump trough just to get the version information in the installer title/script. Basically you have to preprocess the scripts or run the install generator twice. Maybe they fixed it, maybe not. But what a hassle.

I also found that the versions of the plugins and the versions of the main component were brittle. For example, things didn't work well when mixed and matched/upgraded.

We had to keep a specific version of NSIS and the plugins we used in a repository to ensure we had them.

I would consider dotNetInstaller as well.

It's pretty easy to setup installation with prerequisites, has a nice wizard and an editor that let manage the xml scripting from a form.

Nullsoft Installer is the way to go. It has a bit of a steep learning curve but once you've worked out the scripting you'll have a decent installer in no time. Check out the Eclipse plugin too, it is a great addition.

I was looking for a similar solution and found the new kid on the block to be InstallJammer. Open source, extremely friendly and powerful-looking (I say looking because I never actually finished using it on a project), able to produce installers for multiple platforms.

Actions in particular seemed very easy to set up.

If it were to live up to it's goals, it would easily give the other install solutions a run for their money.

There's the open source Nullsoft Installer which began with WinAmp, if I'm not mistaken.

For .NET development you may want to take a look at WiX, which Microsoft also open sourced. IT's good for those with continuous integration setups.

NSIS (nullsoft scriptable installer system) will do the job. It's open source.

http://nsis.sourceforge.net/Main_Page

The Nullsoft installer is free, powerful and very, very good.

The nullsoft scriptable install system is an open source solution that provides a very powerful and professional install system.

We use MakeMSI here to construct Windows installers. Very steep learning curve, but it's guaranteed to work on any Windows system.

We've had problems with Nullsoft installers in the past, as silent, automated installs (the kind done all the time in managed environments) aren't supported by default.

Licensed under: CC-BY-SA with attribution
Not affiliated with StackOverflow
scroll top