Excelsior Installer vs InstallShield

Struggling to choose between Excelsior Installer and InstallShield? Both products offer unique advantages, making it a tough decision.

Excelsior Installer is a Development solution with tags like installer, authoring, packaging, compression, windows.

It boasts features such as GUI-based installer creation, Support for MSI and EXE installers, Installer customization and branding, Multiple language support, Advanced installer logic, Installer prerequisites, Custom actions and events, Installer validation, Installer compression and pros including Free and open source, Easy to use drag and drop interface, Good documentation and community support, Create installers without programming knowledge, Flexible and customizable installers, Good for basic to intermediate installer needs.

On the other hand, InstallShield is a Development product tagged with setup, installer, deployment, packaging.

Its standout features include Create installers for Windows, macOS, Linux, Support for MSI, EXE, AppX installers, Wizard-driven interface, Multiple languages support, Custom actions and logic, Version checking capabilities, Integration with build tools, Virtualization support, Patching capabilities, Rollback functionality, Administrative installs, and it shines with pros like Wide platform and installer format support, Intuitive visual interface, Powerful customization options, Robust patching and upgrading features, Integration with popular build tools, Good technical support.

To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison of these two products, delving into their features, pros, cons, pricing, and more. Get ready to explore the nuances that set them apart and determine which one is the perfect fit for your requirements.

Excelsior Installer

Excelsior Installer

Excelsior Installer is a free software installation authoring tool for creating Windows installers. It provides a GUI and set of tools to package, compress, and build installers with advanced functionality.

Categories:
installer authoring packaging compression windows

Excelsior Installer Features

  1. GUI-based installer creation
  2. Support for MSI and EXE installers
  3. Installer customization and branding
  4. Multiple language support
  5. Advanced installer logic
  6. Installer prerequisites
  7. Custom actions and events
  8. Installer validation
  9. Installer compression

Pricing

  • Free
  • Open Source

Pros

Free and open source

Easy to use drag and drop interface

Good documentation and community support

Create installers without programming knowledge

Flexible and customizable installers

Good for basic to intermediate installer needs

Cons

Limited to Windows installers only

Less advanced features than paid tools

Limited UI customization options

No support for patches or upgrades

No integration with IDEs or build systems


InstallShield

InstallShield

InstallShield is a software tool used to create installers or setup packages for distributing software to end users. It simplifies the complex process of making installers for Windows and other platforms.

Categories:
setup installer deployment packaging

InstallShield Features

  1. Create installers for Windows, macOS, Linux
  2. Support for MSI, EXE, AppX installers
  3. Wizard-driven interface
  4. Multiple languages support
  5. Custom actions and logic
  6. Version checking capabilities
  7. Integration with build tools
  8. Virtualization support
  9. Patching capabilities
  10. Rollback functionality
  11. Administrative installs

Pricing

  • One-time Purchase
  • Subscription-Based

Pros

Wide platform and installer format support

Intuitive visual interface

Powerful customization options

Robust patching and upgrading features

Integration with popular build tools

Good technical support

Cons

Steep learning curve

Complex pricing model

Limited trial version

Can be overkill for simple installers